Twenty-six
It was impossible to see who was calling her name. Beth thought it might be someone who’d known her in Bondi. But even as she thought it, she knew it couldn’t be. They rarely used surnames at the hostel, she doubted anyone would know hers.
There seemed nothing to do but wait. She examined all the men as they boarded the coach and pushed their way past her, down the central aisle. Not one face was the least bit familiar. Until, at last, she saw him. He was almost the last person to climb aboard. Twinkly blue eyes and a daft grin. Could it be?
‘Beth, is that you? Did you hear me calling?’
‘Yes, I heard. But ‒’
‘It’s me. Charlie Morris!’ He waved a half-eaten pie in the air.
‘Charlie. You look ‒’
‘Bigger?’ he volunteered.
‘Yes. And … more ‒’
‘Grown up?’
‘I guess so. It’s been ‒’
‘Years?’
‘Are you going to let me finish at least one of my own sentences sometime soon?’
Charlie gave a huge snort, startling a few of the passengers. ‘I might do.’
‘You wally!’ Beth couldn’t help it. It just slipped out.
Fortunately, he found it funny. ‘Right back at you, Campbell.’ He gestured towards the seat next to her. ‘Can I ‒?’
‘Sit there?’ She finished his sentence for a change. ‘Of course. It’s empty.’
‘Cheers, I was sat up the back before. Don’t know how I didn’t spot you sooner.’
As Charlie sat, Beth gazed at him. Wanting to get a good look. ‘You’ve not changed much.’
‘I bloody well have.’ He stuck out his chin. ‘Look at my masculine jaw.’
‘Well, yeah, but ‒’
‘And my beard.’
‘Beard?’
‘What would you call it, then?’
‘Bum fluff, at best.’
‘Cheek!’ He took a bite of his pie. ‘Jeez, these things are hot.’
‘You do know you weren’t supposed to bring them on here, don’t you?’
‘Same old Beth.’ Charlie grinned.
So, the coach journey that had previously stretched ahead of her, like an interminably dreary nightmare, with only Lisa for company, quickly became an ideal opportunity to catch up with her old friend. Beth was instantly relaxed with Charlie. They talked through the night, about all manner of things. He told her about his TEFL course at college, whilst she attempted to make her short career as a hairdresser’s apprentice sound exciting. He asked if she was still friends with Michelle, and, after explaining that her trip had originally included her, until she’d been forced to leave early, due to her mum’s pelvis, Beth regaled him with stories of all the things he’d missed.
He laughed raucously at the one about the temporary tattoos. ‘Oh God, I bloody love your nanna!’
‘I know. She’s amazing. I wish you could’ve seen Mrs Grant’s face.’
‘Me too. You know, I always hated how she insisted we call her Mrs Grant.’
‘Yeah, all the other neighbours were just aunties,’ Beth remembered.
‘But … come to think of it, that auntie would’ve been more of an uncle.’ Charlie rubbed his top lip.
‘Charlie!’
‘What? She was hairy, that’s all I’m saying.’
‘You’re terrible!’
‘And she was a total nightmare. Christ, do you remember the awful dolly thing that used to sit on top of her toilet?’
‘Yeah. It was dead creepy. I’m sure it used to watch me pee.’
Charlie sucked in his cheeks and pulled a face that was not dissimilar to the doll they both remembered so vividly.
He could still make her laugh. Breathing a sigh of contentment, she asked, ‘Why didn’t you come back and see us? Michelle and I missed you. You were supposed to write.’
‘I don’t know. It was a real kick in the swingers when my parents decided to move to a new house. I figured you might not remember me.’ He shrugged.
‘Not remember you! How could we not remember you, genius? We weren’t likely to forget you, after …’ Beth could no longer avoid the subject that had been the elephant on the coach since they’d first clapped eyes on each other. Taking a deep breath, she asked, ‘Do you ever think about that day?’ She chewed the inside of her cheek. Will he mind me bringing it up?
‘You mean your tenth birthday?’
‘Yes, I mean my tenth birthday.’ What other day could I possibly mean?
‘I think about it sometimes … I suppose.’
