|
"Laura's Dream" |
| Copyright Francis Blow, 1986. |
| CHAPTER 18 |
| Laura felt miserable. Her nose was blocked, her throat was sore and she had a headache. |
| Why, after all she had been through, was it something so silly as wearing a wet shirt that caused her to catch a cold? |
| Jem said she would bring copies of assignments, but Laura hated to miss even a day of school. A whole week would be lost! |
| Laura was propped up in her bed, pillows behind her. She was surrounded by books and her computer, but she did not feel like working. She made the most of feeling sorry for herself. Laura hated being sick, and this was only Monday! |
| With a sigh, she pulled the small computer onto her lap, selected the first of her programme disks and started the tedious job of loading everything back onto the hard drive. |
| Carla looked in on her daughter at lunch time. "Do you want lunch here, or would you rather come down?" |
| "I'll come down." Laura croaked. |
| "Dressing gown and slippers, young lady." Carla advised, when Laura started towards the door in her thin nightie. |
| "Oh, Mum! I feel so hot." Laura complained. |
| "Dressing gown. And slippers. Or you eat lunch in bed." Carla commanded in the special tone only a mother could use. |
| "Yes, Mummy." Laura knew better than to argue when her mother used that tone of voice. |
| |
| "Chicken soup? I'm not that sick." |
| "Try it, then tell me you don't want it." Carla offered. |
| Laura took a tentative sip, expecting her stomach to rebel. Instead, her body craved more. Carla knew what many mothers had learned over hundreds of years. There was something bordering on magic in chicken soup, when it came to colds. |
| One bowl of soup was enough for Laura to show a slight improvement in her temper, though beads of moisture were appearing on her forehead, and her skin took on a redder colour. |
| "I'm really feeling hot, Mummy," Laura said quietly. "Can't I please take off my dressing gown?" |
| "Okay, baby. Go and have a warm bath. It'll get all the stickiness off, then straight into bed. While you do that, I'll go down to the shops and get some fresh orange juice and an inhaler for you." |
| Laura smiled gratefully, then plodded up the stairs, making sure her mother knew just how sick she was. Laura preferred showers, yet she obeyed directions and half filled the tub with lukewarm water. Immediately she sat in the bath, her body began to relax. Some of her aches started to ease. |
| When Carla went to Laura's bedroom twenty minutes later, the bed was empty. She found her daughter still in the bath, Laura's head pillowed on a sponge. Laura was asleep, while Joey's yellow bath-ducky floated among the cooling suds. |
| Carla knelt down and brushed Laura's hair aside, waking the girl. |
| "Hi, Mummy." Laura gave her a sleepy smile. |
| "Out you get. Little Laura let Mummy dry her? Or is Laura clever enough to dry herself?" |
| "Oh, Mum! Don't tease." Laura pouted. |
| "I couldn't help myself. Let me dry your back anyway. Not even Joey lets me help him any more, and a mum needs to be needed." |
| Laura allowed herself to be pampered and put to bed, where a large glass of orange juice waited on her side table. |
| "I'm sorry I'm such a wimp, Mum. Thanks for looking after me." |
| "Laura, you're such an independent person, normally, that I'm enjoying seeing you become helpless." |
| "But..." |
| "I'm not criticising you, baby. In every other way, you're almost too perfect. Right now I'm on a bit of a nostalgia trip, remembering when you were little and needed me all the time," Carla hugged her daughter, and tucked the sheet around her. "It will be interesting to see what you'll be like when you're married and pregnant for the first time. Oh, yes! Now THAT should be very interesting. I plan to be on holidays in Alaska, that year." |
| Laura chuckled. "You're a crazy lady, Mummy, and I love you so much." |
| |
| Laura's week passed quietly, and slowly. It was boring. |
| Doug, Jem and Simone were the only people to visit her. Doug was all sloppy about it, Jem called her a wimp, and Simone made her laugh, because Simone told Laura about the cold she had two winters before, when someone suggested cold showers to take the temperature down. |
| "It got rid of the cold, all right. I got pneumonia instead. I felt SO sick!" Simone said matter of factly. "And I had the... No, I won't tell you about that. What's the matter? Are you choking?" |
| |
