Indian Summer 8

I would have done the same thing if I was in her place, but the shock and disappointment hit me like the proverbial tonne of bricks.

"Josie, we've had the same conversation every six months for the last two years! You need to take some time off as you have built up almost five months of annual leave and your long-service leave is in play too. You're having a Summer holiday-- I'm writing you off for December and January."

"Nicola, no, please! I know all the young mums want December off- I'll take January, but I'll work Christmas so they can spend it with their families."

"Fine, January and February it is then."

At 32, I wasn't married to my life partner as such, I was married to my job. I had studied nursing straight out of school and had worked solidly since graduating. I found my niche in the Emergency Department at our regional hospital and two master's degrees later I am in a senior position. When I say I'm married to my job, I'm always the first person to put up their hand for overtime or double shifts and I never follow the advice I give to the more junior nurses: look after yourself or else you won't be able to look after your patients.

Colleagues had told Nicola that I was 'tetchy,' and I had snapped at a couple of frequent flyer patients once too often. I was clearly experiencing compassion fatigue and yet I was unable to realise this myself. I tried to go to a conference at least once a year and tack on a few days of leave around that, but I had not had a decent break in years.

My parents had divorced when I was 16 and my brother, Brad was 13. I later learnt Mum had been having an affair with the family vet. I thought our cat was getting old and needed regular check-ups, but it wasn't the only pussy receiving attention it would have seemed. I didn't learn about this until years later when my father told me in my last year at uni. It was what prompted me to move interstate when I graduated. Mum had always had 'moods,' but it wasn't until I learnt more about mental health in my studies that I realised she had a personality disorder.

Dad remarried and my relationship with my mother became further strained when I got on so well with Meg, my stepmother. Dad still worked as a doctor splitting his time between private practice and university lecturing which he was amazing at. He had encouraged me to follow him into medicine, but I only ever wanted to be a nurse. Meg's a nurse too and had been divorced too after her first husband had multiple affairs. Meg had been told she could not have children, so you can imagine the surprise when Stephanie arrived soon after my 21st birthday.

Mum had never remarried. She tells everyone Dad was the love of her life and she never forgave him for 'kicking her out' forgetting that he left her in a beautiful home with no mortgage. She never worked when we were growing up, however once she was left to pay her own bills after she had flittered away the money Dad gave her in the divorce, she got a job as a receptionist at an accounting firm. Then as a receptionist at a conveyancing firm and then, well, let's just say her personality traits make keeping a job challenging. I am still surprised Dad put up with her for as long as he did. If he wasn't so aloof and distant at times, lost in his own world I'm sure he would have left earlier.

Brad married Lissa a year or so back. He is also a doctor and Lissa a lawyer and they seem happy. Like me, Brad moved away from home after finishing school, choosing to study interstate. As for me, I had my heart broken several years ago. I thought Tim was the one. He was smart, he was funny, and he was gorgeous. He was a rep for a dressing manufacturer and whilst he was based where I was, he travelled for a couple of weeks each month and I realised he had different women in each town when two of them appeared on our doorstep within a week telling me of their pregnancies.

We had moved in together three years previously and Tim had always promised me he would marry me. He'd stop and look at rings with me in jewellers' windows. He was kind and caring when he was home and he was an amazing lover, but realising I wasn't his only love was devastating.

The night Eve knocked on our door Tim and I had been snuggling on the couch together watching a DVD.

"I'll get it!" Tim kissed me as he stood thinking it was the pizza delivery. "Jesus, Eve, what are you doing here?"

"Surprise!"

I heard the talking and came to investigate. Her face dropped.

"Eve, this is my partner, Josie, Josie, Eve. Um, how the fuck did you get my address, and what the absolute fuck are you doing here?"

Tim had put his arm around my shoulder. Eve looked like she was going to cry. She was a little younger than me with long red hair that she had tied back in a ponytail and a slight figure.

"I, um, I didn't know you had a partner. I feel sick," and with that Eve vomited all over our front doorstep.

"Honey, here, come inside and let me get you a drink and a towel to clean yourself up, I'm a nurse." I was confused, but I could see another woman in distress and knew she needed help.

