MORE THAN A MOMENT

LACHLAN COMES TO CALIFORNIA AFTER THE WAR, HOPING TO FIND A SPECIAL GIRL HE'D KNOWN IN ENGLAND.

By Atonia Walpole

Chapter 1:

The sun shining through the venetian blinds left bars across the painted wooden table in the middle of the kitchen, spreading to the refrigerator and across the counter top where a radio played softly. Deanne reached over the sink and closed the window, shutting out the noise from the street below. The little apartment over the greengrocers was working out perfectly. She still couldn’t believe her luck in landing the job at the insurance agency right after coming home. Of course her mom and dad didn’t understand about the apartment. They still wanted her back at the farm house, but those days were over. The war had changed everything. She had packed her uniform away and could never be that innocent twenty year old again, not after what she had seen, the people she had met and the places she had been. Her mom had grudgingly hunted around and found furnishings for her apartment, had even starched and ironed the white Priscilla tie-backs for the living room.

Deanne put the finishing touches on her chicken salad sandwich, poured a cup of coffee and sat down for her lunch. Checking her watch, she saw she had thirty minutes left of her lunch hour. It was only a five minute walk to the agency so she had plenty of time to daydream while finishing her meal. The daydreaming came to a halt when her door buzzed. She couldn’t imagine who would be here at this time of day.

“Lachlan Currie! I…how…oh, it’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed as she opened the door to the unexpected visitor.

He was standing with his cap in his hand and smiling. “Deanne, um, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Only my lunch. Come in! How in the world did you find me?”

“Your letters, you know, had your address. I wrote to you and told you I would come by. Didn’t you get my letter?” He bumped his big duffle bag in the door.

“No, but it doesn’t matter. Gee, it’s good to see you! Come on in. Would you like a sandwich? There’s enough chicken salad for another.”

“If you don’t mind, yeah, thanks, a sandwich sounds good. This is nice, Deanne. I like your place.” He wandered from the living room into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to return to work in a minute. I have to be back at 1:00.” She placed the sandwich on a plate for him and poured a cup of coffee. “Please don’t leave. I’ll be back about 4:45.”

“Okay, I’ll hang around. You’re looking good, Deanne.” He smiled and took a bite of his sandwich.

“You too, Lachlan. I’m so glad you made it back okay.” Smiling she covered his hand with hers. “Now I’m going. You just make your self at home. The rooms lead into one another and you’ll find the WC through the bedroom. Oh, and you have to give me a hug.”

Lachlan stood and hugged her close giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Bye luv. I’ll be here when you get home. I don’t have any place to go.”

Deanne ran down the street, stopping at the crosswalk to wait for the traffic. Lachlan! She couldn’t believe he was here.  His coming brought back the memories of Jerry Wade, her lover who didn’t make it back. Jerry and Lachlan had become friends in England, going out for a pint when they could, talking about home. Deanne thought he was funny and sweet. When Jerry’s plane was shot down, Lachlan had come to see her and she had cried all evening on his shoulder. They began corresponding when she was stationed stateside and she began to see a different side of him. He wrote beautiful letters she had kept in a shoebox in the top of her closet.

Lachlan finished his sandwich and took his coffee into her living room. He tested the sofa and pulled a pillow under his head. It had been a long journey from England to California, last stop before getting a ship home. He had taken a chance coming here, hoping she would be glad to see him. Jerry had always been between them and now he was gone, like so many of his mates. Lucky, lucky, lucky...that was him. He hoped his luck would hold out with Deanne. He shucked his shoes, loosened his tie, and before long was asleep.

Deanne raced through the afternoon, making sure there would be nothing to cause her to work late. Lachlan had been on her mind all afternoon. What a turn up! When she boarded the ship for the states they'd traded addresses as she did with many people. His letters, though, had become special. At first they talked about Jerry, about the war and about mutual friends. After awhile the letters became more about him and his plans after the war, her job and her apartment. He was a dreamer and it came across in the way he worded his letters. There had never been anything between them, of course, because there was Jerry, the English pilot she had met. He'd swept her off her feet in short order and she had become Jerry’s girl. Lachlan, lacking a date, had gone out with them many times, becoming a good friend. She used to tease Lachlan about not having a date and he would laugh and tell her he was nursing a broken heart and, besides, all the best ones were taken.

She opened the door to her apartment, hanging her jacket on the peg. Turning ,she saw him asleep on her sofa. She stepped out of her shoes and tiptoed over to have a look at him. He hadn’t changed much. She noticed that at lunch. Only the look in his eyes had aged. Leaving him asleep she walked back to her bedroom to take a bath and change clothes.

The sound of the water running in the bath woke him and he rubbed his eyes and sat up. Deanne must be back, he thought. Stretching, he took his cold coffee back to the kitchen and rinsed out the cup. His plate followed in the sink. He bent over the counter and adjusted the radio station, jumping as Deanne spoke.

“Hey, did you have a nice nap?”

“Yeah, thanks. I’ve been travelin’ for weeks. Nice to stretch out for a change.” He noticed the damp auburn curls around her face, fresh from the bath. She had put on a print dress with a wide white collar. “I think this is probably the first time I’ve seen you out of uniform.”

“No more uniforms for me. I packed it away out at the farm. I see you’re still wearing yours.”

“Yeah, well, until I get home anyway.” She had the cutest dimples when she smiled. He watched them deepen, disappear, and come back again as she talked.

“Come and sit down, Lachlan, and tell me how you got here.”

“Well, I came into New York on the troop ship, spent a few days there and got a train ticket west. Got into San Francisco on Monday, had a look around, then I got another train here.  It’s a big, beautiful country you have here.”

“Yes,” she laughed, “it is. You wanted to see the countryside?” She tilted her head and looked at him wonderingly.

“No, I wanted to see you.” The smile left his mouth for a minute as he looked into her eyes. “And I was hopin’ you’d be home when I got here!” he laughed. “I’d er…like to take you to dinner tonight if you don’t have plans.”

“No, no plans I’d like to have dinner with you.” She noticed his big duffle bag against the wall. “If you’d like to clean up or anything you’re welcome here.”

“Thanks, I’ll take you up on that. Wash off the trail dust.”

He carried his bag down the hall while Deanne found him some towels. She walked back through her bedroom and picked up her dirty clothes, stuffing them in a basket in the bottom of her closet. She pulled the drapes closed, looked around, and went back into the kitchen. Thoughts of Jerry came streaming into her head. It had all happened so fast. When she looked back now she wondered if it could have been a dream. The dashing flyboy with the ready smile had danced her off her feet the first night she met him. And Lachlan, so funny and sweet, had stood on the sidelines urging them on.