| By Friday, Laura was anxious to be out of the house. Carla, however, insisted she stay in doors. |
| "Do you want to be well enough to have a flying lesson on Sunday? Then do as you're told. I'm getting tired too, having you under my feet all the time, but why spoil things when you're almost well?" |
| "Under your feet! Who's been doing the vacuuming and ironing? I've just about been a prisoner and slave," Laura realised what she said, then burst into laughter, and Carla joined in. "I'm a terrible patient, aren't I? You win, Mum. I'll be a good little girl till tomorrow." |
| "That's my Laura. Now go and peel me a grape." |
| Laura almost fell off her chair. |
| |
| "Ease up on the throttle, Laura. Don't let your nose drop. Steady..." |
| Laura listened as the instructor directed her flying. The sky was grey and threatening storms. Laura's chest was still a little tight, but all she cared about that morning was being in control of the small Cessna. Somewhere on the ground, Doug was watching her flying, but he too was forgotten in the joy of flight. |
| During one quiet moment, as the instructor listened to a weather report over his earphones, Laura raised her gaze towards the clouds. |
| "One day," she whispered to herself. "Soon." |
| "What was that Laura?" |
| "Talking to myself." |
| "That's a sign of insanity. How are you going?" |
| "Fantastic. When do I learn to land?" |
| "How long did it take you to go from crawling to walking?" |
| "I know," Laura sighed. "I suppose a barrel roll is out of the question then?" |
| "Bring us around to the down wind side of the runway, then come down to a hundred feet, pretending to do a landing run." |
| |
| Doug watched Laura run towards him, her lesson over. She was beautiful in white blouse and tan slacks. |
| "Whew! It's starting to get cool." She said as she got to him. |
| Doug reached into the landrover and fetched Laura's brown sweater. "Was it fun?" |
| "Flying is..." Laura's voice was muffled as she dragged her sweater over her head. "It's become an important part of me. I think only another flier could understand that. It's a lot like how I feel when I'm surfing. I can't explain any better than that." |
| "Where would you like to go now?" |
| "I'll let you decide. It's your car and the rest of the day's yours." |
| "How about a little drive to our beach to watch the waves breaking?" |
| "Sounds lovely. Let's stop off at a cafe and get a picnic lunch of fish and chips." |
| |
| By two o'clock they were sitting on an old blanket on the beach. A box of hot food and two cans of drink were between them. For the first five minutes they ate quietly, while watching the gulls wheeling and screaming between grey water and grey sky. |
| Laura was daydreaming of joining the birds, when Doug put his hand on her thigh. A sudden flush of heat made her shiver. Goose bumps appeared on her arms. |
| "Laura," Doug's voice was low and husky. "We've been going together for a long time now. I guess I don't really tell you how I feel for you." |
| Laura's heart beat faster as she watched Doug's mouth, as if she would be able to see each word he uttered. |
| "What I'm trying to say is. I love you, you know? Are we going steady? Damn! Look, Laura, I promise not to go out with any other girls, I want it official. Will you be my girl?" |
| "Oh, Doug. I thought I already was! Of course I'm your girl. And I love you too." |
| All thoughts of food forgotten, they were suddenly together, lips touching. Laura was barely conscious of Doug's arms around her, as her own pulled him closer. Her memory flashed a warning, when his hands were under her sweater, and getting too adventurous for her comfort. |
| "Doug. Please don't. I'm not ready for petting," she protested, pushing away from him. "Don't, Doug. You're spoiling what we've got." |
| With obvious reluctance, Doug took his hands off her waist, then grumbled under his breath. Laura did not hear what he said, nor did she want to hear. The drinks and chips were spilled all over the blanket, though fortunately their clothes had avoided any stains. Doug collected the rubbish into one of the bags, while Laura shook out the blanket. They were half way to Laura's place before a word was said. |
| "Laura, I'm sorry. I can usually control my feelings when I'm with you," Doug stammered. "Are we still friends?" |
| "I hope we're more than friends. Doug, I love you very much, but I can't... I won't have sex with you or anyone until after I get married. I hope you can accept that, because I'm not going to change how I feel about it." |