Tim was swearing and it was a side of him I had never seen before. I got Eve a glass of water and cleaned her up and went to change my pants and socks that had been splattered with the contents of Eve's stomach. Confusion was an understatement. I had never seen this woman before, but she was obviously in distress and my job, I felt, was to help her.

"Of course it is!" I heard Eve sob as I walked back in seeing Tim pace the room.

"Hon, go and clean up the spew, I'll talk with Eve."

"Don't fucking listen to anything she says, she's fucking batshit crazy."

Eve again dissolved into more tears. Tim did not usually swear. I was more of a foul mouth than him after working in ED.

"Eve, I can see you are really upset about something. I don't know who you are or where you've come from, but I'd like to help."

"I'm a nurse too. I work in a surgical ward and I've driven five hours to see Tim. I didn't know he had a partner, I'm so sorry." Eve was again sobbing.

"Don't fucking listen to her Jo-babe, she's a fucking liar!" Tim screamed down the hall.

"I'm pregnant and Tim's the father."

"I told you Babe, she's fucking batshit!" Tim had again walked into the room and placed the pizza delivery on the coffee table in front of us.

The smell of the pizza set Eve off again and she managed to vomit into the bowl I had given her in case she was ill again.

I did not know this woman, but I sensed her vulnerability. She looked pale and tired. I suggested that I take her to the hospital as she would need rehydration as she had been vomiting so much.

"Just put her in her fucking car and get her out of here- she's a fucking stalker, Babe!"

I drove her to the hospital and made sure she was seen promptly. On the way there she told me that Tim had told her he was being transferred and would be basing himself in her town and that they were going to have a life together. When they pulled up Eve's sleeve to put in an IV canula, I saw scars and evidence that Eve had spent at least part of her life cutting herself.

"Hey Josie," Soo-Lee, one of the wonderful ED doctors and my good friend, on that evening called me aside, "I'm worried about her. She is a nurse from down south, but she is severely dehydrated and about 13 weeks pregnant. I'm going to keep her in overnight on fluids, do you know of any family in town?"

"She turned up on our doorstep this evening, I've never met her before! She says Tim is the father of her child. He says she's crazy. I saw her scars..."

"Yeah, I've spoken with Dave in Mental Health and he checked- she had some history in the service, but that stopped seven years ago, and she's been fine since."

I left Eve at the hospital and returned to Tim.

"You know she's lying Jo-babe, I mean, look at her and look at you- you're gorgeous with your stunning blonde hair and your gorgeous knockers, and you've got the most amazing curves- look at her, she's flat as a pancake and a stick insect! You know she's not my type and I adore you!"

I wanted to believe Tim, and part of me did. I had seen her scars and she did not fit the type of woman I thought Tim went for. Tim had tried to initiate sex that night, but I was exhausted. He flew out the following morning for work. I never asked where he went, but Eve had prompted insecurity in my mind.

"Come here!" Soo-Lee gave me a huge hug as I arrived at work the following afternoon. "You aren't family so I can't give you details, but Eve has left and gone home but she really believes Tim is the father of her baby."

"I have no idea how she got our address even. Tim flew out this morning. He's adamant she's lying, but I'm just not sure."

It was a busy shift. Tim texted a few times as he usually did, but he knew I wouldn't reply unless I was on my break. When I finished work at 9.30, I tried calling him, but he didn't answer. He had always told me that he was exhausted on the road and would often go to bed early.

The following morning, I rang his office and spoke with the receptionist, telling her I wanted to know what hotel Tim was staying at this week as it was our anniversary and I wanted to organise a surprise for him.

"Oh, that is so sweet! That's sad he had to go this week though, here, I'll email you his schedule!"

Tim and I missed each other's texts throughout the day. I was working another late shift. That night as I finished, instead of calling Tim's mobile, I rang the hotel and asked to be put through to his room. I heard the handset fall to the floor as it was answered.

"Oh honey, don't stop, harder, harder, fuck, I'm cumming!" It was a woman's voice.

"Um, hello?" It was Tim and he was obviously not alone, so I hung up.