 Lachlan had come to her when Jerry’s plane went down. She thought of the cold flat and the warmth of his arms as he held her while she drenched his coat with her tears. She had slept on the sofa in his arms that night and he'd left before daylight to get back to his barracks. She had pulled herself together and gone on with it. It wasn’t long until she was transferred out and she had not seen Lachlan again until the week before she was sent to the states. He was able to grab a few hours here and there to take her to dinner and out for drinks. It had been a bittersweet goodbye. She felt she was being unfair to him because, for her, he was keeping the memory of Jerry alive.

Deanne changed the radio station, looking for something a little livelier as Lachlan came through the living room, propping his bag against the wall. He had bathed and changed his uniform. She smiled as he came into the kitchen with his wet hair combed back, that irascible curl falling over his forehead. “Feeling better?” she asked.

“Ah, yeah, much better, thanks. I’m ready to go out and do the town.”

“It might be a little tame for you, Lachlan, but there are a couple of clubs we can go to and have some dinner. Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for a long time, Deanne. Let’s go.” He followed her down the narrow steps and out onto the street. After an awkward bumping of arms and elbows, he finally took her hand as they walked down the street.

“How about this, Lachlan? Feel like a steak?” They stopped in front of a steak house and peered in the windows.

“I’ve forgotten what a steak tastes like. Let’s do it.”

They were shown a table in the casual restaurant where the menu was written on a chalkboard on the wall. They made their selections and Lachlan remarked on the abundance of food here. Having left England where there was a shortage of everything, he was happy to dive into a fresh salad. They talked about the bombing of London and the war in general, glad it was over and glad to be here eating a big juicy steak. He took her arm as they left the restaurant, guiding her across the street to the club she'd told him about. He ordered drinks and together they found a table.  Several people came by to say hello, having noticed the man in the Aussie uniform.  Deanne introduced Lachlan to some of her old friends and they shared drinks and stories until the band began to play and the others drifted off to the dance floor.

“Would you like to dance?” Lachlan asked, his eyes meeting hers across the table.

She took his hand as he led her out to the floor. The song was “I love You For Sentimental Reasons” and she settled in his arms, glancing up at him every once in a while to find his eyes looking into hers. He held her a little closer and moved a little slower as the song came to an end. They remained on the floor after the song ended, holding on to each other, their eyes communicating what their lips could not put into words.  Then the next number started up, a Frank Sinatra song, “Five Minutes More”, and Lachlan started singing with the band as he moved her around the floor. They returned, laughing, to their table, the tender moment remaining between them. Lachlan found every excuse to touch her, handing her a drink, lighting her cigarette, his hand covering hers. He played with a pack of matches on the table, looking up at her, trying to catch her eye, but she turned her head.

“Do you want to go?” he asked

“I think so. Do you mind?”

As they walked slowly down the street, Lachlan took her hand. The wind had picked up and he pulled her into a closed shop front. “Deanne, thanks for the evening and...everything. You know the reason I wrote to let you know I was coming was to give you time to think about whether you wanted to see me or not. Since you didn’t get the letter…maybe I should just get on the train. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…I wanted to see you.” He was holding her hand up and playing with her fingers.

“I’m glad you’re here, Lachlan. It’s just that I…realized just how glad I am to see you.” He pulled her to his chest, held her close and closed his eyes. Lucky, lucky, lucky.

“Good…I was afraid you were going to put me on the train tonight. May I escort you home?”  he smiled, offering his arm.

“Why, yes, sir ,you may. Lachlan, do you have a place to stay while you’re here?”

He stopped and looked down at her. “No, not yet…maybe you can recommend somewhere?”

She laughed, “I don’t recommend it, bed’s a little lumpy, but I think I know just the place.”

Chapter 2:

They ran up the steps, giggling and laughing, bursting in the door of her apartment.

Inside, Lachlan asked, “You remember Patty O’Brien? He got married.”

“Oh, what was her name, Alice? Did he really?”

“Yeah, bringing her over here with him. A lot of the blokes were bringing home English brides.”

“Oh, think of all the girls they left behind," she sighed. "Lots of broken hearts. You never had a steady girl in England, did you?”

“Nah, too many to choose from. I couldn’t make up my mind.”

“Did you leave one behind in Australia?”

“Left them all pulling their hair and wearing sack cloth and ashes,” he laughed.

“You won’t be serious, will you?” She laughed and threw a pillow at him.

“There was a girl in Manitoba where we did our training, but she was married so that couldn’t go anywhere.” He lit a cigarette, a thoughtful look in his eyes “Right girl, wrong time, wrong place.”

“Yeah, I know a lot of the girls I roomed with were married but still had their fellas. It was all just…”

“For the moment because you didn’t know if you’d have another.” He turned and looked at her.

“Yeah…for the moment.” She dropped her head, thinking of Jerry.

“Those moments have passed now and it’s time to look ahead, Deanne,” he said softly. “There’s  a whole new world out there, new opportunities and another chance to catch the ring. We’ve made it through the war, now we just have to make it through life.”

“You can be serious, can’t you?”

“I’m always serious, luv. You just hadn’t noticed.” He stubbed out his cigarette. “So where’s  this place I can bed down for a few days?”

“How long will you be here?”

“I’ve got a week then I need to get back to San Francisco. There’s a ship leaving I can hop on.”

“Well, you’re sitting on your bed. Actually it does fold out and the back goes down. Like I said, it’s lumpy, but if you don’t mind?”

“You mean here with you? You’re sure?” He turned around, looking at the back of the sofa and smiled. “I’m sure I’ll sleep like a king.”

Deanne found him some sheets, a blanket and a pillow from her bed. “Well, I guess that’s it. Good night, Lachlan.” She held onto the door jam a moment, watching him remove his tie and unbutton his shirt before she turned to her bedroom and shut the door. She lay awake listening to him bumping the sofa around until he finally quieted down. There had been no one since Jerry and until Lachlan held her on the dance floor she hadn’t wished for anyone. A week, only a week. Was that not a moment?

Lachlan lit another cigarette in the darkened room, sitting on the side of his sofa bed thinking about Deanne. It had been touch and go there for awhile. He was afraid Jerry was still between them. He had only a week to dispatch that ghost if he could and if she would let him.  It had been two years since Jerry’s plane had gone down over the Channel and there hadn’t been time for him to make a move toward her. She had been sent north with her General and there had only been moments snatched out of time to see her before she'd been posted stateside. They had gone out as friends for dinner or drinks. She hadn’t known he had been in love with her for three years.

