This chapter is in distinct contrast to the last, it returns to the main theme of the series and is perhaps the most romantic so far.
Australianisms
Chook = hen or adult chicken. Calling an elderly woman an old chook is not terribly polite but usually is an address indicating some affection for the person
The bell rang loudly. It was an old fashioned mechanical contraption which had to be pulled, and once pulled it only stopped when it had a mind to.
"Goodness," exclaimed Susan to herself as she went to the door, "He's early"
"Joe, I did not expect you to quite so soon, did you get a cab?"
"No, Aunt Diane, Mrs Salt gave me a lift from the airport, she was meeting an old friend of hers and she brought me along as well."
"Oh," said Susan frowning slightly, "I would have thought she might have stopped by for a moment, just to say hello."
"I expect they had a lot to talk about."
"Anyway it's good to see you," she kissed him briefly on the cheek, "Come on in, we can have a coffee while lunch is cooking. How do you like it?"
Joe told her and Susan took mugs from a cupboard; Joe smiled to himself as he watched Susan stretch up to the high shelf. On the drive from the airport he had wondered to himself whether the original dazzling impact Susan had made on him would repeat itself. It only took the warmth of a friendly greeting, and a simple graceful movement to captivate him all over again, he couldn't understand it. He was all too aware that although he knew, he was instantly entranced, Susan was not. She was friendly, clearly interested and pleased to see him, but for her it went no further than that. "Now," she smiled handing him his coffee, "Everything is on track for lunch in about forty five minutes, so you can tell me what you have been up to."
"Umm, where shall I start, in the US perhaps; we have worked in partnership with a US company for a number of years and following recent acquisitions by both of our companies we realised that maybe a partial assets swap might be mutually beneficial. I have been having a look at what they might put into the deal, and one of their people has been doing the same with the operations here that they are interested in."
"And that is why you were in Chicago?"
"Yes, which as you know gave me the chance to meet Alice... we got on pretty well, or at least I think we did. My guess is that she has already given you a pretty detailed account."
"She has," confirmed Susan, "And so did Sarah, though hers was rather different."
"I can imagine, but did Alice tell you about her questions?"
"Well, she told me she asked a lot."
"She certainly did," agreed Joe "In fact at the end of the meal she pulled out a little notebook and checked a list she had made; to be sure that she had covered everything."
Susan burst out laughing, "A list, that is so typical, she likes to think she has organised herself."
"Better than that, Alice had three lists, the first was headed, 'questions I should ask,' the second was, 'questions Mum should have asked,' and the third was, 'questions we shouldn't ask, but would like to know.' Your daughter is pretty direct you know."
"I hope you weren't offended at all."
"Of course not, in many ways she is very like you, not just in looks but in small mannerisms, for example when she is perplexed for a moment she frowns slightly and tilts her head to one side exactly as you do."
"Do I, I hadn't noticed that myself."
Joe and Susan continued to chat for perhaps another half hour when the timer on the oven rang. "Right everything's ready, I'll get it out of the oven and you can open a bottle of wine."
Within a few minutes Susan had the meal on the table. "It's a boned leg of lamb with rosemary and the vegetables are sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips cooked in the meat pan... I thought you might like lamb, because it's not eaten in the States anything like as frequently as it is here... a sort of reminder of home cooking."
"Mmmm, it smells really good," said Joe appreciatively, "My own cooking tends to be a bit hit and miss, and like most single guys I eat too many take aways."
"I hope you will like it, but hey, you forgot to open the wine.
"Ah no, I didn't forget, I can't drink today, because I'm flying the plane back to Sydney; I have been learning to fly for a while and am at the stage where I can fly solo but not at night, that's why my time is limited today, I have to get back to Bankstown airport in Sydney before dark.
"So you picked up your plane in Brisbane when you got off the international flight."
"That's right, it was there for servicing, but it isn't my plane, it's Dad's, he has been pushing me to get my licence because he is going to be seventy five soon and has pretty firm views about older pilots not flying, but he didn't want to let the plane go."
