Effanbee
The Fly
OK, can't have BDO fatigued and lonely so here's the next bit.
Learning to Fly
Part 9
The day of the Great Escape dawned clear and cloudless. A large 4WD trailed a long stream of dust up the track to the back yard. Adam stepped out looking like he’d just got off a yacht in St Tropez. Larry was all fired up for some off-roading. And Bono, looking especially sharp and clean-shaven. My knees unhinged a little. Edge laid his hand on my shoulder, giving me a wise little smile.
There was a small argument as to who was going with Larry.
‘My bones are shaking already from driving over here,’ protested Adam. ‘I want to keep all my limbs attached to my body.’
Larry looked offended. ‘Well, Bono has to go with Roo. I’m not having him hassling me to drive all the time.’
‘Well, I’ve seen where we’re going. Have to say I’d rather go in the Landrover,’ said Edge.
Larry was looking really offended now.
‘I’ve only got room for two passengers with all the stuff,’ I said. ‘Someone’s going to have to go with Larry. He’ll be fine, he’s a good driver.’
Larry looked very slightly less offended.
In the end Adam and Edge drew straws and Edge got to ride with Larry. Bono had already claimed the front seat in the Landrover, so Adam had to squash in the back among the supplies.
Being the front seat passenger had some disadvantages, Bono discovered, as he had to do gate duty and there were nearly a dozen to open and close. We rolled down the bush tracks and through a couple of streams, up and following the line of cliffs until the hidden bay revealed itself. I heard a little intake of breath from Bono as the glorious sight unfolded.
‘This is the tricky bit,’ I said to Bono and Adam. ‘Hold tight.’
The Landrover rattled down the step, twisty track, lurching in and out of ruts and over rocks and logs. One last hill, a very steep drop on the other side, down with a sickening lurch and levelling out through the trees to the horse paddock. We got out to watch Larry drive over the drop, the car careering towards us and stopping with an impressive handbrake turn.
Edge got out looking rather pale. Larry was wearing a wide grin. ‘Again!’ he said.
‘Never again!’ replied Edge dourly.
****
After ferrying gear and supplies down to the beach everyone was hot and sweaty. Time for refreshment. Bono was delighted to find a large, ice-filled cooler stuffed with drinks.
‘What happened to the bush-tucker?’ Edge whispered in my ear.
‘That comes later. I’m just lulling them into a false sense of security,’ I whispered back.
Sitting in the shade of some rocks with a bottle of cool water and Bono lounging beside me, I felt that rare happiness that comes when everything is just about perfect. Edge, down to just a pair of shorts, examining his guitar to see if it had survived Larry’s driving. Larry, also in shorts and nothing else, lifting a bottle to his lips. And Adam, down to absolutely nothing at all, totally unselfconscious and working on his tan. I sighed contentedly.
‘All good?’ enquired Bono, stretched out on his back with his hands behind his head.
‘Better than good. On a beach, surrounded by masculine beauty, what more could a woman want?’
‘Well, I’m sure I could think of several things,’ said Bono with an evil grin.
‘Ah, don’t you tempt me, Bono. You’re on my territory now and this place always makes me feel a bit wild.’
‘Wild is good. Wild is very good,’ chuckled Bono.
Suddenly I wanted to call Bono’s bluff. See if it was all flirting or if he really wanted to take it further. The inner pilot screamed ‘madness!’ but for once I cut him off.
I moved closer to Bono, leaned over and ran my fingers lightly over his face, neck, chest. Followed the maddening line of hair over his bare stomach … a shiver ran through Bono’s body.
He caught hold of my shoulders, I thought he was going to push me away, but he pulled me closer, fitting his lips perfectly to mine. This must be heaven, his mouth, his hands, his chest against mine.
His eyes, deep now with desire.
‘Is this really what you want?’ he breathed.
‘Yes, yes it is …’
‘And you know it’s what I want too?’ Cupping my face in his hands. ‘Don’t hate me for this.’
‘Hate you? How could I ever hate you …?’
‘Because we can’t do this, Roo,’ he said. ‘You know that, don’t you? You’ve been the one to keep our feet on the ground ’till now. Now it’s my turn.’
I sat up, drew my knees up to my chest, put my head down so that he could not see my face. Shaking with reaction, with confusion, with shame.