‘What can you remember?’
‘Being in freezing cold water with you and Michelle, and having to keep quiet in case old “Grumpy Jack” complained.’
‘But … do you remember … you know?’
‘Nearly drowning?’
She gulped. ‘Yes.’
‘I remember going back to the fucking pool.’
It was strange to hear him use such strong language. He’d been a mere child the last time she’d spoken to him.
‘I did the front flip and I kind of slipped.’
‘You twit.’
‘I fell face first into the pool and a load of water forced its way up my nose.’
‘But why didn’t you just get up?’
‘I don’t know. That water up my nose shocked me … it took my breath away. It sounds crazy … but I couldn’t just get up.’
She wanted to hold him, right there in the dark, as they chugged their way up the coast of Australia on an old Greyhound bus. She wanted to hold him in her arms and tell him it would be all right. How daft is that? It already is all right! ‘Do you remember my mum helping you?’
‘Yes, she was counting as she pressed on my chest. I could hear her. Then, I coughed up all this water. Bloody hell, it hurt. I’ve never coughed so hard. But at least I was alive, hey?’
‘Yes. At least you were alive.’ Again, she inexplicably wanted to hold him. ‘And, at least you didn’t drown in my dad’s homemade pool. How awful would that have been?’
‘Shit, I reckon.’
‘How odd that we’ve met like this.’
‘I know, right? I was like, is that Beth Campbell? And then I was like, how weird would that be if it was? Then you turned your head and I was like, that absolutely is Beth Campbell.’ Charlie shook his head in disbelief.
‘The thought process of Charlie Morris. Fascinating!’
He gave her a shove. ‘Watch it, Campbell, or else I’ll get ya.’
Blimey, it’s good to see him. ‘Can you believe he’s here?’ Beth asked her sister. ‘And, he’s got the same silly little face, hasn’t he?’
‘Little face? Little face? Beth, he’s become a pan-faced, melon head!’ Lisa laughed. ‘And he’s still an idiot!’
As they talked more, Beth found out Charlie had left the UK a few months before her. He’d been all around Western Australia and had spent some time up in Darwin. At the mention of the north, Beth briefly thought of James.
‘Then I popped to the Gold Coast to visit the family of a girl I met in Perth, and now I’m off to The Great Barrier Reef.’
‘Apparently, it’s amazing.’
‘Yeah. And we get to see it together.’ Charlie grinned. ‘Where are you heading afterwards?’
‘Our last stop is Cairns. We fly home from there.’
‘We?’
‘Me. I mean “me”. Like I said, Michelle had to go home.’
‘Yeah. Unlucky. Cairns is supposed to be nice too.’
‘What about you?’ She bit her lip and waited.
‘Back down south for me. I fly out of Sydney.’
‘Shame!’
He smiled. ‘I’m heading over to Asia. Can’t wait, it sounds awesome. But we’ll try to fit as much in to the next few days as we can. OK? Now I’ve found you, Elisabeth, I don’t intend to let you go until I’ve had some fun.’
‘That sounds slightly sinister.’ She prodded him in the ribs. ‘And … don’t call me Elisabeth or Campbell.’
‘What do you want me to call you?’
‘Just Beth. It’s my name.’
‘All right. I’ll try.’
‘Who was the girl?’
‘The girl?’
‘The one you met in Perth. Was it serious? I guess it must’ve been if you’ve been to visit her family.’
‘No, she wasn’t serious. It was fun though. I just visited her family because she arranged it. You know, a free place to stay for a couple of weeks.’
Ridiculously, at this point, Beth was secretly chuffed that this girl, whatever her name was, hadn’t meant too much to Charlie. But she couldn’t say why.
When they arrived at their destination, they found a hostel and were put into separate dormitories.
Charlie dumped his stuff and met her at the girls’ dorm. ‘Fancy getting some breakfast?’
‘Yes, please. I’m starving. I’ve had nothing since dinner, except some chocolate on the coach.’
‘Me neither.’
‘Unless you count the enormous pie, the idiot was scoffing when he found you,’ Lisa sighed.
Choosing a café, they settled themselves at a table for two, and ordered sausage and chips.