Susan continued to ask Joe about his flying, and he was surprised at the technical knowledge she had of pilot training, but then he remembered, "Of course your father started and developed an air service for freight, and later passengers in the Northern part of the State didn't he."
"Yes that's right, he then amalgamated his business with the man who initially became his partner, and who later became my husband."
"So I suppose you picked up your know how about flying when you were doing the accounts for the company."
"Well partly," said Susan disarmingly, "But it was not a huge company, and I was directly involved in the operations as well."
Joe missed the cue and Susan let it pass, she enjoyed Joe's infectious enthusiasm, and listened closely as he gave her a blow by blow account of his limited flying experience to date. Lunch was soon finished and Susan suggested they sit on the terrace and chat for a while. The conversation was just as easy and an outsider would have considered they were getting on like a house on fire: they were, but as Joe realised, for Susan she was prepared to be friends, but at least for now that was all, whereas he had fallen for her completely. Joe knew instinctively though, that he shouldn't pressure Susan too much, but he did want to make sure he developed their relationship.
"There was something else I particularly want to ask you Susan."
"What's that?"
"For a date, a very particular date... every year a dance, no a ball is held in Sydney called the Governors Ladies Ball, you might have heard of it."
"Yes I have, it's been going for years hasn't it, very traditional, very very exclusive."
"Yes it is, it's run by a committee of rather formidable older ladies, only five and my mother is one of them, in fact this year she is the Chairman."
"Well it is kind of you to ask but I might not be able to, I've never learned any of that old fashioned type of dancing, and I would have to find somewhere to stay for the weekend... when is it anyway?"
"It's not until the middle of February, ten weeks away, and I'm going to be overseas again for quite a bit of that time, as for somewhere to stay that's easy, you can stay at my place. As for the dancing I don't know about that but I'll think of something."
"Well I..."
"At least don't say no."
"Alright," Susan realised he was very keen, and didn't want to spoil the day by letting him down, at least not yet.
"Great," responded Joe delighted with her response, "Now I only have about ninety minutes before I have to leave, so I wondered whether you could show me round a bit, as I didn't have time to see much of Hawksworth when I was here last."
"Ok, well if you like we'll take a walk, maybe to the top of the hill, and I can point everything out from there, it isn't too hot today so it should be a good walk."
Susan led Joe through the house, up the steadily increasing slope of the garden behind, and past the tennis court. Eventually they came to a small gate which gave access to the bush land beyond. Joe turned for a moment and looked down, "I didn't realise you had such a big place."
"Yes the land is a bit more than a hectare and the house was much too big even when Alice was at home, but now she has gone I will have to do something about it... but I have known it all my life, so am a bit reluctant to change. Alice leaving has made me realise that I have reached a crossroads in my own life."
Joe did not reply and they started a steady climb through the dry bush. In a little less than half an hour they emerged into a clearing on the flat summit of the hill.
"Let's go over to the seat," Susan indicated a bench about one hundred metres further on, "There is a gap in the trees which gives a clear view of most of the town."
They sat down and Susan started to explain the detail of Hawksworth which was spread out before them. She explained first, how during a flood in the very early days of settlement the river had changed its course, and how that disaster for the early settlers had proved a boon for the town as one hundred hectares of land in the centre of town had been left undeveloped for fear of flooding, and it was now a park and sports fields. Susan pointed out all the small details which she knew so intimately, until after ten minutes or so she suddenly stopped.
"I'm sorry, I must be boring you, I don't usually go on so, it's just that I know and love this place so much."
"You would never bore me," claimed Joe valiantly with a smile, but he had begun to wonder in the past few minutes whether Susan would ever be happy anywhere else...or with anyone else. But then she surprised him.
"I am attached to Hawksworth, to my home, my friends, but you know Joe, since Alice left, I have begun to wonder whether I am too attached, whether I should move on in some way. When Alice was born my future was taken out of my control, in that my first responsibility was to her. Had that not happened, I would probably have gone to Uni at eighteen and who knows after that. Instead I went into the family business, got some qualifications, did ok I suppose, but it was all within this local context, maybe it's time for me to leave my comfort zone, see something of the world, but so far I haven't made my mind up."