I sat in my car and cried. I had never suspected Tim would cheat on me. I drove home in a daze. I walked into the home we shared together and simply started packing. There wasn't much I wanted. White dinner sets and plain glasses could be purchased again, but I wanted some of my things including some of the artwork I had bought before meeting Tim and my clothes. There were three pieces of furniture I wanted- the arm chair that I sat on to read in the corner under the window, a sideboard I had purchased when I first moved to town from an antique fair and the large butcher's block in the kitchen that again I had found at a flea market.

Tim was not due home for another couple of days. I rang Soo-Lee the following morning and told her that Tim was probably Eve's baby daddy. I had taken time off work but asked Soo-Lee if she could store a few pieces of furniture in her garage. Her partner, Mike was there with his ute the following morning, loading things for me. Mike was also a colleague.

"You deserve better, woman," Mike greeted me with a hug, "Have you got somewhere to stay?"

"I'm flying down tomorrow to see Dad for a few days. I'll work something out when I get back."

"You are more than welcome to our spare room, I mean our three rosters would probably never sync and one of us will always be on night shift, but you are more than welcome, here's a key."

That afternoon, as I had taken a few suitcases of clothes to Soo-Lee and Mike's, there was another young woman sitting on the doorstep.

"You after Tim?" I asked as I walked up the path.

"Yeah, is he around? You must be his sister, Josie, I'm Maddy!"

"Yeah, no, I'm not his sister, I'm his ex-girlfriend now." Maddy went white. "Don't tell me you're pregnant with his baby!"

"How did you know?"

"I was actually joking, but hey, you should meet Eve, she's also carrying his baby! I'm guessing Tim never used condoms."

"But he's allergic to them, that's why he can't be a doctor because of his allergies."

I stood there and laughed. We'd used condoms early on- I'd insisted on it until we both had blood tests to check for infections and I had confirmation my IUD was still in place. Maddy did not seem as immature as Eve had the few nights before. Tim was never smart enough to get into medicine, it had nothing to do with allergies!

"How did you get our address, by the way?"

"Oh, I used Tim's licence to get our credit cards and needed a scan for the bank, so it was on my computer."

"Well he's not due back 'til Friday, perhaps ring him- actually, he's staying at the Summertime Inn in Townsville this week, try him there."

With that I walked inside, slammed the door and rang our landlord. I explained the situation to her and asked if she could change the locks and take Tim off the lease. Tim knew I hated credit cards and always saved if I wanted something. He told me he had a work card and I thought nothing of it. I checked our joint savings account and noticed Tim had not put money in it for quite a few months. We had both agreed to put a set amount in each pay towards our house deposit. I went back through the records of the previous two years and discovered Tim had put less than a third of the money in that he had promised. I was furious with myself for not noticing before.

Before I flew down to see my Dad, Meg and Steph the following day, I put all of Tim's possessions, including his prized t-shirt and DVD collections on the front lawn, knowing the sprinkler system was set to come on overnight.

Dad was sympathetic, but a little lost as to know what to say. Meg was amazing. We sat and drank red wine well into the night, toasting the sprinkler system. Tim messaged me several times, but I couldn't be bothered replying. I had spoken with Lissa for a legal opinion and she said that even though I earnt slightly more than Tim because of my shift work, taking all the money I had put in our savings would be a hard thing to contest, and with Tim left with only a couple of thousand dollars, he would be unlikely to try and fight it anyway.

All hell broke loose when he arrived home and found I wasn't there. Meg answered the call and told Tim I was at the sexual health clinic being tested for all manner of diseases and that Maddy was also looking for him. It was a white lie, but I knew I would have to be tested none the less.

"But I love her," I heard Tim screaming down the phone.

"Then why did you screw all these other women, dickhead?"

"Because it's lonely travelling all the time."

"But you don't think Josie was lonely? Grow up, Tim. You've lost her."

Not only had Tim lost me, he'd lost his job after Maddy showed up and told his boss of his affairs. I saw out our lease and begrudgingly accepted a gift of money from Dad and Meg for me to put towards a deposit on my own place. I've been living there for over 5 years now. At first, I started taking overtime to do up the kitchen and bathroom, but soon I got into the habit of working more, pottering around my home on my days off and never taking holidays. I had even adopted a beautiful ginger cat called Isabella.

