Drowning in Her Eyes by Patrick Ford Read Free Book Online Page B

Anything you need, just ask one of the crew. Our Second Officer, Peter Lewis, will be directly responsible for your comfort. Make sure he complies, yes? ”
    The Bakers went in for t heir first meal of the voyage. “ Dad, ” said James Junior, looking at the silver service, “were th e meals like this in the Navy? ”
    Jimmy smiled at his family. “Only for the Admirals, ” he said.

    Meanwhile, a small item buried in the newspapers r e ported the deaths of three U.S. military advisors in a small country in Indochina. Most people did not see it. Those who did thought not h ing of it.

    Goondiwindi, Queensland, Australia —1963

    Helen Riordan had been worrying about her children to no avail. With the departure of Amy O ’Neil, Helen had breathed a sigh of relief. Her contacts in the bank had i n formed her that Amy and her family were gone for good. She had been convinced that Jack had been doing more than kissing Amy, but as the weeks went by, her worries faded away.
    She had discovered that Denni was determined to go to Queensland University in Brisbane to study science, and had convinced Paddy of the value of this move. “She ’ll have to live in one of the Colleges, ” he said, “I ’ll not have her sha r ing a house or flat with a pack of deadbeats. ”
    Paddy had taken umbrage at what he called dirty u n shaven lefties who adorned the front pages of the papers r e cently. “How come they can spend all day doing that sort of thing? Shouldn ’t they be studying? ” The student unrest that had first emerged in Europe and then America was begi n ning to stir in Australia. He didn ’t want his daughter mixing with pot smoking hippies, as the papers described them.
    They made no decision about Jack. Paddy wanted him home as soon as possible, and while he was ready to talk about further education, he was adamant that his son was not going to the army. “Not even as a General, ” he would say. One of his drinking mates, a veteran of World War Two and Korea , joked with him that Jack was too smart to be a Ge n eral. Paddy ’s normal good humour deserted him. “Oh, shut your bloody trap, Alf. I don ’t want to talk about any army, not even the bloody Salvation Army! ” This was not an is o lated incident. Helen had noticed Paddy was more often than not in a bad mood. She put it down to the pressure of the children ’s future and the lack of recent rain. Then he began to complain of indigestion, refusing to eat Helen ’s famous lamb curry, a special favourite of his. Finally, Helen co n fronted him over his health. “Paddy, I ’ve made an appoin t ment with Dr . Thomas for you on Tuesday to sort out this indigestion thing. I think it ’s time to do so, ” she said.
    â€œ Don ’t be bloody silly, woman, ” he said. “There ’s not h ing wrong with me that a couple of inches of bloody rain won ’t fix. Anyway, I think I ’m busy on Tuesday. ”
    Nevertheless, Helen prevailed, as he had known she would, and the next Tuesday found them in Doctor Thomas ’ surgery. Thomas listened to Helen ’s description of the sym p toms then took some blood for testing. He listened to Pa d dy ’s heart, but noticed no irregularities. Finally, he said, “I think you may have a stomach ulcer. Drink plenty of milk, avoid spicy foods and take this medication. I ’ll have your test results soon and we can review the situation then. ”
    Paddy hated milk. “I was weaned more than fifty bloody ye ars ago. D oes he think I am a bloody baby? ”
    * * * *
    Meanwhile in Sydney, Jack was preparing for his final examinations. He wasn ’t too worried about the results, for he was the best scholar in the school. He had already written to the Royal Military College and was awaiting a reply. He had had no liaisons since Amy, reasoning that he was unlikely to be that lucky again. He