Chapter 2

The next morning, Kate put on her running gear and knocked Maddie's door.

"It's time to go running!", she announced.

"Yeah, I'm coming!", she heard from inside.

After thirty minutes, Maddie noticed that her mother stayed behind and finally she stopped. She waited for Kate to join her, panting.

"Shit! Pfft, I always….thought….that I was in good shape. Pfft, now I have to confess that I'm in my fifties and no longer in my twenties".

"Come on mum, it's not that bad. Let's go home, have a shower and a good breakfast!", Maddie said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's go to the bakery and get some croissants", Kate said.

"Maybe, we could do something together? A walk? Maybe with lunch? Or do you have something else on the agenda?", asked Maddie.

"No, no, if there's no situation at Navcom, then that's fine with me", she replied.

After having a shower and breakfast, they drove to Palm Cove and took a walk along the coast.

Kate had chosen to wear a dress and Maddie a tank top and shorts.

Kate looked at her daughter and noticed her heeled sandals, "Hey, I see that you said goodbye to your inseparable sneakers".

Maddie grinned, "As an officer, I can't show up in sneakers. A heel is always more elegant".

At lunchtime they chose a tavern with a terrace overlooking the sea.

When they got their aperitif, Kate asked, "Do you have a nickname yet?"

Maddie rolled her eyes, "Mum, what do you think? With a name like Mulholland".

"Dutchy, you mean?", Kate replied.

"Well, at first it was, but then there was a smart arse who remembered that there was already a notorious Dutchy in Cairns and they thought it was too much honour for me. They also knew I was the daughter of the famous Princess Perfect. So it had to be related to royalty and Holland, in the territory of The Netherlands. So, they thought of their queen Maxima, but it was too long and it became Maxi", she said.

Kate tilted her head slightly and smiled, "Maxi", she said to test it. "That's not bad at all!"

"Did you have a nickname, other than XO or CO or Ma'am", Maddie asked.

"You almost said it. I dragged Princess Perfect everywhere with me, but it became Princess", Kate said with a shrug.

"Jeez, I didn't know that. It's funny. Oh, by the way, have you heard from Aunt Max, Aunt Nikki and Uncle Pete lately?".

"Nikki called me the day before yesterday from Darwin. She was about to start a new patrol with her ship. She said she was fine, but she missed Cairns. Darwin is really in the middle of nowhere and Uncle Pete was recently promoted to Navy Warrant Officer", Kate said.

"Wow! The highest NCO rank!", reacted a baffled Maddie.

"And Aunt Max?"

"Yeah, she recently sent me a postcard from Rome. Since she retired, she has been traveling. In fact, she is on a journey through Italy", Kate said.

"Hmm, Italy. I would like to visit that country too. I imagine tasting pasta and …gelati. But, can you tell me how you two became friends? From what I understood, you weren't friends from day one", she asked.

Kate took a sip, "Friends?"

She chuckled, "No, not at all, but it quickly changed. And the cause was Mike Flynn".

"Mike Flynn? My lector? I knew it! I knew he was involved in something with you. Now, you've made me very curious. Tell me, what happened?", Maddie asked, sitting much more comfortably to listen to the story.

Kate chuckled.

Look at her. She is fidgeting in her seat to find a comfortable position to listen to the story. She started doing it since she was three years old and now she's twenty-two and she still does it.

"Well, it all started with Mike Flynn's last patrol as commander…."

Flashback

The Hammersley had returned to base after a rather quiet patrol. The coastline of Cairns was already visible in the form of a wide blue-green strip on the horizon.

A year after Jim and Swain died, Mike's shore posting had become a matter of course. He had regained his function as Maxine's assistant, but the difference was that he was going to replace her as commander of Navcom.

Mike stood up from out his chair and straightened his back.

Kate looked up from the navigator screen and watched him.

"How are you living your last hours aboard, sir?", she asked him.

He turned around to look at her, "Weird. I can't describe it", he said, shrugging

"I still can't imagine sitting behind a desk or standing in the control room commanding ships without being aboard".

She nodded, "I believe it too, but I'm convinced that this feeling will last only a few days".

"I hope you're right, really", he replied .

"Sir, do you already know who our new captain will be?", Kate asked.

