|
"Laura's Dream" |
| Copyright Francis Blow, 1986. |
| CHAPTER 4 |
| Tension prevented Laura from doing more than doze on the train to Sydney, an hour and a half away; nor did she find anywhere to sleep at Central Terminal, even though there were a couple of railway police on patrol. She was worn out by the time she found her reserved seat on the Dubbo train. Laura leaned back and sighed. She realised she had really committed herself to running away. Laura hugged her backpack to her chest, and fell asleep. |
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| Sunshine and voices woke Laura. Her watch said it was seven fifteen, and the train was pulling into Bathurst station. Passengers boarded or left, while others wandered around the carriages. The seat next to her was now vacant, so Laura went looking for the dining car, where she ordered a hot meal. She was surprised at how hungry she was. While she ate, Laura thought about what John and Carla would do; they would have looked into her room about now, and found her gone. |
| Hopefully, they would not have called the police yet, though they would probably be ringing Jem or her other girlfriends. Still, Laura had to consider that her train would be met at Dubbo by the police. Having bought her ticket in a false name would be useless if her description or photo were circulated. |
| There was nowhere on the train to hide, and Laura would not attempt to jump off the high-speed train; yet she had to find something, so she went exploring. Every location that looked promising would be obvious to anyone searching for her. There was nowhere she could go where she would not be found. |
| The only alternative Laura could think of was to disguise herself. The police would be searching carefully for any fourteen year old girls. So she could no longer be a fourteen year old girl. There was nothing in her backpack to colour her skin or hair, nor did she have any clothes that an older woman might wear. Which all meant being female was out. Laura had to become a boy. Her hair had to go; it was too much of a giveaway. |
| The decision was made, so she found a toilet when no one was watching, and locked the door. Laura stood swaying in front of the small mirror, while butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She stared at her beautiful long hair for several seconds, before committing herself. From her toiletries bag, Laura took a small pair of scissors. She pulled brown tresses away from the left side of her head and made the first cut. A long handful of hair fell into the stainless steel toilet bowl. Then another, followed by more, until Laura stared at a stranger in the smudged mirror. |
| The tanned-looking skin that had been covered for most of Laura's life was slightly paler than the rest of her face and neck, though not enough to be obvious. Her skin was normally darker than most people, so there was no problem there. Still, her hair looked amateurishly cut, and pretty gross, so she substituted liquid hand soap as hair gel, and gave herself a "spike" hairdo. |
| With the loss of her most prized feature, something changed within Laura; there was no more hesitation in her ongoing change from pretty girl to scruffy boy. Next to be changed was her figure. Her hips were slim enough to be a boy's, but there was a problem further up. The sweatshirt and bra went into the bag. A T-shirt was sacrificed, cut into wide strips and bound around her chest, flattening her small breasts, yet not so tight that she could not breath. Laura pulled another T-shirt over her head, while her long-sleeved shirt went over that, and left unbuttoned. Laura knew a few boys who liked to dress that way. |
| Before walking out, Laura touched up her ugly hair and flushed the toilet, then she returned to the dining car. She ordered a second, lighter breakfast to give her something to do until the train pulled into Dubbo. A few minutes after sitting down with her tea and toast, Laura watched two train attendants walking through the car. They were obviously looking for someone. She had no doubts that they were searching for her. The two men walked past her, completely taken in by her disguise. A long, silent sigh escaped Laura, then she wondered if her backpack might be searched. While no one was looking, she opened the pack and stuffed her knickers in one spare sock, while her bras and the toiletries bag were dropped in a rubbish bin. Anyone peering into her backpack would see nothing obviously feminine. She lingered over her cold cup of tea until the train arrived at Dubbo station. Laura disembarked with a large group of other passengers, and walked past the four police at the exit. She kept going, out into the streets of Dubbo. To any observer she was just another teenage boy in a hurry. |
