Coasts of Cape York (16 page)

It was a moment of real satisfaction for Willy, tempered only by the niggling anxiety of noting Mr Jemmerling watching him from a distance. ‘Why is he looking at me?' he wondered. It was a worry.

 

 

CHAPTER 10

 

WORRY

 

On Saturday morning Willy sat in his room carefully painting the pieces of a plastic kit model P40 fighter when he heard voices at the front door. As they sounded like his parents talking to an adult he just went on with his painting. Footsteps in the corridor made him look around, paint brush poised.

It was his father. “A visitor for you Willy,” he said.

Mystified Willy wiped the brush and placed it in the small bottle of thinner that he kept for cleaning paint brushes. After quickly placing the lid back on the small can of ‘Humbrol' paint he made his way out to the lounge room. As he reached it he almost stopped in surprise and he was sure his mouth fell open. Seated in a lounge chair talking to his mother was Mr Jemmerling!

As Willy crossed the room Mr Jemmerling stood up and held out his hand. “Hello, young William,” he said.

Being called William was something Willy did not like at the best of times but to have ‘young' added to it irritated him even more. Despite that he managed to fix a smile to his face and held out his hand. Whatever he felt he knew his parents expected good manners. “Hello, Mr Jemmerling. This is a surprise,” he replied.

Willy's father said, “Mr Jemmerling wanted to ask you about the aircraft wrecks you and your friends are looking for.”

That statement almost made Willy gasp. He lowered himself into a chair, his mind racing at how to answer. After a moment he met Mr Jemmerling's eyes and shook his head, then said, “That is interesting sir, but I am very sorry. I promised not to talk about them.”

Mr Jemmerling nodded and kept on smiling but Willy saw his eyes harden. Mr Jemmerling then said, “That is a pity. I thought we might be able to help each other. You know where the wrecks are and I have the means to find and recover them. I thought that could be a mutually advantageous arrangement.”

Willy's heart was beating fast now. He wasn't scared, but he didn't want an embarrassing scene either. Again he shook his head before saying, “That is probably right sir, but, as I said, I promised.”

“Then you must keep your promise,” Mr Jemmerling replied. He said it so smoothly and with so little facial expression that Willy was unable to tell if he was sincere or not. By then his suspicious mind was asking how Mr Jemmerling knew his address. Then he shrugged. ‘He could have just looked it up in the phone book, if he knew that both Mum and Dad are doctors, that is.' It did not seem all that hard to find out but it bothered Willy that this stranger had made that effort. ‘Am I being spied on?' he wondered.

Another worrying thought came to Willy. He turned to his parents and said, “Mum, Dad, please don't tell him anything. He is Mr Beck's enemy.”

Mr Jemmerling kept his smile but held his hands up in mock horror. “Oh, that's a bit harsh. A rival certainly, but not an enemy. I have great respect for Syd Beck.”

Willy's mother looked anxious. “I'm sure Willy meant no offence.”

There was an uncomfortable pause during which Mr Jemmerling nodded and kept smiling.

For something to say Willy deliberately changed the subject, saying to his parents, “Mr Jemmerling owns a ‘Catalina' amphibian too. We had a look through it at Air Cadets.”

Mr Jemmerling smiled again and nodded. “I do indeed. It is a fully-restored PBY 5 A. It is my favourite.” He described the aircraft to Willy's parents, mentioning how much it cost to have it restored to flyable condition.

Willy nodded, wondering just how rich Mr Jemmerling was and if he would offer him a bribe. He nerved himself to resist, just in case. For something to say he asked, “Where is it now?”

“Still parked at the airport. I use it for all my long trips,” Mr Jemmerling replied.

“Are you a pilot sir?” Willy asked, pleased that the change of subject seemed to have worked.

“No. I employ my own, a chap named Johnson,” Mr Jemmerling answered. Then he shook Willy by saying, “I spoke to Syd Beck on the telephone this afternoon and he said that you cadets were part of his team.”

“Did he?” Willy replied, managing to keep the surprise out of his voice and off his face.