| "I can accept it Laura. Can you understand that sometimes I can't handle how I feel about you? You're beautiful and sexy, whether you want to be or not. Try putting a feast in front of a hungry man, and tell him not to eat. That's what it's like for me being around you. I can do it, but I'll need your help." |
| "You've got yourself a deal!" Laura said gratefully. As Doug drove on in a comfortable silence, Laura thanked God he was more of a gentleman than most guys his age. |
| "What do you want to do next Sunday, after your lesson?" Doug said as he drove into Laura's street. "But not just the two of us alone!" |
| "How about I ring my Gran and see if she'll be home, for a visit?" |
| "Visit your grandmother? Yeah. I guess that could be exciting." |
| "Just wait till you see Gran's cottage!" |
| |
| When Laura went to school that week she rode her bike rather than ran; she would wait until she was back to normal strength. Laura applied herself to her work with a fervor that no one expected. Most of her teachers had difficulty in keeping her supplied with answers; some gave up in frustration. Her skill with all but English was greater than any of them. |
| Mr. Markson was still trying to explain to Laura the differences between prepositions and conjunctions. The fact that he sometimes could see Laura was almost reduced to tears of frustration, encouraged him to remain patient with her. |
| She was not his most accomplished student of English, yet she was by far the most hard working. |
| |
| When sport was on, Laura and her fellow self defence students were initially intimidated by a giant of a man who took the place of their usual instructor. |
| "Good afternoon. Beth couldn't come today, so she asked me to take the class. I'm George, her husband, and the senior instructor of our schools. Feet together. Bow. Running on the spot." |
| After their warm up exercises, George checked their kicking ability, and their skill in breaking out of an assailant's grip. |
| "Adequate. Now get a partner of the same subspecies or sex... Some time within the next couple of hours... Thank you. Those on this side of the room, put your right hand on your partner's shoulder. Now the rest of you, bring your hand up. In slow motion, so we don't have to call an ambulance. Grab, squeeze and twist. Do not do this for real! Remember, your partner gets to do it to you next." He watched the half-hearted, self conscious efforts. "Stop! If someone my size grabbed you, would that be how you act? Not that long ago, if you can dredge through your memories, lots of kids were kidnaped from this area. It can happen to any one at any time. You will not be given time to think. Do it properly. NOW!" |
| Laura's instincts took over. Instead of Simone holding her shoulder, she conjured up an image of one of her own kidnapers from Dubbo, and reacted. |
| Simone gasped, at the Laura's speed and the expression on her face. |
| "That's perfect!" George congratulated Laura. "Now do it again and show the others. Come back you, don't run away." |
| He pushed the apprehensive Simone back towards Laura. |
| "I'm sure glad I'm a girl." Simone muttered. |
| "Once more. Hand on shoulder... Go!.. Can you all see how easy it is? Now you all try it." |
| Simone leaned towards Laura with a sweet smile, and said through tight lips. "Just wait until it's my turn!" |
| Both sides took turns until they were proficient enough, then George went on to practice elbow techniques. |
| |
| Another flying lesson under her belt, and Laura directed Doug to her Gran's "cottage" at Nelsons Bay. She insisted in going halves in petrol. |
| "Is that your Gran's house?" Doug asked when she indicated a driveway that passed a very small stone hut. |
| "That's the gardener's shed. That's Gran's!" She pointed at a white mansion which stood behind the car park at the end of the road. |
| "You're kidding me! It's a castle!" |
| "Wait till you see inside." |
| "She must be worth a mint." Doug was in awe of the unexpected scene. |
| "Probably squilions. Don't let that worry you. Gran's nice. Just park out front." |
| Doug helped Laura down from the car, and let her lead the way to the wide entry, where she pressed a button on an intercom. |
| "Is that you, Laura?" |
| "Yes, Gran, and Doug's with me." |
| "Come in, it's open." |