| At the first phone booth, Laura looked up Gordon Flint in the phone book. There were two entries under "G. Flint", but there was no answer at either number. Next, she tried the investment company where he was employed as a consultant. Unfortunately, the receptionist told Laura that Mr. Flint was not expected until after lunch. Laura did not leave any message, but she did write the address on her hand. |
| She spent several hours window shopping, then bought a pie and chips. Laura ate her lunch in a large, wooded park, close to where Flint worked. The food was gone by noon, and Laura went to watch the building that housed the investment company. She was startled when a police car pulled up nearby, and two plainclothes men walked into the office. Laura continued to watch the large windows fronting the two story building; she could make out the interior through the glass. The two policemen spoke to a man who acted angry; Laura studied his face as best she could from across the street. |
| Gordon Flint was darker than Laura, his skin too dark to be confused with a tan, though he did not appear Sri Lankan. Like Laura, however, he had brown hair and a slim build. |
| Laura kept watch from where she hid. Hours passed. Occasionally she would walk around to relieve the boredom. She only let the building out of her sight once, when she went to use the toilet in a service station, self-consciously locking herself into the men's room. She stayed only as long as she had to, then left before any one else came. The toilet was no messier than most ladies toilets, though the sight of the urinal was disconcerting. |
| At four o'clock, the police left, then, at five, most of the office people. Flint, however, stayed back. Laura watched him making lots of phone calls. She was getting tired and hungry, but Laura did not dare find a cafe, in case Flint left while she was gone. The long delay in meeting her biological father was making her anxious. |
| A dusty sunset painted the buildings a dull ochre before Flint walked out and locked the office door. He strode to a red Ford and drove north-east. Laura had difficulty keeping the car in sight, though she did manage to follow it into a residential area, where she lost it for a while. Her legs and feet ached from overuse. |
| By searching street by street, Laura tracked down the red Ford, to where it was parked in a driveway. Gasping for breath, Laura gazed at the house. It was old and built of brick, with trees all around it. |
| The strips of cloth that bound Laura's chest made deep breathing hard, but there was still too much light for her to risk taking them off. She crept around until she could see into a dining room. A woman of about thirty was setting a table, then two small boys ran in. Laura watched as the Flint family began their meal. She observed them for hours after that, until all the lights were out, then she sat in the gutter and cried. |
| She did not notice the patrol car until a blazing spotlight pinned her in its blinding glare. |
| "You with the backpack. I want to see some I.D." |
| Instantly, Laura jumped up and ran between houses. Without thinking, she vaulted a fence she would never have tried jumping before. Laura raced down streets and through yards, eventually slowing down to her distance-eating stride, until she had to stop and undo the strips of cloth that constricted her bursting chest. The material went into a pocket, and she started running again, till she reached the tree-filled park, where she crawled into a dense hedge. Hungry and thirsty, Laura lay down and cried herself to sleep. |
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| A glowing sky, and the sounds of a bush rat sniffing at her shoe, woke Laura. She jerked away from the rodent, while stifling a scream. The rat scurried off. At first she had no idea where she was; her watch said ten past five, and dawn was breaking. |
| Laura's clothes were damp with dew and stale sweat. She was chafed from running in jeans, her feet hurt, hunger pains gnawed at her stomach; Laura was sure there were bugs in her clothes, and she needed to use a bathroom. Her experiences as a Guide had been nothing like this. Laura was anything except optimistic that morning, her second away from home. |
| There was no way she was going into town looking and smelling as she did. Somewhere nearby was a river, which she had noticed the night before as she eluded her pursuers. Ten minutes of searching in the thickening trees brought her to a stream which fed the river. The tributary was well hidden from prying eyes, in the unlikely event that anybody was up that early. Laura washed herself and her clothes. From her backpack she took shorts and her only clean T-shirt. She felt much better, even though her feet were painful. It took determination to pull on her spare socks and her trainers, then stroll back to the night's hiding place. |