Bono reached out to me, but it was more than I could bear. I was up and away before he could touch me, hearing him call ‘Roo, please, come back …’ but not stopping, running hard-out to the paddock.
Leaning against Shadow’s neck, finding solace in my horse who never judged me, always accepted me for who I was and had no conscience to bother him. Tears blurring my vision, I got a head collar onto Shadow, clipped on a rope. Out of the paddock, onto the horse. Down to the beach and away, fast, as fast as we could go, hooves kicking up sand, sending sheets of spray into the air along the water’s edge where the sand was firm enough for maximum speed. Away, putting as much distance as we could between me and anyone else.
The inner pilot advised caution, if I fell off at this speed I would break my stupid neck. Good, I thought. Bring it on. Make the world a better place.
Shadow was blowing and sweating. We slowed to a walk, splashing along in the shallows. We walked a long way as the afternoon passed by. I tried to order my thoughts, look at things rationally, and it took a long, long time. I knew I had to go back, face the consequences, try to make peace with Bono. He was right, of course. And I didn’t hate him. It would have been easier if I did.
****
Coming back towards the camp at an easy canter. Adam and Edge saw me and raised their hands. I waved back and turned up the track to the paddock. Took a while to make Shadow comfortable for the night, putting off the moment when I had to see Bono.
I was pretty grimed up from riding bareback, so delayed the dreaded moment even more by going straight down to the sea. Dived into the waves and swam out a goodly way, floated on my back looking at the setting sun, let the ocean wash away sweat and tears.
When I returned to shore Bono was there, waiting with a towel. I had to smile, what a sweet man to do that. Bono wrapped the towel round me. ‘Better?’ he asked. I nodded, once again lost for words. He put a finger under my chin, tilted my face up to look at him.
‘You had me worried there,’ he said. ‘You took off like your ass was on fire.’
‘No need to worry about me, Bono,’ I said. ‘Just wounded pride, I guess. You were right, but I didn’t want to hear it. It can be hard, sometimes, hearing the truth.’
‘It wasn’t easy saying it, believe me,’ said Bono.
‘I’m sorry I put you in that situation, Bono. It was selfish and I behaved like a fool …’
‘Hey,’ said Bono. ‘No blame, no worries. Where would I be without you to keep me on my toes?’
‘In a nice, comfy hotel, I expect, enjoying a gourmet dinner.’
‘Huh, who needs that? Wait ’till you see what Larry’s cooking up.’ Bono put his arm round my shoulders, kissed my forehead. ‘Come on, you’ll be surprised.’
‘Lord, I just abandoned you all, no fire, no food. I’ve done a great job of looking after you,’ I said ruefully as we walked up the beach.
Bono laughed. ‘You can always rely on Larry and Adam to find the food supplies. And Edge has remembered all his Boy Scout skills and built a fine fire.’
I giggled at the thought of Edge as a Boy Scout. ‘You guys, you amaze me,’ I said truthfully.
****
Edge’s fire was truly wonderful, complete with hearth of smooth rocks. Potatoes wrapped in foil were baking in the embers and, on four flat rocks, four beautiful snapper.
‘These are fine fish, Larry. however did you catch them?’ I asked.
‘I chucked some fishing gear in at the last minute. Glad I did, too, seeing as you went AWOL,’ relied Larry. He glanced up at me and winked. I was learning there was a lot more to Larry behind the gruff exterior. ‘I went down to those rocks, to the north,’ Larry continued. ‘There would have been five, but the last one snapped the line.’
We talked for a while about fishing and bait, tides and water temperatures. Edge handed me a cup of tea and I complimented him on his fire-building skills.
‘Hang on a minute,’ said Adam. ‘I hauled the wood for the fire and carried all these blasted stones. Also, we wouldn’t be eating the fish if I hadn’t gutted them, since Lars here was too squeamish.’
Larry blushed and poked the fire with a stick.
‘Adam, you’ve done us all proud,’ I said, trying not to laugh. ‘And as you’ve done all the hard work, you won’t have to lift a finger for the rest of the night.’
No gourmet meal at a posh hotel could match our stone-baked snapper. We demolished the fish, Adam chucked some more wood on the fire and everyone leaned back in the warm sand.
‘Compliments to the chef,’ Adam toasted Larry. We gave him a round of applause. A rare smile from Larry, who stood up and took a bow.
