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| "Laura's Nightmare" Copyright Francis Blow, 1989. |
| CHAPTER 5 |
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| Laura glanced through the front window, at her mini bus parked in the driveway, then back to her parents, who were watching her. |
| "I guess you're right." She said, then burst into tears. |
| Her father was expecting her reaction, and took her into his arms. |
| "It's really all right, my Princess. In a few short months you built up a profitable little business. Now, through no fault of your own, it would be best if you sold it. The mini bus, too." |
| "But it is my fault, Dad! Look at the photo. It's her! I'd know her face anywhere." Laura pulled back, and snatched up an enlarged photograph. |
| The photo showed a woman from Laura's past; the woman who led Laura's kidnapping in Hawaii. Now the gang was after Laura again, and they wanted much more than kidnapping. |
| Four sticks of high explosive were found under Laura's car, set to explode as soon as any door was opened. It had been crudely, though effectively done, and the amount of explosive would have certainly meant instant death to anyone near the mini bus. The police had kept the car over a week, and Laura got it back that day, the same day Jem had brought copies of the damning photo to Laura and the police. |
| "I don't want to give up the business, Dad! I built it and it's mine!" Tears gave way to anger. "Why should I let that bitch scare me off? I'll make sure I'm more careful." |
| "Laura," her mother interrupted. "What if I had opened the car, or if Joey was with you? How long could you go on before they slipped past your guard? Months, maybe a year? And would you want to live that kind of life. Then there are the people, your customers, who would be in danger, not realising. Is that worth it?" |
| Guilt and doubt warred with Laura's determination not to give up what she had built. |
| "Here's an idea," John suggested. "Why don't you go stay with Gran for the weekend. You haven't got anything else organised, have you? Good! On Friday, I'll drive you down to her place. You take your computer and your homework..." |
| "Dad. I've got a car, and it's safe to drive. How about we wait a few weeks, till the Christmas holidays?" |
| "The sooner, the better. Besides, I think Gran is off overseas again, pretty soon. And what if L. Shell Concepts gets a lot of work at Christmas time?" |
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| After school on Friday, Laura showered and pulled on a green silk dress, threw a bag in her van, and kissed her family good bye. Half an hour later, she was on the Expressway, headed south. The radio was playing old nineteen sixties music and Laura felt good about going to stay with her grandmother. |
| Like Laura, Gran had been brought up by foster parents, and, like Laura, she had started running her own businesses from her teens. With her late husband, Gran had built up several profitable, international companies. More than anyone else in the world, Laura hero-worshiped Gran, who in turn adored Laura. |
| After guiding her mini bus through tree lined suburban streets, Laura was entering the huge estate where Gran had her mansion. A small parking lot, beside the house, fronted the open six car garage, and Laura pulled inside, next to Gran's Mercedes sports car. After dragging her bag off the passenger seat, Laura locked the van and went straight into the house, knowing that her parents would have let Gran know exactly when to expect Laura. |
| Laura walked through to the study, where Gran was reading through papers she was pulling one by one off her FAX machine. |
| "Hi, Gran. I knew where you'd be hiding. Good news?" She kissed the older woman. |
| "Hmm? Yes! I put some venture capital into Bulgaria, and it's taken off, like the rocket that will take you to Mars one day. How are you, Love? You look a mess. There are bags under your eyes and you've been getting too much sun." |
| "Oh, Gran!" Laura laughed. "I use sunscreens all the time, and I'm naturally dark." |
| "I know, I was just having a go at you, but you do look over tired. What will you do next year when you have to study for the HSC?" |
| "Panic, probably." Laura replied, grinning, then she sighed. "You know what's been going on with my tour business?" |
| "Only what I've heard from your Dad. I see you have your computer. Are your accounts up to date? Sorry. Silly question. Show me what you've got." The older woman cleared a space on her desk, and fetched a second chair, so the two of them could analyze the data on Laura's business. |
| Not quite two hours passed, before Laura shut her laptop computer off. |
| "Impressive, Laura. I couldn't have done a better job, myself. Now comes the crunch. Selling it in such a way that you make a nice profit, and..." Gran peered at Laura's resigned expression, "manage to keep you involved in it, in an inconspicuous way." |
| "Really? Do you think I could?" Laura's back straightened, she was all attention. |
| "First, we eat. That's a pretty dress, just the thing for dining alfresco. Allow me a few minutes to change, then we can pop out to this lovely Italian restaurant. The salad is marvelous, and so are the waiters in their tight black pants." |
