Red Dust Dreaming (8 page)

“That's enough you two!” Thelma came at them both, one finger raised in admonishment. “This nonsense has got to stop. No fighting, do you hear me?”

They both nodded in unison. “Good,” she said seemingly satisfied. “Caden is taking you and Luke on a picnic.”

“A picnic?” Startled, Elizabeth looked to Caden for confirmation.

“Yep, we'll ride out on horseback.”

“Horseback?” She looked from Thelma to Caden.

“You do ride, don't you?” Caden spoke to her in a slow measured voice as if she was simple.

“Of course I do,” she snapped.

“Then it's settled. Go get changed.”

“Has anyone ever told you how bossy you are?” She squared up with her hands on her hips, Thelma's earlier warning forgotten.

“Elizabeth and Caden, listen here!” Thelma's voice brooked no argument. The both turned to face her like chastened school children. “I want you to promise me you'll work at getting along. No fighting in front of Luke do you hear me?”

“Yes Thelma,” said Caden bowing his head.

“Sorry Thelma, I promise.” She looked at Caden who met her eyes briefly before looking away. How was she going to survive an entire afternoon in the company of this man when they couldn't even last five minutes supervised! It was going to be a long day.

“Do you need a hand?”

The horse was saddled and ready to go. Elizabeth hadn't been on a horse since she was eleven years old, a long time ago. The animal seemed huge! She shuddered, she had no memory of feeling nervous around horses before. What had happened to her?

“No I'm fine,” she said with steely determination as she gathered the reins in her left hand, put her left foot in the stirrup and prepared to mount. Once she was in motion her body remembered the swing of the foot, the arc of the leg required to find her seat. The horse shifted beneath her as it absorbed her weight, snorting softly in acknowledgement. She reached down and patted its glossy neck.

“Her name is Bessie,” said Luke as he drew near on his own mount. “My horse is called Killer.” He patted his horse affectionately.

“Killer! What kind of a name is that for a horse?” Elizabeth turned to Caden who was mounted on a stockhorse, bay in colour. The man and beast appeared fused together, in perfect accord, evident before they'd even left the yard.

“It's a bit of a joke,” said Caden. “The damn thing is so passive it's a wonder Luke can get it to move at all.” He reined in beside them and tipped his akubra hat back on his head to reveal his dark eyes. “Are we ready to go?”

Luke nodded vigorously, a big grin lighting up his little face. Elizabeth watched him with delight. How she wished she'd been able to see Angela with her son!

“And you?” Caden enquired politely.

“Oh! Yes, I'm ready.” Elizabeth snapped out of her reverie. Yesterday was gone but today was here and she was going to hang on every moment with both hands.

They started out of the yard at a gentle gait. There was no hurry. The sun was high and warm, not the searing hot it would become in summertime. The sky arched overhead the kind of brilliant blue Michelangelo might have appreciated, vaulted in a way it wasn't at home. She'd noticed it the day she'd arrived. Had she really only been here two days? Somehow it felt like forever.

Her horse walked with steady intent as if he knew where they were going and was in no particular hurry to get there. Elizabeth let the reins go slack in her hands, enjoying the feel of the horse beneath her. She'd almost forgotten the smell of a horse, the way her fingers itched to touch those magnificent muscles of a horse's shoulders and chest. The feel of the reins, slightly rough with wear, in her hands. All familiar sensations and she welcomed them like old friends. While her saddle was reasonably comfortable she had no doubt tomorrow her thighs would be screaming in protest at the unfamiliar exercise.

“I can't wait to show you the surprise Aunty Elizabeth.” Luke wiggled in his saddle with excitement. “It's really, really special. I hope you like it.”

“I love surprises. I'm sure I will love it whatever it is,” she assured him.

He beamed a satisfied smile at her before urging his horse slightly ahead. Luke obviously knew the track well and he rode his horse with the confidence of youth. As he moved away Caden took his place.

“How are you finding Bessie?”

“Gentle, placid, a good choice for a girl who hasn't ridden in over a decade.” She smiled at him, Thelma's words ringing in her ears. She would try her best to be as pleasant as possible for Luke's sake.