| Her wet things she hung from bushes, which were warmed by the rising sun, and Laura sat on her almost empty backpack, so the white running shorts would not get dirty. With time to think there also came sadness. She was upset that the father she had searched for, and endured so much for, had another family. Why had she not considered that possibility? Was it time to go home, beaten? |
| "I won't give up!" She declared to the trees. |
| There were few other options open to her. She could confront Flint in his own house, and cause a scene; that would hardly endear her to him. She could wait for him outside his house, though that would be just as bad, with neighbours watching. Hide in his car? Too easy to be found, if he looked in the back seat. Laura did think she might be able to catch him on the way to work, if there was somewhere he had to slow down. |
| It was still too early for most people to be about, so Laura left everything behind, except for a five dollar note which she tucked into the waistband of her shorts. Laura walked, then jogged, along the most likely route from Flint's home to his office. When she found a conveniently placed stop sign not far from his house, she memorised its location, then ran back to where he lived. Her feet were getting used to the constant abuse. |
| It was a relief to find the driver's door of the red Ford unlocked, so, as stealthily as she could, Laura unlocked the rear door on the passenger's side. Then it was back to the park to wait, because there was nowhere open where she could buy food. A garden tap quenched her thirst. |
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| Eventually, the city began to wake, and a milk truck did its rounds. Laura was tempted to buy a carton of milk, but it would have brought her too much attention. Her new disguise was much less than perfect; the thin T-shirt could not conceal the fact that the chest beneath it was a young woman's. |
| When she thought that Flint might be up and having breakfast, Laura rebound her chest with the strips of cloth, though not as tightly as before, and put the long sleeved shirt over her T-shirt; they were dry enough to wear, though the jeans were still too wet to put on. Fortunately, her running shorts were the same style as any boy would wear. It was time to watch for Flint's departure. |
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| Flint opened his door at seven thirty. He brought in his milk and newspaper. Laura watched from behind a fence. At eight thirty he started his car, backed onto the street and took the route Laura had guessed he would. She ran across yards and empty lots, leaving barking dogs in her wake, until she reached the stop sign where she hoped to intercept the red Ford. It was a near thing, yet Laura beat the car. |
| Laura's lungs were close to exploding as Flint drew to a stop at the corner. Laura took two steps to open the back door and jump in. |
| "What the hell is this?" Flint demanded, turning in his seat. |
| "I'm Laura," she puffed, barely able to breath. "I'm your daughter." |
| "Get the hell out of my car, or I'll throw you out!" |
| "But I'm your daughter! I ran away. Cut my hair. I had to sleep on the ground. And I had nothing to eat since lunchtime yesterday." |
| "I couldn't care less. I've got no daughter, do you understand? You're the bastard an old girlfriend of mine had, but you're not mine. Now get out!" |
| Laura was stunned. She was panting raggedly, unable to speak. Never had she expected to be greeted by her father like that. A car horn sounded and Flint drove around the corner, where he pulled up to the curb. He walked round to Laura's door, grabbed her arm roughly, and threw her sprawling onto the footpath. |
| "The police are after you. Now get lost before I call them. I could have charges laid, if I had the time to waste on garbage like you. And if I ever see you again it will be the sorriest day of your life." His voice was an unrestrained snarl of hatred. |
| Seconds later, Flint was gone. |
| Still sitting on the concrete, Laura was too numb to do more than stare at the red car, as it drove out of sight. She was more alone than ever, and had no one to turn to. Her gasps for air turned to sobs and then tears of humiliation. She ignored the stares of passers-by, and cried herself dry. |
| Once Laura was on her feet, she wandered back through the suburban streets until she reached the park, where she went to where she had hidden her things. Her jeans were still hung over bushes, but her backpack was gone, along with its contents. |
| Panic started to overwhelm Laura, yet she forced herself to remain calm. She sat on a log to think. Whoever had the pack was probably a derelict or a child; no one else would have reason to enter her hiding place. If that were true, then there was a chance they had thrown most of her things away as soon as they found her wallet. |