‘So, Charlie, who were you going to see the reef with, if you hadn’t bumped into me?’
‘I don’t know. Anyone. I didn’t mind. You?’
‘I didn’t know either. I suppose I thought I’d be alone. I can’t wait to see how beautiful it is in real life. Michelle and I looked at lots of pictures before we left the UK.’
‘We’re going to have a great time there together. I promise.’
Beth adored his enthusiasm.
Their food arrived, and they said no more as they tucked in.
Once their plates were clear, they were in a better position to chat.
‘Not bad, not bad. I wonder what sausages they were.’ Charlie wiped his mouth.
‘Kangaroo? Crocodile?’
‘You could be right. It’s like another world, isn’t it?’
‘I guess so.’
‘I mean, how far have we come from Tennison Avenue?’
‘I know what you mean. Although I’ve only been to two other places so far.’
‘Yeah, it sounds like you spent a long time in Bondi. How come …?’
‘I think we just got settled. And … I met someone … called James … and …’
‘Oh, right. I get you. Holiday romance?’
Beth shrugged. ‘Yes, I suppose it was.’ Her heart sank. Right up until the end, she’d thought of him as much more than a temporary thing. But the way he’d chosen to leave her, had confirmed he thought very little of her.
‘You’ve gone all sad. What’s up? Did you fall for this guy or something?’
She shook her head. ‘No, no. I’m fine. Just missing Bondi,’ she lied.
‘Do you want to go and look around town or do you need a rest?’
Beth knew she ought to say she’d go sightseeing. Lisa would prefer it for a start. But she was knackered. The four hours’ sleep she’d managed to grab on the overnight coach journey before she’d met Charlie had all been in a most uncomfortable, upright position. What she wanted to do most was find a comfy sofa, drink tea and have a snooze. As far as she was concerned, the sightseeing could begin tomorrow. She explained this to Charlie, who luckily seemed to feel the same.
The afternoon was spent watching movies from the limited selection in the hostel lounge. Charlie made them endless mugs of tea, into which they dunked chocolate chip cookies which he produced from his backpack. They lay together on a lumpy sofa to watch the films, both kept nodding off. At no point was it awkward. Charlie was bigger than James. He hadn’t spent several hours a day washing cars, meaning he wasn’t as well toned. He had become what Nanna would’ve described as ‘chunky’. But that made him incredibly comfortable to lean into.
People came and went, some joined them for the movies. Quite a few assumed they were a couple, which Beth found funny.
One guy asked if they’d met in Australia, and Beth was surprised when Charlie replied, ‘No, no, we were childhood sweethearts. Weren’t we?’
She nodded. Uncertain where he was going with his story.
‘Yes, there’s never been any other woman for me. Fell in love with her when I was nine.’ Charlie gave her a squeeze.
‘Sweet!’ The guy smiled.
‘Yep. I just knew it right away.’
‘What brings you to Australia?’
‘Bit of a belated honeymoon. We were married a couple of years back. Weren’t we?’
Again, Beth gave a slight nod, but said nothing.
‘Quite young! A brave decision.’
‘Yeah, well, when you know, you know. Don’t you? I wasn’t going to let this one get away.’
Beth was finding it strange to pretend this was her past. But not in an altogether bad way. If she was honest, it was quite comforting.
‘Well, it’s nice to meet a young couple who’re making it work.’
‘Cheers, mate.’
After a while, the guy left the lounge, and they burst out laughing.
‘Wow, how naive was he to believe that story?’ Beth shook her head.
‘Yeah, what did he think, we ran off to Gretna Green on your seventeenth birthday?’ Charlie grinned.
Beth’s good humour instantly faded.
Lisa knew what she was thinking. ‘You’re remembering Mandy, aren’t you?’
‘I can’t help it. Seventeen was a horrible time for me.’
‘Are you going to tell him about her?’
‘No. I don’t want to spoil the good mood.’
‘But … you told James.’
‘Lisa, it’s rare these days that we talk to each other in anything close to a civil tone. Let’s quit whilst were ahead, and not bring him into the conversation, shall we?’