“He did,” Mr Jemmerling said, his face breaking into another smile. “And he wouldn't tell me what he was looking for either. Well, never mind. I will keep looking and maybe, just maybe, I will beat you to it. It seems we are to be rivals, not partners.”

“No offence meant sir,” Willy replied.

“None taken. The world of vintage and replica aircraft is a cut-throat, dog-eat-dog place. I wish you luck but will do my best to beat you to it,” Mr Jemmerling answered. He said this with a smile but Willy thought he detected more than a hint of irritation in his voice.

“How do you make money doing it sir?” Willy asked.

Mr Jemmerling gave a short laugh, then said, “You don't mostly. I make my money in business. Aircraft are just my hobby.”

The conversation then turned to the other aircraft in Mr Jemmerling's collection, and of his other rivals and their museums or collections. Willy's father and mother did most of the talking and Willy was able to sit back and recover. He felt distinct pangs of jealousy and even of regret, wondering if he had thrown away a really good opportunity to get more flights or to visit other places.

When Mr Jemmerling described how some unscrupulous collectors would just steal pieces off parked aircraft or just rip parts off wrecks that were war graves, with no regard for the spiritual, historical or heritage value of the site Willy felt quite angry. ‘There are certainly some greedy people in the world,' he thought, shaking his head sadly.

Soon after that Mr Jemmerling made his farewells and left, amid much handshaking. As he drove off in a taxi Willy's mother said, “What a fascinating man. It must be nice to be that rich.”

“Yes,” Willy's father agreed, then added, “I was a bit worried he might offer to pay for information.”

“I wouldn't have taken it Dad,” Willy replied fiercely.

Willy's father grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “I know that son. That's why I am so proud of you.”

Hearing that made Willy glow with a deep sense of being valued and loved. But then his mother said, “But he might offer money to some of your friends and I'm not sure all of them are strong enough to resist temptation.”

Just thinking about that made Willy feel very anxious. Into his mind sprang images of Stick, Noddy and Stephen. Just having such doubts about his friends made Willy feel bad and he considered ringing them all up to warn them. That, he decided, was a good plan, even at the risk of offending them.

For the next hour Willy was on the phone. He called all of the friends involved in the project and found that none had been approached by Mr Jemmerling. All assured him they would not tell Mr Jemmerling anything. This was the awkward bit as Willy made no mention of what they should do if Mr Jemmerling offered money, for fear his friends feel insulted and then do it out of pique.

Talking to Marjorie took most of the time and she suggested that they get together. That sounded like a good idea to Willy so he said, “What did you have in mind?”

“The swimming pool? I could go with Vicki and Stick and that would keep Mum happy,” Marjorie answered.

“That is a good idea,” Willy agreed. Even as he said it he was aware that he was perspiring in the sultry tropical heat. A dip in the pool seemed very desirable. “I will ask my Mum and ring back,” he added.

His mother said yes so Willy phoned back and arranged to meet Marjorie that afternoon at the Tobruk Pool.  Having made the arrangements Willy became very horny in anticipation. ‘We will get a chance to sneak away together,' he thought. Imagining what he and Marjorie might then do got him even more aroused and he found he was so fidgety and restless he could not concentrate on anything very well. The plastic model was the only thing he could work on without too much distraction.

After lunch Willy packed bathers and towel in a bag and rode his bike to the Tobruk Pool. He had often met his friends there and they had a favourite place among the garden beds. As he entered the pool grounds Willy made straight for that place, hoping to find them there. To his disappointment they were not. Worse still other people were sitting or lying there. Then Willy recognized one of them as Barbara and he was even more dismayed. She was wearing a red one-piece swimsuit and to Willy's eyes her body looked just perfect.

‘Barbara! Oh no! She will see me with Marjorie and that will end any chance I have of ever winning with her,' he thought. He turned to find another semi-private space among the garden beds but then saw Barbara looking at him. To his surprise she waved to him. He waved back and managed a grin before a wave of jealous misery swept through him. She was sitting with two other girls and three of the Year 12 boys.