He was up with coffee made when Deanne opened her bedroom door. “I smell coffee! Oh, you are handy, aren’t you! Thanks,” she murmured as he handed her a cup. “Wish I didn’t have to go to work today, but I tell you what I will do. I’ll see if I can borrow a car from my friend for a couple of days.”

“Hey, yeah, that would be nice. Is it all right, your coffee?”

“Yes, thanks. How did you sleep on old lumpy?”

“I slept great. Nice to do it horizontally for a change.”

She looked at him across her cup. “You could have shipped out from England and been half way home by now, couldn’t you?”

“Well, not half way but at least on the way. Yeah, I could have, but then I wouldn’t be here with you.” He smiled and tilted his head.

“What…are we doing here, Lachlan?”

“Having a cup of coffee. Would you like some breakfast? I'm a fair hand around a cooker.” He cocked an eyebrow and took in her gas stove.

“I think I’ll just have the coffee. There are usually buns at the office but you help yourself to whatever you can find, okay?  She started to get up to get dressed and he jumped up.

“I need to pop through to the WC before you close it all back up.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think.” She watched his tee-shirted back walk through her room. What are we doing here, Lachlan, besides having a cup of coffee? She ran her fingers through her auburn curls and starred into her cup. He’s leaving in a week. I can’t do this again, not another moment. But then he came back into the kitchen, opening her refrigerator, pulling out eggs and bacon, giving her a wink and a smile. She shook her head and moved to get ready for the work day.

She came out in a blue skirt, white blouse and a wide red belt. Lachlan turned and smiled. “Don’t you look all patriotic today.”

“It’s Thursday. Aren’t you patriotic on Thursday?”

“Every day. I’ll walk you to work.”

He walked beside her up the street with his hands in his pockets, taking her arm as they crossed the street. “What will you do all day, Lachlan?”

“Housework. You go to work and I clean house all day.” He laughed, “I’ll meet you for lunch at what time?”

“I go from 12 till 1:00. You’re taking me to lunch?”

“Um, yeah. I’ll be here waiting right on this spot.” He smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead then walked back across the street.

“Who was that?” asked Lindy with her eyebrows cocked.

“My friend, Lachlan Currie. Why? Have you been spying?”

“I was waiting for you to come through the door. He’s a handsome hunk. What uniform is he wearing?”

“He’s Australian. We met in England.”

“Where have you been hiding him? That's what I want to know.”

“He turned up yesterday and will be here for only a week. Oh, can I borrow your car for a couple of days?”

“If you bring him you can come by tonight and get it! I won’t need it until Monday morning. You can pick me up for work.”

Lachlan was on the spot to take her to lunch. “What do you fancy for lunch today?”

“Hmm, seafood?”

“I know just the place,” he smiled and took her hand.

After lunch he walked her back to her office. “I’ll be here at 4:30 and walk you home.”

“You don’t have to do this, you know, but today we can go home with Lindy. She’s let me have her car until Monday.”

“Good. I’ll see you then and, Deanne, I want to do this.” He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. She watched him walk back across the street before she went back inside.

Lachlan walked back to her apartment,stopping at the flower stall and buying a bunch of mixed flowers, then taking the steps two at a time up to her apartment. Once inside he hunted around until he found something to hold the flowers. He made himself a cup of tea and sat down at the table. Bloody hell, was he kidding himself? He went over in his mind the conversation at lunch. It seemed every time he tried to talk about the future she went back to the past. She wanted to talk about the people they knew, the places they had been in England, experiences they had shared during the war. He stood to turned up the radio and it occurred to him maybe she didn’t see a future with him. He looked out the blinds over the sink and reckoned he was going to have to do something about that.

He was crossing the street as Deanne and Lindy came out of the insurance agency. Deanne waited until he had given her a kiss on the cheek before introducing him to Lindy Sharpe, her best friend.

“How are you?” he said and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Lachlan. My car is out back.” She turned down the alley, followed  by Deanne and Lachlan.

“Lindy was in the service," Deanne explained. "She was a WAVE.”

“Yeah, well I liked the uniform," Lindy laughed. "Here we are. Not much, but it runs.” She drove about a mile outside of town, pulling up to a little cottage. “Come in for a drink?”

“Sure, well, if that’s okay with Lachlan,” Deanne replied.

“I’ve never been one to turn down a drink, thanks.”

Lindy poured out the drinks as they settled in her little living room. She asked Lachlan about his home and his family.  Deanne listened carefully as he described his homeland and his family, wondering why she had never asked him that question. Lindy asked him if he was homesick and ready to go back. He said he was ready to get back and see everybody and that he missed his mum and dad.

Deanne placed her empty glass on the coffee table. "Well, I guess we'd better be going.

Lindy walked them out to the car and handed Lachlan the keys, managing to whisper in Deanne’s ear, “You know that man is in love with you.”

Deanne turned wide eyes to her friend and hopped in the car. Lindy smiled and waved good  bye.

Oh why did she tell me that worried Deanne. I don’t need to know that, I don’t want to know that. Lindy was probably mistaken anyway. She looked over at Lachlan behind the wheel. “Where would you like to go now that we have wheels?”

“Anywhere you want. I have no idea where I’m going so you’re going to have to navigate.”

“Okay, let’s stop down by that little grocery we passed and pick up a few things. I know a place where we can go to watch the sunset.”

“Fair dinkum, lead the way.”

Deanne led him toward the sea to a high bluff. He parked the car and carried the bag out to the edge where they sat down in the tall grasses. “Good idea, Deanne. It’s a lovely view.”

They had a bottle of wine, passing it back and forth, and some fresh bread and cheese. Lachlan lay back in the grasses, pointing up toward the sky. “You know there will be planes crossing back and forth across the ocean now that the war is over. You’ll be lying here wondering if that’s me up there.”

“But, I thought you were going to start an air delivery business?”

“Yeah, but I’ve been talking to some blokes who reckon commercial air travel and cargo planes is the ticket. You’d have to go through training again but, bloody hell, I can fly. There are a lot of pilots coming out of the service and competition will be high so I need to make a decision pretty quick.”

“You’re going back to Australia next week, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am. I need to visit my family. I haven’t been home in four years and I want to spend some time with them. I have nieces and nephews I haven’t met. Once I’ve done that I can start training for my pilot’s license so I have to make a decision before I leave for home.”

“Where would you train, in Australia?”

He turned to her. “No…here in California.”

Chapter 3:

“California? So you would come back here to train...and then what?”

“I dunno. Wherever they send me, I guess. It would be somewhere in the states because it’s an American airline.” Lachlan played with the ruffle on her sleeve.