For a while, I took on a fuck buddy I had met online, but after seven months it finally clicked that he was also married, and I felt I was no better than Tim. Since then I had been happy all alone. I had a favourite battery-operated-boyfriend and my friends and colleagues would often joke that I was going home to Bob! Fortunately, my STD screen post Tim had come back clean, but I knew that was simply pure luck.

"Isabella, they're making me spend more time with you!" I told her as she sat on my lap that evening. "I'll probably go and look after Steph in January because Dad and Meg will be working, but I'll make sure someone looks after you!"

I could see myself going crazy. Soo-Lee had told me of a litter of kittens a friend was finding homes for but stopped me adopting another one telling me it was another step closer to me becoming a crazy cat lady! I contacted a few house-sitting services, but they all told me that they were booked out for January at least 9 months in advance. I tried a couple of catteries but received the same response- January was peak Summer holiday season and they were booked out too.

"Nicola, I'm going to have to change my leave..."

"No! You are taking January and February!"

"But I can't find anyone to look after Isabella!"

"Put up a notice in the tea-room!"

So, I did.

Yep, you heard right, Josie Stevens is taking a break! But who will look after poor Isabella? Hopefully you! Call us! House-sitter desperately required for January and possibly February too. Gorgeous Queenslander, walking distance from the hospital (if you're fit enough!) with a well-maintained yard by a service that comes every fortnight! I'll even keep our cleaner on for you! Please help!

I placed a beautiful photo of Isabella at the top of it and a photo of my house at the bottom. My colleagues knew where I lived as I was always entertaining people. The real estate agent had sold me the cottage telling me it was walking distance to work, but the reality was, shift work meant I never walked and in Summer in the tropics it was a futile exercise anyway as you would need another shower as soon as you arrived for your shift.

October rolled into November and still no one had offered to house-sit. Soo-Lee and Mike had told me they would come and feed Isabella each day and change her litter if I was totally desperate, but I knew Mike was allergic to cats and Soo-Lee hated animals!

"Don't shoot me, Josie, but I've put an ad out to all the new doctors arriving to start work in the New Year. Someone might want to house sit for you after all!"

I knew Soo-Lee was trying to help, but the idea of a stranger in my home was not appealing. I had tried to convince Dad and Meg to let Steph fly up and spend January with me, but they had been up in Summer before and knew Steph would hate the humidity, plus we would be unable to swim in the ocean because of jellyfish and it would probably rain most of the time!

"Take two weeks off in June and we'll all fly up!" Meg had told me. I knew April to September was the time to visit me, but I also was worried for Isabella. "And hey, Steph has already planned visits to the museums and galleries and hopes you will find time to get pedicures together!"

My sister was 11 and very grown up for her age. Her parents were older than a lot of her friends' parents and she had always looked up to me for advice. We skyped a lot, but I had never spent an extended period with her. The thought of spending a few weeks with her before school returned was enticing. I figured I had missed the boat on having children of my own with my relationship disasters and Steph was going to be the closest thing, plus any nieces and nephews Brad and Lissa might produce.

Greetings Mrs Josephine, my name is Dr Rishi Chabra and I am starting my final orthopaedics registrar term at your fine hospital in January. I saw your advertisement for a house-sitter and would like to apply. I am 33 years old. I do not smoke. I enjoy a fine whisky, but please don't tell my father! I am not married, nor do I have a partner. Isabella looks like a sweet cat and I have never lived in a Queenslander so not sure what that involves. I am finishing in Melbourne in December and will drive up over Christmas. Please let me know if this suits you. Rishi.

I read and re-read the email several times. I hated being called Josephine and had referred to myself as Ms instead of Miss since before I had left school. I also knew surgeons thought they were gods and were a law unto themselves. I forwarded the email to So-Lee and asked for her opinion.

"Ask for a photo, he might be cute!"

"I don't care about cute, but can I trust an orthopaedic surgeon with Isabella? You know what they're like! He's likely to bring home a different woman each night and who knows how Isabella will cope with all these people traipsing through the house!"

"Um, you mean like your colleagues who are always over! Get over yourself and reply to him!"