| Laura checked every litter bin in the park, making sure nobody was watching her. There were no clues in the bins, so she widened her search to where the park joined the city. Almost immediately, she found some of her clothing, where it had been dropped in an alley. She guessed at the most likely path for the thief to have gone, and followed. |
| Her guess proved right, when she found her atlas and then photos and notes from her wallet. The photo of John, Carla and Joey was torn. Anger overrode every other consideration, as she continued to track the thief. |
| Minutes later, she saw him carrying her backpack into another alley. He was a teenager who looked as scruffy as Laura. |
| Without thinking of the danger, Laura raced after him, seeking a weapon as she ran. The youth heard her, looked around, and turned to escape. She followed him out of the city, across a bridge and down a road that left the highway. He was trying to reach the bush. |
| Laura was pleased at his choice of direction, because there were few people who could outrun her in a cross country race. She paused only once, to pick up a tree branch that was the right size for a club. Her quarry began to tire, and he slowed down. Laura cut back her own speed, so that she maintained her distance from him. She wanted him really exhausted before she confronted him. |
| Ten minutes later, she stood over the collapsed form of the thief. He gasped uncontrollably, while Laura searched him for the rest of her things. She held the club ready in one hand. Once she had all he had stolen, she turned to walk away. |
| "Wait!" His high pitched voice surprised her, and Laura watched him struggle to his knees. |
| "Wait." He repeated, unable to find enough air to say more. Eventually, he could talk. "I'll take you to my stash. It's real good weed. I'll sell you some." |
| "Get lost. I'm not interested." |
| "Okay. What about something better? I can get some crack, or horse, if you want the good stuff." |
| "Drop dead." |
| "You're on the run, ain't you? Yeah! Bet the cops are after you, huh?" He smiled at her. "I've got a real good pad. Not far. No one knows about it 'cause I've got guards." |
| His grin widened and Laura almost left him. |
| She needed somewhere to stay until she could get a train back home; somewhere she could clean herself up. Maybe he had something she could use, after all. |
| "Where is it?" She demanded. |
| He led her at a slow walk through trees and into thick bush. He talked continuously, though Laura guessed that most of what he said was lies. When he gave his name as Bob, Laura told him her name was Len; Bob still thought of her as a boy. |
| The bush gave way to open country, and a series of fences, which they climbed. Further on, they came to a double fence of chain wire, seven metres high. |
| "That's the zoo!" Laura exclaimed in annoyance. "I'm not going in there." |
| "This way, mate." He turned to follow the fence. |
| An old, half-collapsed shed, was hidden by a dip in the land. It proved to be his destination. There was no door, just a gap in the rotten timbers. The only item of furniture was a thin, filthy mattress. Things crawled over the torn material. In the distance, a large cat roared. |
| "Pretty good, huh?" Bob asked. |
| "It's gross." Laura did not try to hide her disgust, despite Bob's pathetic circumstances. "Where do you get water?" |
| With less enthusiasm, he pointed towards the tall fences. |
| "In the zoo, after it gets dark. I know a safe way." |
| Laura had no intention of waiting till dark, then sneaking into the zoo. "Is there any other water about? Rivers or dams?" |
| "There's sort of a stream, about three kilometres away. Or there's river that goes through town." |
| "Which way's the stream?" |
| Reluctantly, Bob told her, and Laura began walking. He followed her, and tried to make her stay, but she ignored him, and he turned back to his hovel. |
| Laura found the stream, which was just a trickle of water. She followed it back, until she came to a pond, surrounded by trees and rocks. Laura took a sip, and it tasted sweet and cool, so she drank a little more, before sluicing water over her arms, face and neck. The token wash made her feel better, and she leaned against a moss-covered rock to rest. Soon, she would have to get back to Dubbo, to buy a train ticket. As she had no idea how often the trains ran, she needed to start walking as soon as she could. However, the chase and her sitting on damp soil had left her dirty and sticky. The only clean clothes she had was the one T-shirt and pair of socks Bob had dropped, plus the jeans still hidden in the park. For now, though, she just had to rest a few moments. |