“You’ve talked to these people, Lachlan?”

“Yeah, I have...before I came up to see you.” He glanced up. “Anymore of that wine left?” he asked as he sat up.

She passed him the bottle. “Look, first colors of the sunset are appearing.”

Lachlan took a drink out of the bottle and passed it back to Deanne. He looked out over the ocean at the sunset’s beginnings. He smiled and made a wager with himself before the sun passed by the horizon he was going to kiss her. He moved close to her side and put his arm around her.

Deanne leaned into his shoulder, watching the sun charging the sky with colors His hand began moving in circles on her side. She looked up at his profile, the sun reflecting and creating shadows around his eyes, and began to feel a little dizzy. Could it be the wine or the man? He turned and met her eyes, tilted his head and gently brushed her lips then looked back toward  the sunset. She turned her head on his shoulder and watched the sun get smaller and smaller as it poised to sink into the sea. She felt his hand on her neck and looked up. He kissed her softly once then again, his tongue exploring her mouth as he lay her back in the grasses. When he kissed her again, her arms went around his back, pressing him to her. He pulled back, brushing her hair out of her face, and kissed the tip of her nose. Lucky, that’s what he was.

“We’d probably better go,” he said, making no moves to get up.

“Yeah, I think we’d better,” she agreed, lying still beneath him.

Lachlan knew he had to move so he eased off her and pulled her up. “Thanks for showing me the sunset. It was fair dinkum.”

Deanne had felt his pressure on her pelvis and had already moved beyond a kiss in her mind.     It wasn’t the wine that was making her dizzy tonight, it was Lachlan. She moved to her knees, gathering the debris of their meal and stuffing it back in the paper bag then he offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. She fell against him, his arms holding her tight, his hand in her hair, and he kissed the top of her head.

“Are you ready to go, luv?” His voice was low, very soft.

Deanne didn’t trust herself to speak so she only nodded her head. He took her hand and led her back to the car where she sat in the crook of his arm, leaning on his shoulder for the drive back into town, filled with the knowledge that she would have readily given herself to him on the bluff.

Lachlan drove carefully in the unfamiliar car with one hand, the other curved around Deanne. He was still feeling the heat from the bluff. He knew he could have taken her, knew he'd wanted to, but he wanted more than just that. He needed to know exactly where he stood with her because his whole future depended on Deanne.

He parked the car on the curb in front of the greengrocers, hopping out to open the door for her. Deanne dug in her purse for the key to the stairwell then led the way to her apartment. She came in, turning on lights and trying not to think about what had happened between them. Lachlan closed the door and leaned against it ,watching her jerky movements around the room. She had found a smile and pasted it on her face when she turned to him.

“There a little light. Would you like something to eat or drink?” When her eye caught the bouquet of flowers in the lemonade pitcher on the coffee table, she stared openly at them for a minute then looked up at Lachlan still against the door. “Lachlan….” She felt the tears stinging her eyes and blinked, “they’re beautiful.”

He moved from the door, taking off his jacket and tie. “Just like you, Deanne.” He moved around the coffee table and took her in his arms. “If they make you cry, I’ll throw them out. Hey,” he tilted her chin upwards, “no tears.”

“No tears,” she murmured ,wiping her eyes. “I don’t want to waste the time we have in tears.” Her arms went around his waist.

“That’s my girl…are you my girl, Deanne?” he whispered. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wished he hadn’t asked the question. He didn’t want to hear the answer. “Forget I asked that. I’m sorry.”

Deanne pulled away from him. “Lachlan, I can’t answer that. I was Jerry’s girl and since he died I’ve just been my own person. I don’t belong to anybody…but me. Can’t we just enjoy this moment, just us together now?”

Lachlan turned away and moved to the other side of the room, sitting down in a chair. Bloody hell, man, you’ve blown it now. He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed his face, finally settling back in the chair. He looked over at Deanne who had sat down on the sofa, her face in her hands. He took a breath, “Deanne, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that, but you see I want more than a moment with you. I’ve been standing back for a long time, waiting for some sign from you that…that you could see...me. I know you were Jerry’s girl and I respected that but Jerry’s been gone for two years, Deanne, he ain’t coming back.”

She slowly raised her head and looked across the table at him, “I know Jerry’s gone, Lachlan. I’ve accepted that and moved on. There’s not been anybody since him until…until you. It would be so easy to love you, Lachlan, but we only have four days and then you’re gone from my life and I’m on my own again with all these feelings and emotions with nowhere to go.”

“I think you misunderstand me, Deanne. I wasn’t talking about four days. The time when four days could mean a lifetime is passed. I’m talking about the future…it’s all right. I’m sorry, I should never….”

Deanne got up from the sofa, walked through to the kitchen and filled her kettle with water,  setting it on the stove to heat. Lindy was right about Lachlan being in love with her. She realized that clearly now. He was asking her to look ahead…more than a moment…more than four days. She heard him come to the door of the kitchen and turned.

Lachlan felt she didn’t feel the love for him that he had for her. “I’ll go in the morning. I think there’s a train around 9:00. I’m sorry…I should never have come.” He started to turn.

“I’m making some tea. Would you like a cup? Will you sit down, please. I think we need to talk.”

He pulled a chair out and sat with his head in his hand while she made his cup of tea.

“There are some things you need to know, Lachlan. When my world fell apart you were the only one who came to comfort me, the only one who helped me get through the dark times that followed. You were my friend. When your letters started coming, they meant a lot to me. I know we talked about many different things but they were special. You should have been a poet. I have every letter you ever sent to me in a shoebox in the top of my closet. So, yes, I did see you and your letters revealed more than you know about you. When you arrived yesterday, you said for  a week, so I thought, okay, we’ll have a fun time together before you go. I listened to you talking about the future and your plans and I think it sounds wonderful. If I’ve misunderstood you, I’m sorry. Help me understand what you’re saying.”

Lachlan set his cup down. Bloody hell just go for it! “What I'm saying, Deanne, is my future depends on you. I want you to be a part of it. That’s why I talked to the blokes about the airline job...so I could be here, close to you, and eventually I had hoped, with you. I'm going back to Australia for a while, like I said, to see my family but I was going to come back. The backup plan was the air freight thing I talked about if…plan A crashed. What I’m saying, Deanne, is that I love you. I don’t want to be just a fun time. I’m ready for something more.”

She set her cup down, carefully letting his ‘I love you’ settle around her before she spoke. “Are you asking me to marry you?” She held her breath

“Yeah,I guess I am. Not right away. I need to establish myself first, but that’s what I want, Deanne.”