| Laura pushed through one of the oak doors, into an entry that could have been part of an English castle. White tiled floor, Persian carpets, statuary, vases and paintings were tastefully arranged around the walls. A stone staircase, three metres wide, led to a furnished landing so deep, the walls were hidden from the ground floor. |
| "Come on." Laura held his hand and they walked through to a sitting room. Gran was riding an exercise bike, while watching a movie on her high definition TV. |
| "Just give me a few more minutes. I promised myself not a second less than half an hour every day before my afternoon coffee break." |
| Doug could not help but grin. "So you're the one Laura gets it from! I knew there had to be someone she copied her stubb... Persistence from." |
| "You had it right the first time, Doug!" Gran cackled. "We're the stubborn Shells all right! Aren't we, Laura?" |
| "No we're not!" |
| "Yes we are!" |
| With that exchange, Laura joined the others in laughing. |
| "You know," Gran told them. "This is the only time I get to watch TV. That Bert Reynolds is something, isn't he, Laura?" |
| "I'm quite happy with this man, right here." Laura squeezed Doug's arm, and turned her face up to his. |
| Doug kissed her, and whispered "Thanks." |
| "None of that kissy smoochy stuff you two! Laura, go into the kitchen and put the kettle on." |
| "Gran..." |
| "Let me rephrase that. Get out so I can interrogate the prisoner." |
| "Since you put it so nicely. Okay." |
| |
| "How are things between you two?" Gran asked. She watched Doug over her shoulder; she had the eyes of a mother lion. |
| Doug hesitated, then decided Gran would recognise any attempt to pull the wool over her eyes. |
| "We love each other. We have fun together. I get too affectionate and she tips the cold water on me. Is that what you want to know?" |
| "You and I, we understand each other. Laura's fourteen..." |
| "Almost fifteen." |
| "Almost fifteen. I know girls get into trouble at that age. Laura does not deserve that... And that's the end of the rabid grandmother routine. We know where we stand, and we both love Laura. Pass me my robe, please. The coffee should be ready." |
| |
| "What did you talk about?" Laura asked. |
| "The birds and the bees," Gran replied. "There's doughnuts in that box. Fresh. How's your flying going?" |
| "Unreal, Gran!" Laura's eyes shone. "I did my first take off today, and had a practice landing five metres off the deck!" |
| "Does that mean you went through the motions of landing the plane while you were still five metres up?" |
| "That's what I said. Anyway, I'll have to practice for a while before I get to do an actual landing, because it can be dangerous if you don't judge things right. We're traveling at between ninety and a hundred kilometres an hour when we land." Laura continued to tell Gran all about her lessons while they had their coffee. |
| "I envy you, Laura. The whole world is at your feet, and you want to leave it behind for another one that's cold and dusty," Gran said jokingly. "Let's go." |
| Laura and Gran stood up before the confused Doug understood. |
| "Where are we going?" He asked. |
| "Just come with us, sonny, and don't argue." |
| Gran toured him through rooms and halls until they came to a vast, glass-roofed room, where a heated swimming pool was set into the tiled floor. |
| While Doug stared open mouthed. Gran picked up a package from beside the door. "Take this and go behind that door." |
| As he was closing the door, Doug saw Laura take off her shirt to reveal her bikini top. She winked at him, just before the door shut. |
| Inside the package was a pair of blue racers. He stripped and pulled the swimming costume on, then was out again, to see grandmother and grand daughter racing each other in the water. He ran along the side till he was level with them, then dove, to join in the competition. The water was salty; Gran was obviously environmentally conscious. |
| Doug took the lead with the sheer strength of his arm muscles, and stayed there for ten laps, then Laura passed him. |
| "Look at her," Gran ordered. "You could easily see girls with her figure on the covers of fashion magazines. Who could guess at so much endurance from such slender arms and legs? Have you watched her swim before?" |
| "Yes. Many times." |
| "I've never seen her swim like this. John tells me that she's a good runner?" |
| "Long distance, just like her swimming. And good enough for Olympic selection. But she's not interested in competition." |
