The Silent Country (34 page)

The house was how Veronica imagined old tropical homes were, even though she could tell by the slope of the conical roof that it was a new cyclone-proof design. The simple structure with open breezeways, louvre windows and a lush overgrown garden, had an easy-living ambience. Veronica could imagine lazy afternoons in a hammock and she noticed flame torches in the garden for night-time. The garden had been planted with easy maintenance in mind but the drooping coral bougainvilleas and frangipani flowers scattered on the small patch of lawn created a dramatic effect. As she walked up the gravel pathway, Jamie, with a slim young boy following him, came out to meet her.

‘Glad you found us okay.’

‘I didn’t even need to give an address, I should’ve just said take me to Doris McIntosh’s house. The driver knew your mum lived here,’ laughed Veronica.

‘I’m not surprised. Darwin’s not such a big place. Now, Billy, this is Miss Anderson. This is my son, Billy,’ said Jamie proudly as the boy shyly shook Veronica’s hand.

The child was lighter skinned than his father and had huge melting brown eyes and a big smile that turned up at the corners giving his mouth a mischievous twist.

‘Please, call me Veronica. If that’s okay with your dad.’

Billy looked to Jamie who nodded. ‘If you say so, Veronica it is. Lead the way. What’ve you brought? There was no need,’ he said, taking the paper carry bag she offered to him.

‘Just some fresh fruit and chocolates.’

‘Ooh, chocolates,’ said Billy.

‘They’re for Nana, not you,’ said Jamie firmly.

Billy skipped ahead calling out, ‘She’s here!’

‘What delightful manners,’ said Veronica. ‘He’s a beautiful boy.’

‘He takes after his mother. Now he’s on his best behaviour of course,’ said Jamie fondly.

She could hear laughter and voices and Jamie led her through the house to a back garden where a large group was gathered. Veronica’s fleeting impression of the house was its coolness, coloured cushions, rugs on polished wooden floors and a great profusion of books, pictures and carvings. A woman came through the door, but with the bright light behind her Veronica couldn’t make out her features, just an erect figure with a halo of backlit curls.

‘Veronica, lovely to meet you, I believe we have a lot to talk about. First off, come and have a cold drink, meet the clan.’ She clasped Veronica’s hand and led her outside.

‘Don’t overwhelm her all at once, Mum.’

‘Only way to get to know our mob, just dive in,’ said Doris.

Veronica felt suddenly rather shy as all eyes turned to her with friendly interest. Doris drew her towards a straight-backed, tall man with a shock of greying hair.

‘This is my husband, Alistair.’

‘Well, Veronica, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Jamie tells us you’re working on a very interesting project.’

Veronica almost smiled at the strong Scottish burr in Alistair McIntosh’s voice. ‘Yes, he’s been so helpful. I nearly fell over when he told me that the little Doris from Brolga Springs that I’d heard about from my source, Colin, was his mother.’

‘We’ll talk about little Doris later,’ said Jamie’s mother, taking Veronica’s hand. ‘Come and meet the family.’

The family consisted of Jamie’s two sisters, Margaret and Janet and their husbands and children. There was also his Aunt Charlotte, who was visiting from Scotland and appeared to be the family matriarch. Then there were a series of cousins and nieces and nephews belonging to both the Scottish and Australian branches of the family that had Veronica quite confused. Between the fair-skinned, red-headed Scots and the mixture of other races on Doris’s side the gathering looked like a melting pot of the UN. But the unifying force was undoubtedly Doris. Children rushed to her, clinging to her as she moved around giving a pat to a head, a tug of an arm, a quick word with a promise to spend more time with them later. She also radiated a firmness and Veronica was sure that Doris would brook no nonsense.

Most of the men congregated around the barbecue, while the children played and the women all seemed to have a job to do organising the food. She watched Jamie move easily among them all, the fondness and humour between them very evident. There was an attractive fenced swimming pool and she wondered why the children weren’t in it until Margaret handed her a fresh lime juice with a sprig of mint and explained, ‘Lunch won’t be long, well that’s the plan at the minute. The children have been told to wait and be sociable before eating, then they can play in the pool.’