Deanne met his eyes across the table and he became a blur as the tears gathered, ready to fall. “Why didn’t you just say so, Lachlan?”

“I don’t know…I was afraid." His voice lowered, becoming soft yet somehow very strong. "Will you marry me, Deanne?”

She jumped from her chair and came around the table, sitting in his lap.“Yes, oh, yes, Lachlan!” His arms held her tight as they kissed.

He pulled away from her, the smile beginning in his eyes and spreading over his face. “That’s what I wanted to hear.” Lachlan closed his eyes and breathed a great sigh of relief as he nuzzled her neck. “I have something for you, if you'll let me up.”

Deanne slid off his lap and watched him go to his bag and dig around one of the pockets, bringing out a small velvet box. She caught her breath as he brought over the box and opened it, displaying an intricately-worked diamond ring.

“I picked this up in England before I left, hoping my luck would hold.” He took the ring from the box and slid it on her finger. “It’s not the biggest rock but I thought it was really nice. You’ll have to get it sized.” He looked up, meeting her glazed hazel eyes.

“It’s perfect, Lachlan! Oh, my darling!” And her arms went around his neck. He held her closely to him and began to move with the music from the radio softly playing in the background. Slowly he moved her around to her bedroom door, stopped and kissed her again.

“Did you really keep my letters?” he asked against her lips.

“Yes, would you like to see them?”

“I’ve already read ‘em.” His eyes held hers, asking the silent question.

Deanne smiled and taking his hand from her waist, led him into the bedroom.

They lay in each other’s arms as the first light of dawn seeped through the drapes of her room. Lachlan opened his eyes, breathing in the smell of her nestled close in his arms. Lucky, lucky, lucky. She was his now. He flexed the fingers on his right hand, trying to regain some circulation in his numb arm, and she stirred against him. He traced the outline of her breast, covered with the sheet, watching enthralled as her nipple came erect, then cupped it with his hand. Her eyelashes fluttered, her hand going around his hips as he moved on top her.

Chapter 4:

“You don’t work today?” he asked, finishing the last dregs of his coffee.

“No, only four days a week. I go back on Monday so we have three days to play.”

“I like playing with you,” he grinned.

“So I’ve noticed.” She kissed the top of his head as she carried the breakfast dishes to the sink. “I’d like to take you out to the farm and meet my parents.”

“What if I don’t pass inspection?”

“If I know you, Lachlan, you’ll charm my mother right out of her apron strings.”

Lachlan backed the car away from the curb as Deanne settled in next to him on the wide bench car seat.  “Which way, luv?”

They headed out of town toward the coast, turning across the rolling hills onto a dirt road. He told her she was the prettiest navigator he had ever had and she squeezed his hand. Fenced pastures lined the road as they turned again, coming to a stop in front of a two-story wooden farmhouse with a narrow front yard. He got out, looking around at the fenced pasture coming nearly to the house. A herd of dairy cows looked back at him. Deanne waited until he opened  the door before getting out and took his offered hand. She led him into the house which smelled of fresh baked bread.

“Mama?” she called as she guided him back to the kitchen.

Lachlan saw a woman about Deanne’s height with her auburn hair pulled up in a knot on the top of her head, damp tendrils framing her face. He smiled at the apron she had tied around her waist.

“Deanne, what a surprise!” She hugged her daughter, looking over her shoulder with interest   at the tall good-looking man behind her.

“Mama, this is Lachlan Currie.” She turned to Lachlan, continuing, “This is my mother, Clara Waldrup.”

Lachlan smiled and shook her hand. “Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Waldrup. I see where Deanne gets her good looks.”

“Well, nice to meet you, too.” She looked at her daughter.

“Mama, Lachlan is my fiancée. He’s asked me to marry him.”

Clara Waldrup’s eyes rounded as she looked from one to the other. “This is a surprise. When did this all take place, Deanne? You haven’t brought him out here before.”

“No, ma'am. We’ve known each other for three years but I’ve only just got here,” Lachlan explained.

So, it was a wartime romance, thought Clara. Things happen so fast nowadays. “Well, come here, young man, and let me have a look at you.” Lachlan moved around the kitchen work table and stood before her as she squinted her eyes and looked in his face. “Hmm,” a slow smile spread across her face, “I guess you’ll do. You have an accent I can’t place.”

“Australian, ma’am,” he answered.

“You’re a long way from home, aren’t you? Well, have a seat you two. There’s fresh lemonade, Deanne, if you’ll pour.”

Deanne found some glasses, poured out the lemonade and sat beside Lachlan as he reached for her hand. She gave him a reassuring wink.

“You’ll have to excuse me. I’m baking today but there’s some of those butter cookies you like, Deanne.” She put a hand full of the cookies on a little plate and placed it on the table, squinting again at Lachlan’s shoulder.

“Mama, where are your glasses?”

“I don’t know and that’s a fact. Laid them down somewhere and forgot. What does it say on your uniform?”

“Oh, Australia, sorry”

“You’ve nothing to be sorry about, Lachlan. That’s a nice name. You have family there in Australia?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m going back next week to see them. I haven’t been home in four years. My Mum and Dad and I have a younger brother and a sister, both married with kiddies.”

“I know they'll be glad to see you. Lord knows we were awfully glad to see Deanne come home.” She turned and pulled a pan of rolls from the oven and set them on a cooling rack. “Your Dad will be in for dinner. You are staying?”

“Yes, Mama, we’re staying for dinner. Have you heard from Denise?”

“I got a letter on Monday. She’s expecting, you know?”

“No, I didn’t know. Well, what wonderful news. I guess she’s over the moon? Oh, Lachlan,Denise is my twin. I never told you I had a twin sister, did I?”

“You mean there’s another one of you?”

“Not quite. She went to college and I went to war. We may look alike but it stops there. Denise got married a couple of years ago and lives near Monterey.”

“Denise and Deanne were near enough alike until they hit their teenage years. I could tell you some stories.”

“But you won’t, will you, Mama?” laughed Deanne.

 “It’s about to get messy here on the table. I have some more rolls to make so if you want to take your young man out and around?”

“Thank you, ma’am, for the lemonade and cookies,” Lachlan said as he stood up, holding the chair for Deanne.

Clara smiled as they left the kitchen and she began kneading her bread dough. He was a well brought up young man, she mused. She hoped he wasn’t going to take Deanne off to Australia   to live. She stopped kneading a minute and went back to her work thinking his mother would probably think the same thing when she found out he was going to marry an American girl.   The war had brought the whole world together and torn it apart.

