A Prayer for Blue Delaney (18 page)

‘Don’t you believe it!’ said Lily, laughing. ‘She wouldn’t care if you were a man. She bosses everyone! The only person she can’t boss is my granny.’

Colm laughed. ‘Maybe I should get Granny Hum Lee to tell her I have to be with Grandad in Darwin.’

‘Who cares what Mrs Mahoney thinks anyway? She’s not the boss of you.’

‘I know. And I know Grandad needs me. I can feel it in my bones. I’m going to go back to Darwin and I don’t care what Mrs Mahoney thinks.’

‘Boy,’ said Lily. ‘That lucky charm works just like my Granny said it would!’

26
Flying south

Lily decided to come with Colm as far as Pine Creek. She often went into the town to visit her cousins, so it was easy to make an excuse for getting a lift in and pretend he was keeping her company.

A scattering of buildings stood on either side of the highway that ran through Pine Creek. It was early on Saturday evening, but already there was a line of cars parked outside the pub. Half a dozen horses stood tethered beneath a frangipani tree. Colm stood on the latticed verandah, peering in at the crowded bar.

‘What are you going to do?’ asked Lily.

‘I’m going to hitchhike back to Darwin with one of those blokes. Sooner or later someone is going to come out of the pub and drive north, and I’ll make sure I’m in their car.’

Lily tilted her head to one side and scrunched up her face. ‘I think this plan is sounding kind of bodgie. What if they’re really drunk and horrible?’

‘I don’t care,’ said Colm. ‘Go and visit your cousin. Don’t start thinking up reasons why I shouldn’t do what I have to. I thought you were on my side.’

‘I am on your side but . . .’

Lily didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. An argument had erupted in the bar and a man came flying through the pub door, landing in a tangle of sprawling limbs in front of them. Colm and Lily ran into the street at the sound of stools and glasses crashing against the unlined walls of the pub. The publican and his helpers forced the brawling men out onto the verandah and they spilled into the street, throwing punches wildly. A burly buffalo shooter staggered backwards and fell against Lily. She tried to push him away but he was twice her size and suddenly she was lying in the dirt, pinned beneath his unconscious body. Colm took hold of the big man’s ankles and hauled him off as the fight swirled around them. Then he grabbed Lily and dragged her behind a truck for shelter.

‘Are you sure you want to drive to Darwin with one of these blokes?’ she asked tartly as she dusted herself off.

Colm’s answer was drowned out by the blaring of a car horn. Mrs Mahoney’s big Bentley, coated in dust from the long drive from Darwin, hurtled straight towards the brawling men. As soon as they saw who was behind the wheel, the men jumped up onto the verandah of the pub, subdued and shamefaced. Some of them had bleeding noses and others had fists that were red with blood. A pair of bearded men picked up the buffalo shooter and started hosing him down.

Mrs Mahoney stepped out of the Bentley and put her hands on her hips.

‘McGuire, Flinty and Smith,’ she roared. ‘Don’t think I didn’t see you ratbags. You know the rule. Three strikes you’re out. If I find you scrapping again in one of my pubs . . .’

She was striding through the dust, still shouting, when she caught sight of Lily and Colm huddled behind the truck.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she said to Lily and Colm.

The two children looked at each other, hoping one of them would come up with a fast answer. Mrs Mahoney snorted impatiently.

Lily and Colm sat side by side in the back seat of the Bentley. Mrs Mahoney got behind the wheel and revved the engine. In the darkness, Lily took hold of Colm’s hand and squeezed it tight. They knew they were in big trouble.

‘You have a lot to answer for, Lily Yen Lin,’ said Mrs Mahoney. ‘How dare you drag this boy into your mischief! What were the pair of you doing outside the Pine Creek Hotel on a Saturday night?’

‘It’s not her fault,’ said Colm. ‘It was me. I have to go to Darwin.’

‘Of course you do. Why do you think I drove all the way back except to collect you? You can pack up your things, and whatever you think Bill will want out of that old wreck of a car of his. You two have a plane to catch.’

Lily looked at Colm and raised her eyebrows.

‘Your grandad is pretty crook and I don’t have time to nurse him myself,’ said Mrs Mahoney crossly. ‘Besides, he won’t heal up fast in this climate, so I’m sending him south. If it’s the old boy’s best chance of getting back on his feet, he’ll have it. I’ve booked a nurse to go with you and a good place to take him in Melbourne and whatever else the quacks reckon he needs. The pair of you are catching the milk run to Adelaide tomorrow and then you’ll fly from Adelaide to Melbourne.’