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| Laura woke. Her watch told her she had slept for half an hour. She rose, brushed leaves and mud off herself, and tried to remember her way back to the road. It was too complex, so she found her way to the zoo, and followed the fence until she saw the road that led to Dubbo. Laura could have stayed hidden inside the tree line almost all the way to the city, but she decided to follow the highway, as the going would be easier, if a little longer. She walked far enough away from the edge of the road that she could not be mistaken for a hitch hiker; not that anyone would pick up such a dirty stranger. |
| The long trek back gave Laura time to think about her biological father, and the terrible disappointment he turned out to be. She contrasted Flint with her adopted father and the rest of her family; three people who really loved her and were not afraid to show it. When she thought of little Joey, she smiled, and wondered if he was missing her. |
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| A car skidded to a stop beside Laura. As she turned towards an open door in surprise, a punch caught the side of her head. |
| Stunned and reeling, Laura found herself dragged into the car, which accelerated away. Hands fumbled for her wallet, and she saw it was Bob who was taking her money again. Infuriated, Laura punched him hard on the nose, then jabbed her fingers in his eyes. Bob screamed, and clutched his face. |
| Laura grabbed her wallet back, and stuffed it into her shorts, just as the driver turned to yell at her. He was perhaps, eighteen or nineteen, and looked as if he too was a derelict. |
| Laura considered jumping out of the car, but it was moving too fast. Instead, she hit the driver, who almost lost control of the car. He jammed on the brakes. |
| Laura punched him again, harder, but then Bob grabbed her by the throat and began choking her. Desperately, her hands found his face, and began scratching until she was released. |
| By then, the driver wanted to hit her, too, so he stopped the car and reached across the seat. His hands were big and strong, and could easily hold her, so Laura bit him, hard, then jumped out of the car, and started running along the road. |
| Behind her, the car's wheels spun on the gravel. Laura dodged into the scrub, towards the trees. With the car rapidly gaining on her, Laura stooped to pick up a fist sized rock, whirled around, and threw the rock with all her strength at the driver. |
| The windscreen went opaque, and the car swerved into a skidding turn, almost overturning. |
| Laura continued to run, certain that the two men would not give up the pursuit. However, after several minutes, with no sign of anyone chasing her, she slowed down. There was still a long way to go before she reached the safety of Dubbo. |
| Laura circled back towards the road, careful to stay hidden in the trees. Every time she heard a car, she moved deeper, until it had passed. By mid afternoon, and in relative safety, Laura stopped to rest on a log. Delayed shock set in. She cried, and slid to the ground. Aching sobs wracked her body, as she realised for the first time that she could die. |
| Time passed and so too did Laura's terror. She became merely afraid; Laura could overcome ordinary fear. It was unlikely that the two men were still waiting for her, but to venture out now was to risk her life. It was not worth the danger, on the off chance that a train would be in Dubbo that night. It was more reasonable to remain where she was. |
| Laura fell asleep for the second time that day, until the chill night air woke her. The sounds of nocturnal animals were strangely comforting; she realised that their noise meant that no two-legged beast was skulking close by. |
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| There was enough light from the moon for Laura to find her way to the road. She was not overly surprised when, after a few kilometres, she saw the car that Bob was in. It was parked on the side of the road, its broken windscreen now missing. Both men were asleep inside. |
| Laura crept past, on the other side of the road, and continued on, until she had returned to Dubbo. She looked for a phone booth, then had second thoughts about ringing home at that hour. John and Carla would have lost enough sleep, without being woken up at quarter to four in the morning. Laura would wait until seven, when everyone would be up. In the meantime, she retrieved the clothes still in the park, then made her way to the apparently deserted railway station, and into the ladies toilet. She washed in a sink, and dried herself with paper towels, then dressed in her only clean clothes. The torn T-shirt went into a bin. At least she could look like a girl again, even though her hair was ruined. |
| As she put her things away, Laura heard two pairs of heavy shoes enter the toilet. |