The drink was refreshing and Veronica noticed how the children were passing around plates of nibbles. Some of the older girls were setting the long table for the adults and a smaller one near it was set for the youngest children. Several of the children were talking with the adults and from what she could hear, the conversations were about school, football and friends.

Jamie joined her and effortlessly guided her around the group, so she drifted in and out of conversations without feeling awkward. There was a lot of laughter and teasing and she wanted to sit down and spend time with every person present.

‘I just get interested in a conversation and you move me on,’ she whispered to Jamie as he took her over to sit with Aunt Charlotte.

‘That way you can’t get bored,’ he said with a wink. ‘Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on you and I’ll rescue you when I think you need it.’

‘I can manage just fine, thanks,’ said Veronica.

‘Charlotte is a challenge,’ he warned.

Aunt Charlotte patted a cushion beside her and Veronica sat down on the wicker lounge.

‘So how do you know our Jamie?’ she began.

Veronica sketched out the details of her TV assignment, her scant knowledge of Doris’s story as a child and how she had been told that Jamie would be a very helpful guide.

‘He’s more than that. Your story’d be far and away a better one if you spent a wee bit of time with the lad. He’s a wise one. But a quiet one. Now tell me about yourself.’

Charlotte was insistent. She probed Veronica about her marital status, asked if she liked children, whether she had travelled and expressed astonishment that she had not been to Scotland. With this sort of interrogation, Veronica was grateful when she saw Jamie ploughing
towards her even though everyone wanted a word with him as he passed.

‘Excuse me, Auntie, I’m stealing Veronica, we’re about to eat.’

‘You win,’ said Veronica as he steered her away. ‘Is Charlotte that probing with everyone?’

‘Afraid so. Very upfront is Auntie. My father is so much the opposite. It’s like pulling teeth to get information of a personal nature from him.’

‘Charlotte must frighten off your lady friends,’ said Veronica.

‘I don’t plan to introduce any lady friends, should they come along,’ he countered. ‘Now we’ll eat, which is a lengthy process, but I promise after lunch, you and my mum will have time together. Just the two of you.’

‘I’m having fun, so whatever suits everyone,’ said Veronica. She really was enjoying herself.

Billy took Veronica’s hand and led her to the table. ‘Sit here, near me. Dad told me to look after you,’ he whispered.

Jamie’s older sister Margaret sat on one side, and beside Margaret sat her daughter Anastasia, a pretty young teenager. On her other side was Billy and next to him Alistair, then Travis, one of Jamie’s younger cousins. The conversation was lively.

‘We don’t all live in Darwin. We’re just here for Mum and Dad’s wedding anniversary,’ said Margaret.

‘But there’s always someone visiting us,’ said Billy.

‘That’s because this is a fun place. Much more than Melbourne,’ said Anastasia. ‘A lot of exciting things to do here.’

‘Then how come you didn’t go in the cage of death?’ said Travis and everyone laughed.

‘I’m with you, Anastasia,’ said Veronica. ‘I refused to get in the cage with the crocs.’

‘My dad said he was going to show you crocodiles in the wild if you go to Arnhem Land,’ Billy said to Veronica.

‘Really? I’m not sure I’m really thrilled about that,’ she said.

Billy was serious. ‘My dad will look after you. Sometimes he’s a ranger but sometimes he’s a hunter. You’ll be safe with him.’

‘I didn’t think crocs could be hunted, though I know they’re multiplying out of hand,’ said Veronica.

‘Parts of the country are still traditional lands so we could hunt because of mother,’ said Margaret calmly. ‘But there are no crocs at Brolga Springs. Any crocs Jamie hunts are nuisances which are captured and sent to croc farms.’

Veronica stared at the sophisticated Melbourne woman and her attractive daughter. ‘You’re such an interesting lot. It’s easy to forget that you have a connection with two cultures. Your family is so cosmopolitan, your life in Melbourne sounds so interesting. If you don’t mind my asking, how involved are you with your mother’s culture?’