I gathered up plates to take to the stream for washing. The water was cold, a big yellow moon sparked splinters of light off the surface.
Walking back, I heard Edge singing something slow and bluesy, Bono coming in with the harmony. I moved quietly back to the fire, Bono indicating that I should come and sit beside. Which I did, watching the firelight flickering over the planes of his face. Caught Adam watching me watching Bono, raising his water bottle in an ironic toast, giving me his funny upside-down smile. He knew the score. They all did, and seemed OK with it, I realised.
Edge began a new song.
‘I know you rider, gonna miss me when I’m gone/Gonna miss your baby, from rolling in your arms …’ Bono sang.
Too right, I thought. Lots of harmonies in this one, Adam and Larry joining Bono and Edge in the vocals, Edge spinning notes around the melody, making something special out of the simple song.
I could listen to this all night, I thought. I lay back and looked up at the night sky, letting the music drift me up beyond the moon, out to the cool and dark among the stars.
Learning to Fly
Part 9
The day of the Great Escape dawned clear and cloudless. A large 4WD trailed a long stream of dust up the track to the back yard. Adam stepped out looking like he’d just got off a yacht in St Tropez. Larry was all fired up for some off-roading. And Bono, looking especially sharp and clean-shaven. My knees unhinged a little. Edge laid his hand on my shoulder, giving me a wise little smile.
There was a small argument as to who was going with Larry.
‘My bones are shaking already from driving over here,’ protested Adam. ‘I want to keep all my limbs attached to my body.’
Larry looked offended. ‘Well, Bono has to go with Roo. I’m not having him hassling me to drive all the time.’
‘Well, I’ve seen where we’re going. Have to say I’d rather go in the Landrover,’ said Edge.
Larry was looking really offended now.
‘I’ve only got room for two passengers with all the stuff,’ I said. ‘Someone’s going to have to go with Larry. He’ll be fine, he’s a good driver.’
Larry looked very slightly less offended.
In the end Adam and Edge drew straws and Edge got to ride with Larry. Bono had already claimed the front seat in the Landrover, so Adam had to squash in the back among the supplies.
Being the front seat passenger had some disadvantages, Bono discovered, as he had to do gate duty and there were nearly a dozen to open and close. We rolled down the bush tracks and through a couple of streams, up and following the line of cliffs until the hidden bay revealed itself. I heard a little intake of breath from Bono as the glorious sight unfolded.
‘This is the tricky bit,’ I said to Bono and Adam. ‘Hold tight.’
The Landrover rattled down the step, twisty track, lurching in and out of ruts and over rocks and logs. One last hill, a very steep drop on the other side, down with a sickening lurch and levelling out through the trees to the horse paddock. We got out to watch Larry drive over the drop, the car careering towards us and stopping with an impressive handbrake turn.
Edge got out looking rather pale. Larry was wearing a wide grin. ‘Again!’ he said.
‘Never again!’ replied Edge dourly.
****
After ferrying gear and supplies down to the beach everyone was hot and sweaty. Time for refreshment. Bono was delighted to find a large, ice-filled cooler stuffed with drinks.
‘What happened to the bush-tucker?’ Edge whispered in my ear.
‘That comes later. I’m just lulling them into a false sense of security,’ I whispered back.
Sitting in the shade of some rocks with a bottle of cool water and Bono lounging beside me, I felt that rare happiness that comes when everything is just about perfect. Edge, down to just a pair of shorts, examining his guitar to see if it had survived Larry’s driving. Larry, also in shorts and nothing else, lifting a bottle to his lips. And Adam, down to absolutely nothing at all, totally unselfconscious and working on his tan. I sighed contentedly.
‘All good?’ enquired Bono, stretched out on his back with his hands behind his head.
‘Better than good. On a beach, surrounded by masculine beauty, what more could a woman want?’
‘Well, I’m sure I could think of several things,’ said Bono with an evil grin.
‘Ah, don’t you tempt me, Bono. You’re on my territory now and this place always makes me feel a bit wild.’
‘Wild is good. Wild is very good,’ chuckled Bono.
Suddenly I wanted to call Bono’s bluff. See if it was all flirting or if he really wanted to take it further. The inner pilot screamed ‘madness!’ but for once I cut him off.
I moved closer to Bono, leaned over and ran my fingers lightly over his face, neck, chest. Followed the maddening line of hair over his bare stomach … a shiver ran through Bono’s body.
