Chapter 17, and chapter 18 which will be posted only a day or so later, diverge slightly from the story line in the previous few chapters. Harry's character is developed in the context of his holiday with his friends, and Susan's complexity also begins to emerge, both as prerequisites to the conclusions in Chapters 19 and 20.
I hope you enjoy the story .
*
Susan threw her bag onto the kitchen table, "I never thought for a moment I would need to take so much."
"I told you that Mr Iemma was thorough," laughed Maria.
"Yes but I generally buy off the peg so I didn't know there was so much involved, 'Walk in high heels, medium heels, and even no shoes, with this bra, that bra and even that one his daughter altered.' I've been measured, poked, prodded and examined from more angles than I thought possible."
"But are you happy with the results?"
"Well obviously we haven't had the final fitting yet and I was a bit surprised Mr Iemma managed to talk me out of the blue, I was almost set on it."
Maria laughed and imitated the little Italian dressmaker, "Meesis Tremaine in blue you will be a preencess but it is my plan to make you a queen."
"He was so earnest wasn't he, but somehow I feel very sure he will get it right."
"He will, hopefully it will be ready not too long after you finish work over the Christmas break, and that reminds me, just exactly how long will you be away?"
"From Christmas eve until the second of January, possibly the third, I did not expect it to be such a concentrated session when I put myself on the roster, and none of the work will be into or out of Hawksworth.
"A whole week without sex! How will you ever manage?"
A few days later Susan put much the same question to Harry, they were stretched out on her bed recovering from a prolonged and energetic session. "What are you going to do without me for a whole week Harry?"
Despite the distraction of her breasts which Susan used to playfully massage his chest, Harry didn't hesitate, "R and R, rest and recovery, "He grinned, you've absolutely knackered me the last few days, you are a very demanding woman." he added in mock admonishment.
"I am," agreed Susan, "Very demanding and there is one special demand I want you to know about," she leaned forward with a mysterious smile on her face; "I want you, I want you to..." she whispered in his ear.
"You're kidding, you want... are you sure?"
Susan gave his ear a sharp nip with her teeth, she knelt up and looked down laughing at the very surprised Harry, "Quite sure, and you can spend the next week or so thinking about it, maybe fantasising about it, because that particular present will have to wait for the new year."
Christmas day was a quiet one for Harry, in the morning he talked to his parents and sisters in the USA where it was still Christmas Eve, and then at mid-day he took his aunt to The Club for Christmas dinner. This was organised basically as a barbecue which if the weather was good would spread out over the parkland at the back of the clubhouse, and if it was not, the stock and station agents had cleared out their warehouse close by to take the overflow. The idea had started some ears previously when a few club members had decided to pool their resources at a Christmas barbecue, it had grown and grown, and this year when Harry asked his aunt how many would attend, she guessed, "About fifteen hundred maybe a few more."
A few more was nearer the mark, and although the centrepiece was a whole steer on a spit, it was soon evident that this, as well as the several lambs, a hog roast, and turkeys, would all be welcome over the next few hours. Everything was donated by individuals and businesses with all of the ticket receipts going to local charities; it was the sort of event that only a small town or a community like Hawksworth could bring off with complete success. Harry spent the better part of the afternoon catching up with old friends and acquaintances, and eating twice as much as he really needed, until eventually in the early evening he walked home leaving his aunt behind, she would be hours yet.
Harry spent a couple of hours packing a few clothes and getting his Ute ready for the long drive to Byron Bay the next day. He checked his route, "Armidale first, then the Waterfall Way to Grafton before heading north to Ballina and Byron Bay, "Hmm, maybe nine hours, r even a bit more."
Harry had just about decided to have an early night and was making himself a drink when he heard his aunt arrive home, "I was just off to bed I didn't expect you back quite so soon."
"I have been out since mid-day, there are always so many people to say hello to, and then there are those who I haven't seen for ages, I enjoy catching up with them."
"I know what you mean," replied Harry, then he hesitated for a moment, "but although I enjoyed seeing people I know; in a vague sort of way I also felt a bit detached, almost as if I was part of their lives but they weren't really part of mine."
"That's hardly surprising Harry, because essentially it's correct; you will soon be moving on, and it's very unlikely you will be seeing anything much of Hawksworth for the next few years."
"But I and the rest of the family will come to see you."
"That Harry is based on an assumption, perhaps a false one." Harry poured the tea and just raised a quizzical eyebrow to ask what his aunt meant. To his slight surprise she explained.
"I am thinking of moving on myself, I came here with your uncle fifty years ago, I suppose that I sacrificed the chance of a legal career, but it was my choice, and our business did prove to be very successful, but..." again, Harry thought it was better to remain silent. His aunt continued, "Your uncle died three years ago, and last year your aunt Sarah became a widow too, we have been talking about it and think we might do something together."
"But you haven't decided exactly what just yet" Harry surmised.
"Correct Harry, but we both agree that two women of seventy three and seventy four should not just sit back and do nothing; given the record of longevity the women in our family have, we probably have fifteen to twenty years left and we shouldn't just fritter it away."
"Well good for you," responded Harry, unable to think of anything more constructive and realising that his aunt was not going to fill in any details, he added, "I'm going to have an early night, it's a long run to Byron, maybe ten hours, so will be leaving early in the morning."
It was barely light when Harry fired up the big V8 ute, and it seemed no time at all before he stopped to refuel in Armidale before he continued on to the Waterfall highway and then through Ebor and Nymboida to Grafton. He took a break in the early afternoon at Grafton and got a burger at a truck stop for lunch; Harry had expected the Pacific highway to be crowded with holiday traffic headed from Sydney to the North coast, and was surprised that it wasn't too heavy. Reasoning that he was probably a couple of hours ahead of the annual exodus of summer holiday makers from the south, Harry decided not to waste time and was soon back on the road. His optimism was slightly misplaced; after crossing the Clarence river at Maclean the traffic slowed to a crawl, but eventually he got to what his father years ago had christened the 'B's' country, Broadwater, Ballina, then at last Bangalow, the turn to Byron. "At least I'm not going as far as Brunswick or Burringar," muttered Harry to himself.
Harry soon found the address no more than two hundred metres from the beach and was slightly surprised that he was not the first to arrive. The front door was open and when Harry shouted, "Anybody home?" there was an unmistakeable bellow in return; "Hi Al he greeted his old uni mate, "didn't expect you here so soon."
"We drove up from Sydney after lunch yesterday...you know how nothing much happens after Christmas lunch, stopped halfway overnight and got here a couple of hours ago, the others are at the beach but should be back shortly, go and grab your bag and I'll show you where you're sleeping." This was soon done, and Harry found that he had a small room at the back of the house that was almost filled with a king size bed. He barely had time to unpack one or two essentials and take a much needed shower, when some clatter and the sound of voices and laughter indicated the others had got back.
Gary and Emma he knew well, Emma had taken some of the same courses as Harry and she and Gary, a freshly minted medicine graduate were a long standing item. Lynn was a petite attractive blonde who Harry had not met before, and to whom Al was clearly paying a close interest. "Where's the other guy then Al? What did you say his name was? Freddy wasn't it?"
Al looked nonplussed for a moment, Emma and Gary grinned knowingly at each other and Lynn explained, "Freddy is my flat mate and Freddy isn't a bloke, she's a girl, she's also Al's sister; didn't you tell Harry?" she added, directing a critical eye at Al.