“The hat suits you.” He nodded towards the oversized floppy straw hat she wore. A gardening relic legacy of Caden's mother.

“I look very glamorous I'm sure,” she laughed.

“Important to protect you from the sun. It will burn you to a crisp and you'll end up with skin like pork crackling if you're not careful.”

“Thelma made me lather on buckets of sunscreen before we left. I feel as if my skin can't breathe under it all.” Thelma had been as adamant as a drill sergeant supervising the application of her sunscreen.

“She right. Australia has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the world. You can't ever underestimate the fierceness of this climate.” As if to illustrate his point he tipped his hat back down so it sat low on his brow.

“I much prefer your hat. Do you want to swap?” she teased.

Caden looked startled by her request and she wasn't sure if the request itself caused the look or the fact she'd made a joke. After a heartbeat he bestowed upon her a magnificent smile, probably the first genuine smile she'd seen. His face was transformed from rugged sternness into a radiating warmth she wanted to bask in like a cat. “You'll have to catch me first,” he said as he kicked his horse who surged forward at the command.

“Hey!” cried Elizabeth. “Wait for me.”

A little under an hour later they came upon a rocky outcrop standing alone and isolated in the middle of the great expanse of red dirt which stretched from horizon to horizon. The rock squatted like some ancient sentinel waiting patiently as time and the elements rolled over its weathered back. Luke had reached the spot ahead of them and was already off his horse. Killer began cropping at what vegetation was available, his reins looped casually over the branch of a low, scrubby tree. Elizabeth dismounted and handed her horse to Caden.

She took a moment to contemplate the monolith before her. Not staggeringly huge by any means, the rock carried a presence, giving it the air of being much bigger than it was. She craned her neck back in an effort to see the top.

“You can climb to the top if you wish.” Caden's voice was low and intimate in her ear. She jumped, his sudden sending odd sensations chiming within her.

“Is it a hard climb?” she asked for something to say rather than any genuine interest.

“Not particularly but you should know there is an Aboriginal legend that says any woman who climbs to the top will come down pregnant,” he chuckled. His breath caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes against the fission of desire accompanying it. Unbidden and unwanted.

“I think I'll give it a miss,” she said while images of what it would take to become pregnant to Caden swirled around in her head. Torturing her.

He shrugged. “Your choice,” he said as if he'd just offered her a glass of wine instead of procreation. Caden moved off to unload the picnic basket and she found an excited Luke beside her.

“Come on, Aunty Elizabeth.” He tugged at her hand not letting go of it as he led her further into the strange rock formation. She followed him willingly, enjoying the feel of his little hand in hers. They walked a short distance, picking their way over the uneven ground. Luke moved with the surefootedness of a goat while Elizabeth worried about turned ankles and stubbed toes, unused to the Great Outdoors.

Caden shouldered the picnic basket and followed them with an easy loping gait. She was acutely conscious of his eyes upon her back. They burned through her jeans and scorched her flesh. If she spun around quickly enough she was sure she would find him staring at her backside. Instead she focussed on Luke's chatter as he told her about their picnic spot.

“Aboriginal people used to come here all the time,” he said as he tugged her along. “They used to have parties here.”

“Parties?” Elizabeth thought of the parties she attended in New York. Trying to imagine those people here in the Outback made her smile.

“Yes, parties. Painting parties.”

“I'm intrigued. How do you know all of this?”

“I'll show you. Can I show Aunty Elizabeth now?” Luke turned to Caden a note of pleading in his voice.

“Not just yet. How about we sit down and have something to eat first? Remember Aunty Elizabeth hasn't had breakfast so she must be hungry.” Caden lowered the picnic basket onto a flat-topped rock.

“Okay.” Luke sounded as if the idea barely passed muster by his five-year old sensibilities. “Can I show her right after?”

“Yes of course,” said Caden and Luke brightened. “But first help me unpack this picnic basket. Thelma's packed enough food for a small army.”