| "Oh, Gran! Stop teasing." |
| "Who's teasing? Leave your things here, and take the Mercedes round the front." |
| "You want me to drive your car?" Laura's eyebrows shot up in surprise. |
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| A short while later, a nervous Laura was behind the wheel of the sports car, and following Gran's directions to the Italian restaurant. The looks Laura received when she pulled up in front of the open dining area made her cheeks and ears burn. Gran stepped out, onto the footpath, while Laura was pulling on the hand brake. The older woman's dress was also silk; burgundy coloured it had a green belt that exactly matched the green of Laura's dress. |
| Once seated, Gran ordered for the two of them, and they chatted, while waiting for their salads. At first, all they did was exchange gossip about Gran's forthcoming trip to Brussels, and about what Laura had been up to at school. |
| "It's a bit awkward with Marcus, at the moment. He wants to get serious, and he's talking marriage," Laura grimaced. "He's a really great guy, and I know he loves me, but I don't love him, at least not enough to marry him. I do love him... Damn, do you know what I mean? I love all my friends, and he's a friend. We go out, have fun, that sort of thing." |
| "Has it gone beyond that, or have you led him on a bit, in fun, perhaps?" Gran raised an eyebrow. "No? Not even a little? Young men can read a great deal in what might seem a bit of innocent teasing." |
| "I suppose it's possible. No more than anyone else. Jem and I have been teasing each other for years, since primary school, and the same with Mum and Dad, or even you." Laura sighed and rested her chin on a cupped hand, elbow on the table. |
| She went on to tell about her flirting with the sailor on the yacht, and Gran laughed, demanding to hear all the details. |
| Their plates of salad came, accompanied by Chianti for Gran, and lemonade for Laura, since she was driving. Gran decided not to have any desert. |
| "I expect we'll be up late, so we can have something nice for supper." |
| Laura drove them back to the mansion, where she excused herself so she could freshen up with a shower. She rinsed her dress out and hung it in the shower to drip dry, found a comfortable nightie and went searching for Gran, eventually finding her on the back balcony, overlooking the Harbour. |
| Like the younger woman, Gran was dressed in a light night-dress. |
| "Let's talk business," Gran pointed at a chair beside her own. On it were writing materials and a calculator. "Despite your misgivings, it must be obvious you do have to let the tour business go." |
| "Yes, but I don't have to like it. You mentioned there may be a way I might stay involved?" Laura moved the papers to her lap as she sat. |
| "That's the easy part. All you need do is form a company, sell the majority of the shares, and keep some shares for yourself. If you want, you could stipulate you want to work in the background, as an ideas woman, or negotiating deals. There is a great deal of paperwork to do, and you need an unique company name, even if it's a meaningless name. Whoever buys the company may want to come up with another name." |
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| The two women planned late into the night, only taking a break for supper at eleven. By one thirty in the morning, Laura felt too tired to stay awake longer. |
| "How about we go to bed, Gran? Everything's been covered, hasn't it?" |
| "Goodness me, look at the time. Get up whenever you like, and anything you want is yours to use." |
| They kissed and Laura wandered to her rooms, where she brushed her teeth. She was asleep five minutes later, when Gran came to make sure she was comfortable. Gran smiled at her granddaughter, adjusted the sheet which was all Laura was using, and crept out. |
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| Brilliant sunlight crept across the floor of Laura's bedroom, up the side of the bed, and onto the young woman's peaceful face. A few mumbles greeted the light, and Laura stretched luxuriously, yawned, then stretched more energetically. |
| "Good grief! It's after ten!" After a moment's disorientation, she realised she had nothing to get up for, and Laura snuggled back down for a few minutes to indolently spoil herself. |
| "What will we do today? Jog first, or swim? Decisions, decisions! Oh, well. A run, I think." |
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| For a route, Laura chose to run around the grounds of the mansion, then down for two kilometres on the sand, before coming back via the higher, grassy reserve that edged the beach. A quick shower was followed by a light breakfast, before Laura joined Gran in the garden, where the older woman was pulling weeds. |
| "I thought you had gardeners for that?" |
| "I have, but the weeds keep growing, and I find gardening good relaxation, on occasion. Pull up a rock and talk to me. How did you sleep?" |
| Curling her legs under her, Laura sat on a stone bench, passing the time with Gran. Eventually the question arose on what Laura would do once the business was sold. |