When he had selected a place about twenty metres away on the other side of a garden bed Willy seated himself side on so that he could watch Barbara without seeming to.  For the next ten minutes he was filled with resentment and jealousy as he watched one of the Year12 boys rub sun cream onto Barbara's back and even on her legs. It was obvious she had asked him to and that she did not mind him touching her.

Marjorie arrived soon after that. With her were Vicki, Stick, Noddy, Stephen and Stephen's friend Betina, a Year 10 girl with freckles and glasses. They joined Willy, but not before Stephen had veered across to say hello to Barbara and Gwen Copeland. The casual way in which Stephen did this aroused more feelings of jealousy and unhappiness in Willy.

Willy's emotions quickly received more of a battering as Marjorie at once rushed over to hug and kiss him. In the process she pressed her bosom hard against him and quickly got him very aroused. It also got him anxious. ‘Barbara is watching,' he noted. ‘She will think I don't like her.' But he did enjoy Marjorie's touch and responded. His real worry was that she got him all horny and he was concerned lest Barbara see this.

Marjorie added to Willy's discomfiture by standing in front of him and peeling off her T-shirt and shorts. This revealed that she was wearing her white bikini with the red polka dots. She had often worn this before and he had been expecting it but now he felt quite disturbed. The bottom part was very small but the top was even smaller. It was just two triangles of cloth and four strings. The triangles were so small that most of her very ample breasts bulged out on all sides. To make things worse Willy noted that Marjorie was up to her usual tricks and had done up the cords so loosely that her breasts swayed and bobbled alarmingly.

‘Oh my God, they will fall out!' he thought, casting anxious glances at Barbara as he did.

Marjorie did not seem to notice and bent down in front of him to adjust her towel, presenting his adolescent eyes with a vision of trembling, swaying bosoms that made his mouth go dry and his body to stiffen up. It caused him both relief and regret when she at last lay down.

Even then her teasing was not over. She reached behind her and undid the bow holding the back straps. That would not have been so bad if she had then lain on her front but instead she rested on her elbows, facing Willy to talk to him. In that pose her breasts were partly revealed in a very provocative way. From time to time, as she spoke to the others or laughed, she moved and allowed tantalizing glimpses, causing Willy to become even more aroused and also more concerned that Barbara might notice.

He noted that both Vicki and Betina kept casting glances at Marjorie. They weren't exactly disapproving looks and Willy wondered if they were jealous and would like to do the same thing but weren't game. The fact that all the other boys could also see was a further cause of mental turmoil and Willy had to concede that he was jealous.

Marjorie then increased the pressure by asking Willy to rub suncream on her back. There was no way Willy could refuse so he moved at a crawl that hid his aroused state until he could crouch beside her. Then he began to smear the cream on her bare back. Acutely conscious of her femaleness he gently spread the cream. Her skin felt very nice, even if it was pasty white and freckled.

Her back was easy. It was how far down each side to do that got him all hot and flustered.  She made this worse by saying, “Don't miss any. I don't want to get any more freckles.”

That got all the other boys leering and watching. Willy swallowed and summoned up the courage to reach down and rub the cream onto her skin, reaching around as far as he dared. In doing so he became filled with urgent desire. Embarrassment added to his discomfiture as he was acutely conscious of the other girls watching. But it was nice.

No sooner had he finished than Marjorie sat up, granting more tantalizing glimpses. Without batting an eyelid she began to tie the tapes at the back and said, “It's hot. What about a swim?”

The others agreed and there was a general movement to stand up. Willy was reluctant to do so as he was hotly aware of his aroused state and did not want the others to know. But he also knew that to delay would draw attention to him. Feeling very self-conscious he stood up and walked quickly towards the water.

Walking past Barbara and her friends was a bit embarrassing and he noted her glance and smile. As soon as he reached the edge of the pool he jumped in. The water was a cool relief but Marjorie now made another spectacle of it by standing on the edge and leaning forward to test how cold the water was.

“Is it cold?” she asked with apparent innocence.

Her brother Stick, who was already standing in the water, answered. “No, it's not. Now stop showing off and get in.” With that he began to splash her with water. Marjorie squealed and then jumped in, to hide behind Willy, clinging to him and pressing herself against his shoulder and back.