Luke helped Caden unpack their lunch while Elizabeth perched on the edge of a rocky ledge and surveyed the scene. They'd been walking steadily up hill and she hadn't noticed how high they'd climbed, high enough to see the lie of the land below. The ancient landscape stretched flat as far as the eye could see. A peculiar sort of stillness pervaded the land as if it was a sentient being, watching them. She shivered in the shade even though the temperature was as warm as a New York summer.

“You okay?” Caden handed her a sandwich wrapped in wax paper and she took it gratefully.

She nodded. “The land has a feel to it, like something lives here.”

Caden unwrapped his own sandwich and took a bite. He looked out over the view as he chewed. “The Great Spirit sort of thing?”

“I guess so,” she replied. “It feels kind of… well… holy.”

He took another bite. “The local people considered this a special site. Remind me when we get back and I'll give you a book on the Dreamtime. I can't do the concept justice myself. Better you read about it.”

“The Dreamtime?” Elizabeth was intrigued.

Luke scrambled over to where they sat, sandwich in hand. “Aborigines believe what you think becomes real so you've got to think good things.”

“Really?” Elizabeth turned to Caden for confirmation.

“Sort of,” he said. “It's a little more complicated than that, hence my suggestion you read about it first.”

“I look forward to it.” She smiled at them both suddenly pleased they'd come. “Thelma's sandwiches are delicious!”

“I'm going to have another one,” said Luke. “Do you want one too?”

Half an hour later the sandwiches were entirely devoured and Elizabeth's stomach groaned in protest. She hadn't realised just how hungry she was.

“Aunty Elizabeth?”

“Yes Luke.”

“Can I call you Aunty E? Elizabeth sounds like the Queen.”

Elizabeth laughed and the unexpected request. “I forgot you have the Queen.”

“Don't you have the Queen too?” Luke asked, a frown creasing his forehead. “I thought everyone had a Queen.”

“No. In America we have a President instead.”

“That's a shame. I don't think Presidents are as much fun.” He looked dejected on her behalf. “Come on Aunty E, let's go see the surprise.”

She looked to Caden who nodded. “Go ahead,” he said. “Luke knows the way. I'll clean up here.”

She followed her nephew upwards through a winding rocky path leading to an overhang. The area could almost be called a cave except its mouth was too wide, too exposed to the elements. Upon one wall was the impression of ancient handprints outlined in what looked like white paint.

“See!” said Luke all aglow with the anticipation of showing her something special. “This was where they had their paint parties.”

“Amazing.” Elizabeth climbed closer for a better look. The handprints were no larger than her own. She wondered at their owners. Who had made them and how long ago. Somehow she could feel them here in this place as if their presence lingered although they themselves were long gone.

“I wanted to paint handprints at home but Thelma wouldn't let me.”

As Elizabeth looked at the mural on the wall, telling a story of kinship and belonging, the world tilted a little and she imagined she was falling.

“Aunty E! Are you alright?” Luke grabbed her arm, concern lacing his voice.

She shook her head. “I'm fine, honey. Just the heat getting to me I think.”

“You should drink more water. Caden always tells me to drink lots and lots of water or I'll get sick. I bet you haven't had enough.” Luke threaded his fingers through hers and held on tight.

“I'm sure you're right.” But it wasn't the heat or dehydration getting to her. She was sure of that. For a moment, a brief tear in time, she glimpsed the girl she used to be. The one who lived to paint, who wanted nothing more than to be an artist. The girl she'd smothered to become the woman her parents wanted her to be. The girl she'd forgotten all about.

An unsettling sense of displacement followed her back down the path to where Caden waited for them. Elizabeth was overcome with gratitude at the sight of him. He was propped up against a boulder, his long legs stretched out before him. Relaxed and dozing by all appearances. The heavy silence of the place pressed in upon Elizabeth and she understood for the first time why people referred to this as the Outback. It was as far out back of anywhere a person could possibly get. Seeing Caden napping in the middle of this strange landscape offered safe anchorage just as she feared she had become unmoored, as if the ancient rocks had set her adrift in her own past.