Page 11 of Andrew’s Outback Love

“Ruby, would you like to join us for lunch?” Linda asked.

“Are you all going?”

“Yes. I’d love you to join us so we can chat.”

“I’d like that.”

The ladies left the kitchen, James and I followed. I felt quite cocky knowing I’d thrown a spanner in the wheel of his intentions to have Linda to himself. We all climbed into James’ Holden car which was parked in front of the building - me in the front passenger seat, the two ladies in the back. I didn’t miss the glare he tossed my way as I buckled the seatbelt. A few minutes later, James pulled into a space near Diggers. We all stepped from the car and waited for him to press the remote control to lock up.

The ladies chatted about the clinic routine as we made our way to the door. I pushed it open and waited for the others to enter before joining them. A young man greeted us, showed us to a table and handed us menus. Being a part of the local RSL, the walls were filled with Defence Force history in the form of dozens of photographs. There were also a few black and white images of old buildings around town.

The room comprised wooden tables and wooden chairs padded with black leather. The carpet, in contrast, was red. We all ordered a round of drinks - water for me, beer for James who was off duty and lemon, lime and bitters for the ladies. The food offered was a selection of Aussie fare. I chose the rump steak with salad as did James, the ladies settled for grilled Barramundi and salad. Once ordered, we relaxed into our seats and Ruby opened the conversation.

“What do you like to do in your spare time, Linda?”

“I read, take long walks and love to poke around in antique shops. In my few hours of down time here, I plan to have a good look around over the next few months. If I like it here, I’ll buy a place.”

My ears pricked up at this. “You’re serious about living out here?”

“Yes, it will be a small town like this where I’ll settle. Most of my work will be in Dubbo, but if I buy somewhere here, I can use it rather than staying in a motel. What about you, Drew? Do you eventually plan to hand over your work so you can settle in Sydney?”

“No fucking way, I hate the place. Too much noise, too many people, too much pollution. I’m going to look at a place not far out of town actually. Gary from Barrawon Station, where our clinic was held yesterday, is organizing for me to have a look through. If all goes well, I like it and he’ll come down a bit in price, I aim to buy.”

“Would there be enough work out here? I could understand if you were in general medicine but dealing only with eyes.....”

I sipped at my water and placed the glass back on the table. “No, as busy as we are, it’s not enough to employ me full time. I’ll probably have to continue the way I am, but I’ll look into my options for extra work more closely if I do buy. I’d love to live out here full time but.....” I shrugged.

Ruby turned to Linda. “Why do you want to hide yourself in the country? To get away from the arsehole? I can assure you, there’s plenty of them out here as well.”

“Not hiding. I just crave the peace. I love being a nurse but just can’t picture myself living in a city and working in a hospital. I love the challenge of being part of the Flying Doctors’ team. We never know what will happen next. We were a close-knit team in Broken Hill and I imagine Dubbo will be the same.” Linda shrugged. “I can’t imagine there being a team that wasn’t close. The patients rely heavily on us and we rely heavily on each other.”

“It’s no different in Dubbo, I look forward to working with you and getting to know you better.” James smirked at me after he spoke.

“Sounds like you love it.” Ruby smiled.

“I do. I feel like I was born to it.”

The conversation ceased as our meals were placed on the table. As soon as the waiter left to return to the kitchen, we all got stuck in to our food. I’d been here on occasion before but I’d forgotten how tender and melt in your mouth the steak was. I was hard pressed not to moan with each mouthful. While James and I ate, the ladies talked.

Linda spoke about her life and her parents. Her father was an Engineer with an off-shore mining company. Her mother was a primary school teacher and her brother was in the Army. She’d been educated at Perth Grammar School on scholarship and studied nursing at the University of Western Australia. She didn’t say, but I got the impression she was highly intelligent.

Ruby then spoke about her Aunt Mavis and Uncle Tommy who had raised her after her parents shot through, basically leaving her on her relative’s doorstep. I’d heard the story before. Her aunt, who was her mother’s sister and her uncle, had raised her alongside their own nine children. Ruby fitted somewhere in the middle in age or, so they thought. Her aunt had no idea Ruby had even been born and estimated her to be about three months old when she turned up at their door in an old plastic washing basket, wrapped in a ragged blanket and completely naked. The note from her mother had said Ruby was a mistake and she had better things to do with her life than raising a child. It was a tragic story and I watched Linda’s eyes glass over as she listened.

“That’s so sad for you.” Linda placed her hand on Ruby’s forearm.”

“Maybe, but Aunt and Uncle were the only parents I knew and they treated me exactly the same as their own kids, including giving me whoopings when I fucked up. I really love them and they love me. They made sure I went to school and when I proved to be pretty clever, the settlement raised the money so I could go off to University. They were very supportive and I have no regrets about growing up with them.”

“Still, it’s sad that your parents gave you up that way.”

“Hon, it happens all the time. It’s not unusual among my people for adults to be raising kids who aren’t theirs because their parents went walkabout.”

The waiter returned to the table and as he cleared away our empty plates, he asked if we’d like anything else. Everyone agreed they’d had enough. I glanced at my watch to see we had twenty minutes before my first patient was due.

James dropped us back at Barry’s rooms and after saying goodbye, he drove off. Ruby, Linda and I headed inside to prepare for what would no doubt be a busy afternoon.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Those kids are amazing.” Linda couldn’t hide her awe.