He glanced at her and shrugged a little irritated, "Nope X. I don't know anything. Of course there will be orders at Navcom", he answered grabbing the microphone.

"Do you hear there. It's your captain speaking. We're approaching Cairns again and then I'll leave the boarding . I would like to thank you for your nice cooperation and I invite you all to have a drink tonight. Carry on", he announced, putting the microphone away.

"That's it. Are you coming tonight?", he asked looking at her.

Kate nodded, "Yeah, I'm coming", she said simply.

"And uh…can we do something during this shore leave? ", he asked.

She looked at him with a hurt look, thought for a second and replied, "No, thank you. I need some space".

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, okay. It's okay".

He sat down and said, "X, you can bring her back".

Kate raised an eyebrow and replied, "Yes sir".

What's happening to you all of sudden? Don't you want to anymore?

Mike stared out the windscreen, unconcerned about what Kate was doing to bring the ship back to base.

She looked around and saw Harpie who the buffer aboard for a year. Dutchy was shot in the arm a year ago during the dramatic event with Madeleine Cruise. After his recovery, he got a recommendation to become an officer and was sent to the academy with the rank of midshipman. He and Kate exchanged e-mails from time to time.

"Harpie, can you check the mooring team?", she asked.

"Yes ma'am", he said and left to get his men.

The moment the Hammersley was moored, Mike stood up.

"I go to my cabin to finish things off. See you later", he said to Kate and left the bridge.

"Yes sir", she replied and continued her work. After a while, the ship was secured and the crew began to leave.

Mike entered the bridge again with his briefcase and sports bag, "X, I'm off now and I'll see you tonight. You'll fix it, huh?", he said.

"Yeah, I will", Kate replied looking up from the logbook she was filling in.

'You'll fix it'? What the hell does he mean by that?

She shrugged.

I don't know. Mike's way of speaking, I guess.

She looked around and nodded.

All right, here it's over. Now some paperwork and then I can leave too. Supermarket, a shower, something to eat and then the goodbye drink.

She went down to the control room and when she entered, her enthusiasm dashed when she saw the pile of files that still had to be checked.

"Oh my God, what's that?"

She leafed through the files.

"Oh damn you Mike! You did nothing!", she cursed.

"It's not fair. You just left and you left me all the paperwork! You did it on purpose, just because I unplugged our relationship", she mumbled sinking into the chair. She wearily grabbed the first file and opened it.

"Nah! First a brew and then, hopefully, it will get better", she said standing up to go to the galley.

She came back, put the mug on the table and sat down. Then she removed the elastic band to release her hair.

That's much better.

Kate grabbed the mug and leaned against the back of the chair. She sipped her coffee and stared at the opposite wall blankly.

I'm sure he did it on purpose. He's still angry at me because I broke up our relationship.

It hurt me too, but it was the only solution. After Jim and Swain's funeral, we decided to resume our relationship. Again? No, to really start a relationship. I believed in it. Unfortunately, I'm very naïve when it comes to these things. This is definitely one of my weak points. Anyway, we hung round each other during three months and nothing happened, except for having drinks, lots of talking, dinners and sex. Especially the latter, a dinner could not pass without sex. But the main questions about our future and starting a family remained unanswered. When I started to lose heart again, he invited me to move in with him on weekends when we were ashore. The very first weekend went well, just a honeymoon. I was probably blind not to see how messy his house was. Empty mugs and glasses overflowing the kitchen sink, newspapers, magazines stacked on the coffee table, clothes scattered all over. Wherever I went, I would come across one pile or the other. In the beginning, I put everything away, but the next day I could start all again. When I told him about the mess, he gave me a lip service. 'Relax, there's still time'. 'Take it easy, honey. There is nothing urgent when we're on shore'. When I tried to talk to him about our future, he wondered whether I wasn't happy with what we were doing. 'Don't be in such a hurry', he answered. But for sex he was always in a hurry. Every night! It was a bit much for me! The more the weekends went by, the more I felt like his cleaning maid and his pleasure at night! I caught myself seeing the next shore leave arrive with reluctance! My patience was strained to the point of crying when I found again a newspaper in the lavatory. Last month, I got fed up. I told him that I could no longer bear lazy behaviour and that I couldn't move on with him. I also told him that I still love him as a friend but no longer as a partner for life. I could see on his face that he really didn't understand. I packed my things and left.