‘But I don’t understand,’ said Colm. ‘Grandad wanted me to stay with you.’

‘Codswallop! You think he was mooching around Tara Downs just to dance with me? I’ve never been able to hold that man’s interest for long. Billy Dare may have been a great actor once but I can see straight through the old buzzard. It wasn’t me that held him here. You may not be his blood kin, but he’s fixed it in his mind - you belong to him.’

Colm felt a warm glow in his chest. The jade charm in his pocket seemed to be glowing too. He couldn’t believe his good luck. ‘But where will I live? They won’t let me stay at the hospital, will they?’

‘I’ve sorted that out too. Wired Melbourne this afternoon. Bill came to for a while this morning and told me a few home truths. That letter that made him so wild, the one you told me about, it had news that his wife, Violet, died a couple of months back. And here I was fooling myself that the only reason we couldn’t get hitched is that he was still married!’

Lily covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. The Bentley bumped over a cattle grid and turned into the drive of Tara Downs.

‘First thing tomorrow morning, young man, you’re flying south. South to Blue Delaney.’

Bill was heavily sedated when they loaded him onto the plane. Colm stood beside Mrs Mahoney in the dawn light, holding the small suitcase of things that he’d packed for the journey south, including everything from the glovebox of Tin Annie. Mrs Mahoney had bought him new clothes for the trip and he had made sure his hair was combed and his face clean so he would look his best.

Suddenly, everything seemed to be happening too quickly.

‘What about Rusty?’ he asked, turning to Mrs Mahoney.

‘Don’t you worry. Lily has been fussing over the mongrel as if she was a prize pooch. You’ve got enough to worry about, what with taking care of Bill and making sure that Blue Delaney behaves herself.’

‘Behaves herself?’ asked Colm.

‘Blue’s a real firecracker - but don’t let that put you off. She’s a good girl, even if she is full of ratbaggy ideas. This will turn her around, having to make peace with her father.’

‘Is that why she changed her name? Because they fought?’

Mrs Mahoney smiled. ‘No, Bill’s real name was Patrick Delaney. His wife, Violet, never took to calling herself Dare. Uppity, she was. Wanted a different stage name so she took Delaney and gave it to Blue as well.’

Colm couldn’t believe they were talking about Blue Delaney so casually. He felt a shiver of pleasure every time he heard her name spoken. At last, he knew Blue Delaney was a real person. A living person. And he was going to meet her. Mrs Mahoney had sent another telegram and written a long letter as well, which Colm was carrying in his jacket pocket.

‘You take care of that old coot,’ said Mrs Mahoney. ‘I know he means a lot to you but he means just as much to me.’

Colm shook hands with her and climbed onto the plane. It took off, circling high over the red landscape. Colm had never been in an aeroplane before and he sat in his seat feeling as though he’d left his stomach on the Darwin runway. The roar of the engine filled his head with a buzzing that wouldn’t stop.

All through the long dark journey into night, Colm’s mind churned with thoughts of what lay ahead. What if the real Blue Delaney was nothing like the woman in the photo? What if he didn’t recognise her? Maybe she was married now and had lots of kids - the last thing she’d want was another boy on her hands. Colm wanted to cry just thinking about it.

When the plane finally touched down in Melbourne, the nurse and flight attendants were too busy attending to Bill to worry about Colm. He hesitated at the top of the steps, scanning the observation deck where a crowd of people stood watching the arriving and departing aeroplanes. There was a flash of red hair as a woman strode across the observation deck and disappeared into the airport terminal. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the tarmac.

27
Answered prayers

The woman standing by the ambulance took one look at Bill and all the colour drained from her face. Colm recognised Blue Delaney straight away.

‘That’s her,’ said Colm.

‘Your aunt?’ asked the air hostess. Colm nodded. It wasn’t a lie if he didn’t speak.

The air hostess took his hand and led him over to where Blue was standing, her face stricken, as they wheeled Bill past.

‘Mrs Delaney? Your nephew has been very well-behaved.’

‘My nephew?’ said Blue. Colm stared at her hard, willing her to know him, or at least to pretend that she did. The back of his neck prickled with sweat.

