CHAPTER THREE
The sun broke through the grey clouds as Suellyn drove into the busy petrol station on Dunbar Street. She filled the Porsche with enough petrol for the return trip and as she waited in line to pay, she checked her phone for messages. At the head of the queue she pulled out her credit card, gave the cashier a sour look and told him to charge her for the chocolate bar and a bottle of pomegranate juice she intended to grab on her way out.
As she took the exit ramp onto the freeway, every nervous fibre in her body began to relax. She eased her head back onto the leather headrest and as the CD began to play, angry images of her mother-in-law slowly began to disappear. She had expected Rose to agree to move when she’d told her she’d already put down a deposit on the unit at the retirement village this morning. But Rose seemed more determined than ever to stay where she was and because of that, she was going to suffer. It served her right for being so stubborn she thought, as she settled back into the rhythm of the freeway.
It was a two hour drive to the beach house and she put her foot down when she spotted the 110km speed sign ahead. Suellyn loved the Porsche and found the speed and power of the vehicle exhilarating. As she sped down the freeway and passed the traffic on her left, she felt strangely satisfied. For the first time in her married life, she suddenly felt she was in control.
A Cold Chisel CD was playing and she turned the volume up loud when her favourite track began to play. The air-con was set at a comfortable twenty-two degrees and her body felt cocooned and safe. She was glad to be leaving the traffic and the bustling confusion of the city behind. The weather was clear and being a weekday, there wasn’t much traffic about apart from a few transporters heading north, exceeding the speed limit, trying to meet their unrealistic deadlines. Suellyn made a sharp exit at the turn-off to Tommy’s house and as she drove along the deserted gravel road she was suddenly reminded of why she loved it here, especially during autumn. The air was clean, her mind was more settled and she could stretch her eyes towards the horizon. There were solitary walks to the headland to look forward to while Tommy was content to sit in front of the open fire, lost to a book and a bottle of red wine.
The beach house was designed to take advantage of the water views and the surrounding coastal habitat. The sandy soil was perfect for growing Australian native plants and the heath banksias and grevilleas Tommy had planted thrived and attracted lorikeets and king parrots which appeared at sunrise and sunset to feast on the sweet nectar. Tommy loved gardening, a hobby which he had shared with his father, but Suellyn didn’t care much for his passion. It was too much like hard work for her liking. A makeshift wire fence was all that separated the garden from the beach.
Pebble Beach was a tranquil and safe place to swim. North facing, it was visited by families with young children who enjoyed the beach with its thin line of creamy coloured sand and gentle waves. It was quiet at this time of year apart from the occasional retired couple who could be seen walking along the shoreline and the small groups of mothers, who with their determined faced toddlers splashed in the shallows; the children armed with brightly coloured plastic buckets and spades.
Suellyn loved the beach house. She loved lying in bed with Tommy late at night and also before the pale dawn when she couldn’t sleep, looking out the bedroom window, watching the waves as they gently caressed the beach, watching for the sun to make its appearance and always feeling safe in Tommy’s arms.
He told her the beach house would be hers if she married him, promising he would transfer the title to her. The idea of owning the beach house, appealed to Suellyn, but she wasn’t so sure about his marriage proposal - she already had a husband. But she wasn’t thinking about that just yet. It was enough for her to be with him. Life wasn’t complicated with Tommy Dwyer and the thirty year age gap didn’t bother her either. Tommy at sixty-four, was more like a father to her than a lover, and she didn’t have a problem with that. Spoiling her and treating her like a princess was how he had managed to weave himself into her life.
The tyres crunched on the gravel driveway and came to an abrupt stop in front of the house, firing bursts of gravel in all directions. The driver’s door swung open and Suellyn’s tanned, shapely legs planted themselves firmly on the ground. A green and red parrot swooped down to greet her, she squealed and ducked as it flew off towards the beach.
‘Sues!’
Suellyn smiled and laughed at Tommy as he attempted a lighthearted skip down the timber steps to greet her. He ran one hand through his hair and grabbed her overnight bag with the other. He kissed her long and hard on the mouth and pressed himself into her.
Suellyn released herself from his grip and stared at him with a not now look.
‘I can’t wait to get changed,’ she said, as she grabbed her bag back from him and pulled open the screen door. ‘Great weather. I love this time of year, don’t you Tommy?’ she called to him from the bedroom. She dumped her opened overnight bag on the floor. Her clothes formed a pile in one corner of the room and the contents of her handbag spewed out onto the bed. She released her feet from her uncomfortable high heels and replaced them with a sensible pair of sandals. ‘Are you coming Tommy?’ she called out as she pulled up her tracksuit pants and tied a knot at the waist.
‘No, you go, I’ll get dinner started.’