| "It would distract her from her purpose." |
| Doug nodded. "Can you really believe she'll ever get to Mars? That's science fiction." |
| "She believes it. Let me lay some nostalgia on you. A few years ago, last century, I was watching on the TV, it was black and white then, and a young man was telling the world that his country would put a man on the moon within ten years. And they did. That was in days when we considered rockets as children's toys, or part of dirty warfare. Most planes still had propellers. No one owned a computer without millions of dollars in backing. Lots of telephones still needed you to crank a handle to call the operator... Go to Mars? Even I know it can be done. Ask Laura how many robots have been sent there. She could probably tell you who designed the cameras on each robot. Land a person? I believe it's not only possible, but inevitable." |
| Doug watched Gran's impassioned face. |
| "I'll make a bet with you. No money involved, because I won't be around to collect. When you're my age, you will say to some young person that landing on Mars is not that much different to flying to the stars." |
| Doug wondered in silence, and turned his gaze back to the pool, where Laura's speed had not slackened. He knew she would maintain her pace almost to the last second, and then stop, an exhausted wreck. |
| "Gran?" |
| "Yes, mate?" |
| "Shall we drown her?" |
| "You're a nasty, horrible brute! I'll take this side, you get the other." |
| They dove together, intercepting Laura and dunking her, then carrying her out onto the tiles. All three of them were laughing, though Laura's chest strained to fill her lungs with air. |
| "After our showers," Gran said. "We can meet in the library." |
| She left the two young people, and disappeared into the huge house. Doug lifted Laura to her feet. "Are there towels?" |
| "I'll show you." She took him to the room where he had changed and opened another door inside. A complete bathroom was ready for his use. |
| Laura left him and used another change room to shower and dress. She had clean underwear in her purse, and knew there were plastic bags for wet swimsuits in the linen press. Doug was waiting for her when she came out, so she stepped into his change room and put his wet costume in the bag too. |
| The library was no surprise to Doug. He had come to expect the spectacular. What he did not expect was to find Gran, elegantly dressed in deep-green velvet, seated at a computer terminal. |
| "Doug, tell me if you know what this is?" Gran beckoned him. |
| "They look like space ships." He replied, eying the screen. |
| "Right. They're designs for taking men... And women, to Mars," she told him. "They're years out of date now. And both the Russians and U.S. have workable designs. My bet is we'll see a combined U.S. and Russian ship on the drawing boards within five years. And you, my dear Laura, might see your dream come true in my life time." |
| "In that case, I expect you to see me off from somewhere in Earth orbit." |
| "We just might be able to arrange something along those lines." |
| Watching the two females, Doug could not help feeling as if he were being left behind. It was ridiculous, of course. |
| On the other hand, what if it was more than their dreams? What if the Russians and Americans diverted the latest "Star Wars" funds towards the kind of research Gran proposed? India, China and the Koreas were finally agreeing to arms limitations, so defence budgets might be diverted to space again. |
| |
| All too soon, Laura and Doug had to leave for the hour and a half it would take to get home. |
| "Laura?" Doug said as he handed her into his car. "How did such a crazy old lady get so rich?" |
| "By having crazy ideas and following them up." |
| "You'll inherit all that wealth, I suppose?" |
| "Nope. All of it goes to charity. Hospitals, schools, UNICEF. Dad told me he wouldn't have it any other way. He's done the same with his will, so that Joey and I will be supported only until we're twenty one, then the money goes to Kids Hospital." |
| "What for?" Doug was perplexed. |
| "Easy come, easy go. I'll earn every penny of my money. Not someone else's efforts. That way I know I won't waste it." |
| |
| Monday morning after her visit to Gran's, Laura started her running once more, with Jem carrying their school bags on her bike. |
| Two days later, a white Toyota followed them from a distance. |