She set her rolls to rise under the damp kitchen towel and went to the sink to wash her hands. Looking out the window she saw the two of them against the rail fence down at the back of the yard. They made a handsome couple and she smiled at the sight, glad Deanne had finally found someone. The letters she received from Deanne after the English boy was killed had especially worried her since her daughter was so far from home and there was nothing she could do for her. Lachlan Currie, that had a nice sound to it, she smiled.

“Your Mum’s nice and she makes great biscuits.”

“She likes you, Lachlan, and so do I,” smiled Deanne.

They spent the afternoon walking over the farm, Deanne showing him where she had played and worked as a young girl. She led him into the barn for a quick kiss that turned into several long and hot kisses before they parted. He was leaning against the inside of the barn door with her against him, his hands full of her bottom.

“Deanne, you can’t do this to me in your Dad’s barn.” He looked toward the barn roof with his lips parted, breathing hard.

“Well, can I do this? Or maybe this?” she teased

He moaned and hiked her skirt up unbuttoning his pants and picking her up. She fastened her legs around his waist as he entered her. It was fast and hard and he went down on his knees still holding her to him. She was flushed and wild-eyed when he found her lips.

“My God, Lachlan, I’ll never be able to stand!” she whispered in his ear. He was unable to speak.

After they adjusted their clothes they fell back on the hay and started laughing and giggling. He caught her on top of him. “Ah, you’re such fun, Deanne.”

“I love you, Lachlan,” she said softly and kissed his mouth. “Uh, oh, listen…Dad’s tractor is coming!” She jumped up, started brushing her dress off and ran her hands through her hair. Peeking around the door, she saw her Dad coming up the dirt road behind the barn.

Lachlan laughed at her and brushed himself off, straightening his jacket and checking his fly. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the barn and around to the side, giggling all the way. “Come on, let’s run to the house!”

Clara saw them running toward the house, laughing, and wondered what foolishness they had been up to. She smiled thinking about young lovers, how pure and sweet it was before all the years of hardship, pain and sorrow would come between them. Love will have to be strong enough to bind them together, tight enough to withstand whatever comes. She thought of her      Jim and how they had struggled through the years of gain and setback and the easy loving companionship that had developed between them. Yes, she knew about young love and how it would grow.

They arrived breathless and flushed through the back door. Clara took one look at them and with a smile teasing her lips told them to go clean up for dinner. She heard the spigot turn on outside the back door and stuck her head out. “Jim, we’ve got company for dinner, Deanne and a young man.”

Jim Waldrup looked up from the pan of water, his face dripping. “I thought I saw someone running toward the house. Young man, you say?”

“Yes, a very nice young man who has asked her to marry him.”

“I’ll be damned.” He looked down at his overalls, “Maybe I’d better change, huh?”

“Suit yourself. I just thought I’d let you know there’s company at the table.”

Jim knew what that meant and walked through the kitchen and up the back stairs to his bedroom. He took out a pair of khaki pants and a plaid shirt, smoothed his graying brown hair back, and went back downstairs to the kitchen. He saw his lovely daughter with her bright eyes and glowing face standing next to a tall, strong-looking fellow with chestnut brown hair and green eyes. He wore a uniform Jim didn’t recognize.

“Hello there,” said Jim, extending his hand. “I’m Jim Waldrup, Deanne’s daddy.”

“Mr. Waldrup, sir, Lachlan Currie.” Lachlan looked into his faded sun-bleached eyes and weathered sun-browned skin and saw his father. The man was so much like him he had to choke back and swallow hard. His chin came up. “Sorry, sir, you remind me of my own father and I haven’t seen him in four years.”

“That’s all right, son. Have a seat. I believe you might be from down-under, am I correct?”

“Yes, sir, Australia. I got my wings in Manitoba and flew Havocs for three years.”

“Well, we’ll have a conversation about that later.” Jim was looking forward to hearing of this young man’s war experiences. “Clara, you want to do the honors and say grace?”

They bowed their heads and thanked the good Lord for the safety of Lachlan and Deanne and for the food they were about to enjoy. They passed the bowls and platters around, Clara jumping up for salt and pepper. She noticed Lachlan ate a hearty meal and was pleased. She liked to see a man eat. She also noticed his manners were correct and decided he came from a good home. His mother would be proud of him. After the meal Jim and Lachlan walked out to the front porch while Deanne and her mother cleaned up the dishes.

Jim offered Lachlan a cigarette as they sat in the rockers and talked about Lachlan’s flying experiences and his family and home in Australia

“And how did you meet our Deanne?”

“We, ah, had a mutual friend that Deanne was dating. He was killed, his plane shot down over the Channel.”

“You mean Jerry Wade?”

“Yes, sir. After he died I just kinda looked out for her, took her out when I could. Then she was transferred and we began corresponding. When I got out I came into New York and took a train out here to find her.”

“Some times these wartime romances come to a bad end as it did with Deanne and Jerry. I’m glad you were there for her. What are your plans, son? Are you going back to Australia?”

Lachlan explained what he wanted to do and that it would be a while before they could get married since he wanted to get established with a job first.

“Well, that’s a smart thing to do, Lachlan. It will make the early years of your marriage a lot easier. What does your family think about your moving to the states?”

“Well, sir, I haven’t told them yet. I know Dad will understand but Mum won’t like it.”

“You know mama’s are like that. Clara had a fit when Deanne moved to town and that’s not ten miles away. So you’re going to be an airline pilot?”

 “Mama, what do you think of Lachlan?” asked Deanne as she wiped out the last of the pots and pans.

“I think he’s a fine young man. He has manners and can carry on an intelligent conversation with your Dad.  You’ve done very well, Deanne. When is the wedding?”

“I don’t know yet. We have to find out where his training will take place, how long and all that. It may be as long as a year. Gee, I hope not.” She stopped drying and stared at the floor.

“It’ll be worth the wait, Deanne, but you be careful. You know what I mean?” Clara cocked an eyebrow

“Mama!”

They said their goodbye’s and left before the sun went down, leaving Jim and Clara on the porch waving goodbye. “Well, I’d say she couldn’t have done better if I’d picked him out myself,” Jim  commented approvingly.

“I agree with you, Jim. I’m a little worried he’ll take her off to Australia, though.”

“He might if he has to, but I think he’ll stay in the states if his job works out. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

Chapter 5:

The good head belonged to Deanne, who was resting it on his shoulder as he drove back into town. It had gone well at the farm today. “Mama and Daddy are pleased with you.”

“I like both of them. They made me feel welcome. Your Mum’s a great cook. Funny thing ,your dad reminded me so much of my own, the same light blue eyes and suntanned skin.”