Since then, our relationship can be considered friendly, nothing more. I know he keeps trying to get me back, but his behaviour almost killed me.

I'm alone again and it feels good, although, on the other hand, I wish I had a relationship with someone, but it's a wish that doesn't seem to come true.

She took a sip.

And then there was that rather strange event….

Two days after the break-up.

That evening, Kate was about to cook dinner when the doorbell rang. She wiped her hands in the bathroom and looked in the mirror to see if she looked presentable. She had thought about the situation with Mike. It had made her angry and saddened her. She cried a little over missed opportunities, expectations and lost time.

She made a face.

This is not my best performance . Red and puffy eyes. Jolly good!

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

For a moment, she was bewildered.

Maxine was standing on the doorstep, in civvies wearing a dark blue T-shirt, a cream-coloured trousers and pumps. Her hair hung over her shoulders.

"Hi Kate".

"Good evening ma'am", she formally greeted her, but coldly.

She's the last one I wanted to see!

"I owe you an explanation. May I come in?"

"I'm not really in the mood, but if it's strictly necessary, yes, come in", she said reluctantly.

"Yes, it is", she said firmly and entered.

"Listen Kate. I know that you've been mad at me for a while and you probably want to slap me. I understand, but give me a chance to explain", Maxine said.

Kate raised her eyebrows on hearing this unusual answer from her superior.

In the middle of the living room she looked around. "Oh, you are really well settled here".

"Please, take a seat, ma'am", Kate suggested and waited for Maxine to sit before sitting down as well.

She looked at her boss, waiting for her to begin talking.

"Look Kate, what I'm going to tell you is something I can't do at Navcom. It's about Mike.

I heard you ended your relationship", Maxine started.

Kate widened her eyes and paled. "Ma'am, I… it's… uh…"

Maxine shook her head, "Don't be afraid Kate. I knew it, because Mike told me he was going to start a relationship with you and now he told me again. And, I can see in your eyes that you're still upset about it".

Kate looked down, "I'm sorry ma'am".

"Kate, let me tell me you my story and then I hope you will feel better, okay?".

Kate just nodded.

Maxine began speaking, "First of all, I apologize because I made some mistakes against you. I behaved like a bitch. I know your high achievements at the ADFA and at first you looked a cold and ruthless person who was looking for every opportunity to work her way to the top. It seemed like you saw in Mike the perfect person to use. He's a top commander, but in private, he's a poor guy who doesn't know how to express his feelings. Later, when I got to know you better, I realised that you were a person of integrity and punctual, even after duty. I really misjudged you, I'm really sorry. "

"I accept your apologies", Kate replied in a neutral tone.

Maxine went on to say, "I gave you a few months ago official advice to stay away from Mike, but I know it was way too vague and that's why I'm here.

I wanted to prevent you from falling into the same trap where I fell eighteen years ago. I didn't want him ruining your life, just like he did with mine."

She noticed Kate's irritated face.

"I see you're about to kick me out, but please let me finish my story. "

Kate didn't say anything and Maxine took that as an invitation to continue.

"We met at ADFA. We were both midshipmen at time and were busy with the last month of classes. He made advances to me because I'm blonde. He has a soft spot for blondes, it's something I also found out later. As blind as I could be, I fell head over heels in love with him. We started dating. Movies, terraces, dinners and of course sex, lots of sex. Our conversations always went well, until I began talking about moving on or starting a family. So he beat around the bush or bluntly changed the subject. Back then, I didn't realise what was going on. I always believed that everything was going to be fine. Meanwhile, we were both posted to the base in Sydney as sub-lieutenant. One day, I started feeling nauseous and it didn't stop. So I went to a doctor who confirmed that I was pregnant. Ryan, you see. When I saw Mike again, I tried to understand how he might feel about moving on and having children. It wasn't a success. He left angry several times saying something about our careers and that it was far too early to think about children. Anyway, I wasn't going to give up. He was the father. "

Kate was listening with much more attention now than a minute earlier.

To be continued