| "You could have a holiday of your own, and not have to worry about others comfort. Take a week or two, early in the holidays, and you can face the new year ready for anything." |
| "That's a fantastic idea. I won't have time for anything besides the HSC, next year. Where can I go? Not overseas, too expensive." |
| "Brisbane? Too crowded? Perth?" They considered the relative merits of various places, and were still talking about it as if the holiday was the most important thing in the world, until they went to the kitchen for lunch at one o'clock. By the time the sandwiches were eaten, Laura picked Tasmania. |
| "It will be cool, and the mountains should be beautiful and quiet." She explained. |
| "Good choice. Now, didn't you say your company had a discount deal on air tickets?" Gran prompted. |
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| Her time at Gran's place passed all too soon, and Laura had to go home. She gave her grandmother an extra big hug, just before she drove away. Again, she listened to a music-only channel on the radio, singing aloud whenever she heard a song she knew. |
| All the way home, Laura ticked off in her mind what she would need on a hike in the Tasmanian high country. The three man dome tent, or the two man? Weight would be more important than the extra room, and the small tent could be just as warm as the other. What about weather? She would have to check on that, to work out which sleeping bag and what clothes to take. Food would have to be all freeze-dried. Hire an emergency beacon and a radio or cell phone. |
| Laura's analytical mind focused on the holiday, up to the time she pulled into her driveway, where her family came out to meet her. Young Joey was slightly jealous of her going to their beloved Gran's without him, but he was glad to have his big sister back. He carried her bag inside, while their parents and Laura followed. |
| Over the dinner table, Laura let her parents know what she was doing with the business. It was obvious to Laura that her mother and father were both relieved. |
| "All I have to do now, is break the news to Jem. She was doing well out of the souvenir photos." |
| "Why would she have to give it up?" Carla asked. "Just because you have to get out of the public eye, doesn't mean Jem need change anything. Get used to the fact that you're both adults, and will be entering the full-time workforce soon. Your futures are bound to lead in different directions, especially if you start a family. I know Marcus is having thoughts along those lines." |
| "Marcus is. I'm not. Later this year I'm applying to the Airforce for a Cadetship, which means I'll be travelling all over the country, and probably overseas, for years to come. There won't be any room in my life for a family, especially if I manage to get onto the US space programme." |
| "I wish you wouldn't keep on about that, Laura." Carla began, though she was interrupted by John. |
| "Let her go, Sweetheart. Laura is a grown woman and knows her own mind. Marcus is a nice enough young man, but would you tie your daughter down in a marriage she didn't want? In time, God willing, she will get married and give us grand children. The only thing that worries me, is if those kids will be born on Mars and have green skin and antennas." |
| "Get real, Dad," Joey piped up. "Everyone knows there's no life on Mars." |
| "That's not what some scientists think." Laura replied. "There's water and organics, and I'm going to walk on the red soil." |
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| Jem, as it turned out, took Laura's news with good grace. |
| "Well, all good things must end some day. At least this experience will be really handy when I go for a job as a photographer." |
| "Who says you can't keep working with this company, once it's sold? I'm only going to offer it to four of the other tour companies we're already working with, and they'll need to hire someone else if you leave. What we need to do, is write a contract that's fair to you and to the business." Laura explained. |
| The two young women sat together in a shady area of the school grounds, during their lunch break. The summer heat was building towards another heat wave. A couple of fourteen year old girls ran past, splashing each other with water from drink bottles. |
| "Cut it out, you two!" Jem yelled. "You know that's against the rules!" |
| Laura laughed. "Don't you remember doing worse than that, when you were that age? Besides, we might get lucky, and they'll wet us, too." |
| After school, Laura changed into running shorts and singlet, pulled on her heavy backpack, and began jogging home. Jem accompanied her, riding a bike, and commented on the shoes Laura was wearing for the first time. |
| "They look damned heavy for running shoes. What are you doing, joining the Army?" |
| "Hiking shoes. I'm breaking them in for a holiday in Tasmania. If I get blisters, I want it to be now, not when I'm half way to nowhere." Laura went on to tell her friend about the trip she was planning. |
| "I'll be back before Christmas. Then I intend to get hold of all the past HSC exam papers I can, and start swotting up on study. Nothing, but nothing is going to stop me getting the best marks I can, to be accepted by the Airforce!" |