Blue turned to Colm and looked him up and down. ‘Come along then,’ was all she said.

For a brief moment, despite all the worry, despite all the terror of the last few days, Colm felt happy. Blue had her hand on his shoulder as they walked out of the airport and into the bright morning sunshine. Anyone might mistake them for mother and son.

‘You have a lot of explaining to do, young man,’ she said as they watched the ambulance drive away with Bill inside it.

But it was Blue who did all the talking as they drove into the city.

‘Trust Annie Mahoney to send me a heap of trouble. That woman has been a thorn in my family’s side for the whole of my life. Do you have any idea how difficult it was to get a hold of this car and come out to the airport to collect you? If it had just been Dad, I could have gone in the ambulance, but no, there’s the pair of you to deal with. Do you have any family in Melbourne that you can go to?’

Colm stared out at the city streets. There were so many people walking up and down the footpaths, marching in and out of buildings or waiting on tram stops it seemed incredible he didn’t know the name of a single one of them. The only person in the whole city that he knew even the smallest thing about was Blue Delaney.

‘Do you have a hearing problem? I asked if you have any family here in Melbourne.’

‘I’m an orphan,’ said Colm, hating the sound of the word.

‘Perfect,’ said Blue. ‘An orphan. That’d be right. What was Annie thinking?’

Colm found himself wanting to defend Mrs Mahoney. ‘She’s paid for everything,’ he said.

‘Trust that old bossy boots to think money solves every problem!’

‘She gave me this letter,’ said Colm, pulling the envelope out of his jacket.

Blue glanced at it for a moment and then sighed.

‘It always happens. Just when you think life is starting to go right, something comes along and knocks you for six.’

They were stopped at a set of red lights. Colm had to fight down the instinct to jump out of the car and run away. He couldn’t look at Blue Delaney. Even though she was just like her photo in her pale blue coat and with red hair piled up loosely, nothing else about her was as he had expected. He took the dragon charm out of his pocket and clutched it tightly.

When they reached the hospital, Colm sat waiting on the steps while Blue filled in all the necessary forms and argued with the doctors. Children weren’t welcomed in this hospital any more than they had been in Darwin. Why did they treat him like something covered in germs? He was the cleanest he’d been in months. He watched the traffic, the trams rumbling up and down the street and people hurrying past. Compared to the bush, where everyone wore working clothes, the people of Melbourne looked as if they were all on their way to a wedding. All the hard surfaces, the bricks and bitumen, the speed that people were moving at made his head spin.

When Blue came down the steps, Colm leapt up. ‘Can I see him now?’

‘You were with him all the way from the Territory. You don’t need to see him.’

‘I have to let him know I’m here,’ said Colm urgently.

‘I promised Joe I’d have his car back by three. Dad’s fine and he knows you’re with me so we’re going, right now.’

As they drove away from the hospital, Blue glanced across at him.

‘You don’t have much to say for yourself, do you?’ she said.

‘I think a lot,’ said Colm slowly, not sure how the words sounded.

‘You and Dad must have made an unlikely pair, that’s for sure,’ she said shaking her head. Colm wondered if he should ask her exactly what she meant but he didn’t know that he wanted to hear her answer. He had the feeling that arguing with Blue could prove a dangerous business.

They drove into a long wide street with palm trees down the middle, and parked outside a tall terrace house. The houses looked a little down-at-heel, with the paint on the wrought-iron lacework flaking off and brown rust seeping into the rosettes.

‘Get out then,’ she said.

‘Is this where you live?’

‘No, this is where the car lives. A friend of mine loaned it to me,’ she said. ‘We have to catch the tram and the train back to Williamstown.’

A tall dark man hung over the narrow balcony above them. ‘Brigida!’ he called.

Blue laughed and shaded her eyes as she looked up at him.

‘I told you I’d bring it back in one piece.’

‘Wait, I’ll drive you and your cousin back to your home!’

‘Don’t worry about it, Joe. I have to do a few things in town anyway. I’ll see you Friday night.’ She held up the keys and dropped them into the letterbox, then quickly grabbed Colm by the wrist and dragged him down the street.

‘Why did you tell him I was your cousin?’

‘I didn’t tell him. Joe thinks everyone is everyone’s cousin. He’s Italian. He hasn’t figured out about Australian families yet.’