“I’m glad you’re going to get to see them soon but I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll be back inside a month. Is this where we turn?” asked Lachlan, looking to his navigator.

Deanne went about closing her drapes and blinds and turned on the radio. She opened the refrigerator. “Would you like a Coca Cola, Lachlan?”

“No, thanks, I never developed the taste for them, but I wouldn’t mind tea.” He had removed his jacket, shirt and tie, chucked off his shoes and arranged himself on the sofa. “Whatcha reckon, Deanne, quiet evening at home?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me.” She brought his tea to the coffee table and he moved over, making room for her on the sofa. “Looks like you’re all comfy,” she smiled.

“Umm, I am.” He put his teacup down and patted the sofa. “Come comfort me, Deanne.”

She snuggled in is arms. “I’m going to miss you so, Lachlan.”

“Don’t start missing me yet. I’m not even gone. We’ve still got a couple of days. What will we do tomorrow?”

“Saturday…we could go to the beach, take a picnic, maybe go to a show later. There’s a new Judy Garland movie playing.”

“That sounds good. Sunday I think I want to spend right here with you.” He held her a little tighter, kissing her ear.

“Right here on this lumpy sofa?”

“Mmm, maybe,” he grinned. “And I might take you out to dinner later on if you’re good.”

“What do you mean if I’m good?” she goosed him in the ribs, extracting a giggle.

Deanne banged on the door with her foot for Lachlan to let her in. Her arms were full of picnic makings which she carried to the kitchen.

“Whoa, there are only two of us!” exclaimed Lachlan, seeing the bags she deposited on the table.

“Yes, but I’ve seen you eat, Lachlan. There’s half a roast chicken, some tomatoes, cheese, bread rolls and some other things, also wine and fresh cherries just brought in this morning. I have a basket under the counter there we can use. It’s handy having a market below.”

Deanne packed up the picnic basket, grabbed her swimsuit, and Lachlan carried it all down to the car. She navigated them to the beach where they climbed down the bluff and spread a blanket. After changing clothes Lachlan ran into the sea, laughing and calling out that the water was freezing!

“The Pacific is always cold,” she answered, slowly making her way through the waves breaking at her knees.

Lachlan came back and grabbed her hands. “Come on, it’s not so bad once you get wet.” He pulled her out into the deeper water and up against his chest. “Your lips are turning blue, Deanne.”

“Gee, you think it’s because I’m cold? Look at the chill bumps on your chest. Let's go back to the blanket.” He steadied her as they made their way out of the surf and toward the blanket.   He threw a terrycloth towel around her shoulders and lay down.

“It looks like we have our own private beach today.”

“You can climb over the rocks and there’s a larger beach down below where most people go.  It’s easier to get to but I thought this little strip would be nice today.” It was only a little crescent beach that would disappear when the tide came in but for the moment it was a perfect spot.

She began pulling out the picnic and Lachlan opened the wine. “This is California wine?”

“Yes, it’s quite good. Farther south there are wineries opening up all over. It would be nice to take a trip down to Sonoma and Napa sometime.”

“We’ll do that one day. Deanne, there's so much ahead for us once we get through this next year.”

“You’re really excited about flying again, aren’t you?”

“It’s not just that. Coming over on the ship and talking to the Yanks you could feel the excitement building the closer we got to shore. They reckon this country is about to explode  with new technologies that came out of the war, new ideas it’s going to grow, and I decided I wanted to be a part of that if I could have you by my side. I think we’ve settled that, haven’t     we, luv?” He lay back on the blanket with his arms behind his head.

“Yes, we have. I’ll be right here for you wherever you go. Whatever you do, I’m with you.”     She popped a cherry in his mouth. “There are seeds. Just spit them out in my hand.” She  popped another in his mouth then another as her eyes locked in with his. “Do you like them, the cherries?” She put another in his mouth and when he spit the seed in her hand she kissed his cherry-stained lips.

She sat back on her heels, watching his eyes change as she sucked on a cherry, feeling its sweetness mingle with the taste of his lips.

“How private is this beach?” he whispered and watched as she removed her bathing suit bottoms. He was out of his trunks in a flash and had her beneath him.

“I’ll never be able to eat a cherry again without thinking of this moment,” he said later as he rolled off  her onto the blanket.

Deanne laughed and pulled on her bottoms. “You’ve had a cherry moment, Lachlan!”

“And how!” He pulled on his trunks and reached for her hand, leading her back into the water. “Looks like the tide might be coming in.”

“Yeah, we’ll have to pack it in for the day. It’s been such a special day, Lachlan. I’m going to hold on to it.”

“Me, too,” he said as he pulled her against him, “until I get back and then every day will be special.”

They dressed, packed up their picnic and climbed back up the bluff to the car. The wind was blowing hard, tossing her hair around her face. They sat on the grass while Lachlan lit a cigarette for her, then cupping his hands around it, lit his from hers. 

“You’ll need to get a phone, Deanne, so I can call you when I get back.”

“Yeah, I’ve been saving up for that. One more payday and I can have one installed. I’ve been using the one down at the grocers.”

“I can help you when I get back from Australia with whatever you need. My pay has been going to my Mum except what I needed for a pint and cigarettes. She’s put half in savings for me so we’ll have a little nest egg to start with. I’ll find out when I get back to San Francisco on Tuesday how much time I’ll have before we start training. Even if it’s only a few days I’ll be back here with you before I’m in school and then you can come down weekends. It’s gonna be fair dinkum.”

Clara Waldrup had been thinking a lot about Lachlan and Deanne and wrote a letter to his mother to let her know what they thought of Lachlan and how proud she should be of him. She also told her a bit about their family and how happy she was for her daughter and Lachlan. Jim was going into town to the barber shop Saturday morning and she thought she would ride in and stop by Deanne’s apartment to give her the letter for Lachlan.

Jim walked up the street to the barbers while Clara tried the door to Deanne’s apartment. Finding it locked ,she pulled out the key she had insisted on having and opened the door, straining her knees up the narrow flight of stairs to Deanne’s door. She knocked again, then opened her door walked into the kitchen, placing the letter on the table. She noticed the dishes on the drain board; two cups, two plates.  She walked back to the living room and found a blanket folded on the sofa and Lachlan’s large duffle bag against the wall. She started to go in the bedroom and stopped herself. It was obvious to her that he was staying here. She sat down  on the sofa and looked at the flowers on the coffee table. At first she was angry that Deanne would do such a thing. She was brought up better than that. Had she no thought for her reputation? Denise would never…but Deanne wasn’t Denise. She had gone off to war to some foreign land, had seen and heard horrible things. Clara remembered the letters she had received from her daughter. It was 1946, things had changed, and Deanne was a woman now. She straightened her hat and taking the keys from her bag, laid them on the table next to the letter. Pulling her handkerchief from her purse, she wiped her eyes and quietly closed the door.