‘It’s been a slow process,’ said Margaret.

‘And we’re all still learning,’ added Anastasia. ‘Billy knows more than us, ’cause he’s up here. That’s why we like coming. Once a year Nana and Jamie take us back to our country.’

‘It means a lot to Mum because she lost her connection with her birthplace and all her family as a kid, even though in many ways it was an advantage. She’d never have got the education she did, or met Dad and travelled, or done what she has if she’d been left in a mission or on an outstation,’ said Margaret. ‘But now, being able to piece the story together, find some kin and know where she’s come from, where she belongs, means a lot to her.’

The young people listening, nodded. Alistair leaned across the table.

‘Veronica, my wife’s one of thousands who were
dispossessed. She recognises the advantages as well as the disadvantages. That’s why she works so hard to help those who didn’t have her opportunities.’

‘You must be very proud of her,’ said Veronica.

‘We all are,’ said Alistair, glancing down the table to where Doris sat at the head with Jamie on her right. ‘She’s a teacher by profession but, unlike me, she’s a born teacher of life as well. What she is passing on to this family, these children, everyone she meets, is of inestimable value. A great gift. But it’s hard won.’

‘Don’t underestimate yourself, Dad,’ said Margaret. ‘You’re pretty special too.’

Veronica could only silently agree. Here was a man with a string of academic achievements and degrees, who, as she’d learned from Charlotte, came from a well-to-do Scottish family with a privileged upbringing but had been happily married for forty years to a part Aboriginal woman whose childhood couldn’t have been more different from his.

Alistair gave Veronica a charming smile and lifted his glass of red wine. ‘I do not regret a moment of the past forty years. Life with our beloved Doris has never been dull.’

Veronica returned the toast and glanced down the table and caught Jamie’s eye. As if knowing what had transpired between her and his father, he too, lifted his glass of wine in a small salute.

As the courses of food kept appearing on the table, everyone taking turns serving, Billy tapped Veronica on the shoulder.

‘’Scuse me, Veronica. Dad says would you mind changing places so you can talk to some of the others.’ He helped pull out her chair, confiding, ‘They all want to talk to you.’

‘That’s because I work in television,’ whispered Veronica and Billy looked shocked.

‘No, it’s not. We don’t watch much TV and we can’t get many stations here anyway. No, they like you.’

‘Oh. Well, thank you,’ said Veronica, feeling chastened.

The meal was finally over. They’d all lingered over coffee and fruit and suddenly everyone was clearing the table and a babble of laughter drifted from the kitchen as many hands helped with the clearing up. Jamie led Veronica through the house to Doris’s study, where she was sitting at her desk with a cup of coffee.

‘Make yourself comfortable. Do you want anything, more coffee, a drink?’

‘I couldn’t eat another thing, thank you. I feel guilty – I’m being waited on hand and foot and I haven’t lifted a finger.’

‘You’re our guest. And besides, all my children like to catch up on news over the dishes. We don’t all come together too often, so you’ve caught us on a hectic weekend.’

‘Happy anniversary. I hope I haven’t intruded on the family gathering.’

‘Heavens, not at all. But we frequently have intruders, as you put it. With such a large family who all get on, we feel it quite acceptable to foist any number of strange friends and associates in to it,’ said Doris cheerfully.

‘Everyone does seem very close,’ said Veronica.

‘Family means a lot to me,’ said Doris softly. ‘Having lost mine for most of my life.’

‘So you have traced some of your relatives from Brolga Springs?’ asked Veronica.

‘I did, eventually. And I still have an auntie out there who knew my mother and told me what happened.’

‘Where’s your auntie?’ asked Veronica.

‘She’s in Katherine. There are people there she knows and it’s still close to her country. I take her out to the old place when I go there. She might be a stooped, old,
uneducated black lady, but she draws great strength and energy from being on her land. As I do. And she holds knowledge, so it’s right that it be passed on. I try to teach Jamie the little knowledge I have.’