Suellyn quietly slipped out of the back door with a towel and a book under her arm. The hazy autumn sunshine warmed her body. Without a trace of cloud or hint of a sea breeze, Suellyn soon found herself daydreaming as she sat staring out at the gentle movement of the ocean. She felt part of its rhythm, unrelenting, unforgiving; lost in thought she gazed at the distant horizon through wrap around sunglasses. The breeze tainted with the smell of the sea gently drifted towards her, across the empty expanse of the ocean, coated with memories. Memories of family holidays catching small fish in nets, racing home to proudly show her father, then leaving them in a plastic bucket by the back door to slowly suffocate, while she went off to play with her cousins on the sandy dunes.
It was late afternoon, the sun was thinking about setting when the back screen door opened. Tommy removed his reading glasses and listened as Suellyn’s footsteps hit the timber floorboards.
‘How was the beach?’ Tommy asked, as she collapsed next to him on the bulky sofa in front of the fireplace. Suellyn hugged herself and brought her feet up onto the lounge. The crackling fire warmed the chill from her bones and cast its warmth and light into the room.
‘Peaceful. I’m so relaxed, the tension just disappears when I’m here. Must be something to do with the salt air.’
‘I thought you were going to say it had something to do with being with me.’
She smiled back at him, feeling guilty, sensing that his feelings were hurt. She leant into him and pinched his cheek and watched as a dimple formed.
‘So, tell me Sues what have you been up to? You got something on your mind you want to unload?’
Tommy Dwyer was the only person to ever call Suellyn, Sues. She loved the familiarity and casualness between them and as she shrugged her shoulders, she grabbed the soft, check mohair blanket from the back of the sofa, wrapped it around her and nuzzled into him. He couldn’t understand why she was playing with him, why she just didn’t come out and tell him what she had done to persuade Rose to move out of the house. He arched his eyebrows and waited patiently for an answer to his question. But there was none. There was no use pressing the point. Tommy knew Suellyn Phillips only too well, she would tell him what she had been up to in her own good time.
The next morning, Tommy filled the cafetière with the ground coffee beans he had bought from an organic farm on the outskirts of Byron Bay and watched as the mist above the waves rolled in towards the beach. He knew Suellyn would have to go back to the city after lunch. They had to talk. They had to go over the plan again. He had to be sure that Rose’s house would sell but he had decided to wait until she was up and showered before talking to her.
‘I’m going to the shops to
get a few things. Do you want me to get you anything special from the deli?’ he called out from the kitchen.
‘No.’ Suellyn groaned. She was still in bed, her head thick from too much wine the night before.
‘Where are your car keys?’
‘Coffee table, lounge-room,’ she replied.
‘Got them, won’t be long. I’ll bring something back for lunch.’
Half an hour after Tommy left, Suellyn yawned openly, rolled over onto her side and looked at the display of red numbers on the clock radio. It was ten-thirty. Her stomach rumbled and she needed to go to the bathroom. The mirrored wardrobe was ajar and as she examined her reflection in the mirror, she saw the silk robe hanging amongst Tommy’s clothes. She threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She slid the glass door open. The robe slipped from the timber coat hanger and fell to the floor. She picked it up, pulled it on and wrapped it around her body. She was surprised to find it was a perfect fit. The raw silk against her naked body felt soft, cool, and luxurious and as she looked into the mirror, she moistened her lips, tightened the belt around her narrow waist then turned away and walked into the bathroom.
Suellyn had been drawn to Tommy Dwyer out of loneliness and longing. From the moment she looked into his eyes she felt a connection. Their relationship began with a chance meeting at a bar in the city. After turning up for Friday night drinks with friends, she spotted him. He was propped up at the bar with a glass of red wine, tapping his fingers gently in time to the music. He was well dressed in a dark jacket, white shirt and a neatly knotted tie. Suellyn had instantly liked what she saw. He had the darkest eyes she had ever seen, thin sensuous lips and a dimple which creased his cheek when he smiled. Even though he appeared to be in his sixties, she was immediately drawn to him and in hindsight, his likeness to William was probably why she was attracted to him.
Suellyn Phillips had always preferred older men, they knew how women liked to be treated. He was ten years older than William and surprisingly he was an only child, as was William. The first thing he told her was that his mother had recently died and Suellyn felt sorry for him. From his description of her, they had obviously been close.
‘What did you buy?’ Suellyn asked as Tommy flung the plastic shopping bags across the bench and looked at her standing in the kitchen doorway.
‘I see you found the robe. I was going to surprise you with it; it belonged to my mother. Suellyn fondled the silk with her fingers and loosened the belt, it fell away easily, her eyes glinted, her chest rose and she held her breath.