Jim was leaning against the car smoking a cigarette when she came back down. He opened the door for Clara and got behind the wheel, glancing over at her face. “What’s wrong with you?”

Clara looked out the window. “Oh, nothing. I just realized our little girl is a woman now. Now don’t go getting upset but…Lachlan is staying with Deanne.” She turned to see his reaction.

“Well, I figure that’s none of my business or yours, Clara…don’t you?” Clara sat back in the seat and nodded her head. Jim patted the back of her hand, smiling to himself.

Chapter 6:

Deanne gave the blanket a good shake before following Lachlan up the stairs. The door downstairs had been unlocked and she was interested to see why. Lachlan checked out her apartment and pronounced it all there. Deanne found the letter and the keys on the table.

“Mama’s been here,” she said and bit her lip. “She’s left a letter for your mother.”

“No kidding? Should I open it? Might be something bad?”

“Is it addressed to you? No, she wants you to deliver it to your mother.” She picked up the extra keys and handed them to Lachlan. “She left my spare keys for you.”

“That was nice of her. I like your mum.”

“Yes, it was…nice of her. I’m for the bath. Want to join me?”

They were lying across the bed partially dressed, Lachlan in his boxers and tee shirt and Deanne in her slip, looking at the paper, trying to decide which movie to see since there were two nearby.

“I don’t want to see anything sad,” offered Deanne.

“I don’t want to see a war movie,” decided Lachlan. “So that leaves the Judy Garland thing, a musical.”

“You don’t like musicals?”

“No, they always seemed silly to me, a bloke breaking out in song instead of kissing the sheila.”

They finished dressing then walked down to the diner for a hamburger and a shake before going to the theater to see Meet Me In St. Louis. Lachlan fidgeted in the seat. He was having a hard time with this but he held Deanne’s hand and snuck in a kiss when he could. When they left the theater he found he had the trolley song going in his brain. “I can’t get that silly song about the trolley out of my head.”

“Are you going to burst into song here on Main Street?”

“No,” he grinned “but it just goes to show you how much I care for you to sit through that.” He stopped and swung her around, kissing her as he put her down on the pavement. “I’d rather kiss the sheila.”

Deanne turned the radio on when they got home to help dispel the trolley from Lachlan’s head. Count Basie was on and he took her in his arms and moved around the living room into the kitchen.

“Does this help get rid of the trolley?” she asked.

“Yes, and fills my head with life’s wonderful things, like you and the moon and stars.”

“We can’t see the moon and stars.”

“Yeah, but I know they’re up there shining right now. Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

“No, Lachlan, I will never know. You’ll just have to keep showing me”

Deanne awoke early and propped herself up on her elbow to watch Lachlan sleep. She wanted  to burn that image in her mind for the days ahead. His hair tangled over his forehead his mouth and eyes soft in his slumber. As she watched his chest rise and fall with each breath, she was so filled with her love for him that it spilt over down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes, the motion rousing him. His eyelashes flickered and he opened his eyes with a slow smile on his lips.

“Good morning,” she said softly

“Mmm, is it morning already? What are you doing awake this early?”

“Watching you sleep.”

He reached out and pulled her against him. “I’m awake now. Tell me those are not salty tears I taste, Deanne.”

“Only a couple. I’m not crying, Lachlan.”

“No tears today, okay. Just be happy we’re together. You know when I arrived on Wednesday    I was just hoping you would see me and give me a chance…a chance to show you how much I cared for you and maybe you would feel something for me….”

“Lachlan, I think I knew from your letters. You wrote me such sweet letters they made me cry.  I got to know you more through your letters than I ever did in England.”

“There was never any time when we saw each other, just a quick kiss hello, a quick kiss goodbye. I don’t think you were ready for me then.”

“No, I wasn’t, but after coming home and looking back on the whole thing with Jerry, it would have never worked for us in the end. I knew that even before you came here. I can’t tell you how many times I've read over your letters and wanted to answer the questions you didn’t ask. I just couldn’t see a way for it to work out for us because you were going home...and you never asked me to go with you.”

“I never asked because I didn’t know how you felt. I mean a bloke doesn’t necessarily want to make a fool of himself if he can help it. If I had…asked?”

“I would now because our feelings for each other are out in the open. Have we wasted all that time, Lachlan?”

“No, I don’t think so. You’ve had time to come to terms with Jerry and you needed to do that. Bloody hell, I’ve waited for three years for you! What was another ten months?”

Deanne raised herself up on her elbow and met his eyes. “You’ve always been in love with me, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, from the first night I saw you. But someone else’s light was brighter than mine so I just stayed in the background and watched you get caught up in it.”

“Oh, Lachlan, that first night, it could have been you. I remember you were so quiet and later you were so funny.”

“When I told you I was nursing a broken heart that was true. It wouldn’t have been fair to you. Funny? I think I just fell in my cups.”

“There's so much more to discover about you. I’m happy we’re finally together and making up for lost time.” She bent and kissed his mouth.

“We’ve got the rest of our lives to do that, but right now something else comes to mind….”

They spent the morning discovering even more secrets about each other. The need for food finally drove them out of bed and into the car for a trip out of town toward the coast. The little fishing village was just the place for fresh seafood and a beautiful view. They lingered over their meal, finishing off the bottle of wine then walked out on the pier to watch the sunset.

Lachlan repacked his bag before they went to bed. Deanne watched him in silence, biting back the tears that threatened to fall at the thought of his going in the morning. There were only hours left. He bathed and laid his clothes out for the 7:00 train ride.  They spent the night in each other’s arms.

Lachlan was up at dawn, dressed quietly and only when he was ready to go did he kiss her awake. He had allowed her little sleep during the night.

“No tears, remember? I just wanted to say goodbye for now and I’ll write you as soon as I get home. I love you, Deanne.”

“I love you, Lachlan. You make sure you keep safe for me.” He held her and kissed her then picked up his bag and left.

Deanne jumped from the bed and ran over to the window to watch him as long as she could as  he walked toward the train station. He hadn’t wanted her to come to the station. It was just as well. She could cry all she wanted to now.

She placed her hand on the window pane as he disappeared around the corner and kissed the ring he had placed on her finger. He had given her more than a moment. He had given her a lifetime to look forward to.

THE END

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