He caught hold of my shoulders, I thought he was going to push me away, but he pulled me closer, fitting his lips perfectly to mine. This must be heaven, his mouth, his hands, his chest against mine.
His eyes, deep now with desire.
‘Is this really what you want?’ he breathed.
‘Yes, yes it is …’
‘And you know it’s what I want too?’ Cupping my face in his hands. ‘Don’t hate me for this.’
‘Hate you? How could I ever hate you …?’
‘Because we can’t do this, Roo,’ he said. ‘You know that, don’t you? You’ve been the one to keep our feet on the ground ’till now. Now it’s my turn.’
I sat up, drew my knees up to my chest, put my head down so that he could not see my face. Shaking with reaction, with confusion, with shame.
Bono reached out to me, but it was more than I could bear. I was up and away before he could touch me, hearing him call ‘Roo, please, come back …’ but not stopping, running hard-out to the paddock.
Leaning against Shadow’s neck, finding solace in my horse who never judged me, always accepted me for who I was and had no conscience to bother him. Tears blurring my vision, I got a head collar onto Shadow, clipped on a rope. Out of the paddock, onto the horse. Down to the beach and away, fast, as fast as we could go, hooves kicking up sand, sending sheets of spray into the air along the water’s edge where the sand was firm enough for maximum speed. Away, putting as much distance as we could between me and anyone else.
The inner pilot advised caution, if I fell off at this speed I would break my stupid neck. Good, I thought. Bring it on. Make the world a better place.
Shadow was blowing and sweating. We slowed to a walk, splashing along in the shallows. We walked a long way as the afternoon passed by. I tried to order my thoughts, look at things rationally, and it took a long, long time. I knew I had to go back, face the consequences, try to make peace with Bono. He was right, of course. And I didn’t hate him. It would have been easier if I did.
****
Coming back towards the camp at an easy canter. Adam and Edge saw me and raised their hands. I waved back and turned up the track to the paddock. Took a while to make Shadow comfortable for the night, putting off the moment when I had to see Bono.
I was pretty grimed up from riding bareback, so delayed the dreaded moment even more by going straight down to the sea. Dived into the waves and swam out a goodly way, floated on my back looking at the setting sun, let the ocean wash away sweat and tears.
When I returned to shore Bono was there, waiting with a towel. I had to smile, what a sweet man to do that. Bono wrapped the towel round me. ‘Better?’ he asked. I nodded, once again lost for words. He put a finger under my chin, tilted my face up to look at him.
‘You had me worried there,’ he said. ‘You took off like your ass was on fire.’
‘No need to worry about me, Bono,’ I said. ‘Just wounded pride, I guess. You were right, but I didn’t want to hear it. It can be hard, sometimes, hearing the truth.’
‘It wasn’t easy saying it, believe me,’ said Bono.
‘I’m sorry I put you in that situation, Bono. It was selfish and I behaved like a fool …’
‘Hey,’ said Bono. ‘No blame, no worries. Where would I be without you to keep me on my toes?’
‘In a nice, comfy hotel, I expect, enjoying a gourmet dinner.’
‘Huh, who needs that? Wait ’till you see what Larry’s cooking up.’ Bono put his arm round my shoulders, kissed my forehead. ‘Come on, you’ll be surprised.’
‘Lord, I just abandoned you all, no fire, no food. I’ve done a great job of looking after you,’ I said ruefully as we walked up the beach.
Bono laughed. ‘You can always rely on Larry and Adam to find the food supplies. And Edge has remembered all his Boy Scout skills and built a fine fire.’
I giggled at the thought of Edge as a Boy Scout. ‘You guys, you amaze me,’ I said truthfully.
****
Edge’s fire was truly wonderful, complete with hearth of smooth rocks. Potatoes wrapped in foil were baking in the embers and, on four flat rocks, four beautiful snapper.
‘These are fine fish, Larry. however did you catch them?’ I asked.
‘I chucked some fishing gear in at the last minute. Glad I did, too, seeing as you went AWOL,’ relied Larry. He glanced up at me and winked. I was learning there was a lot more to Larry behind the gruff exterior. ‘I went down to those rocks, to the north,’ Larry continued. ‘There would have been five, but the last one snapped the line.’
We talked for a while about fishing and bait, tides and water temperatures. Edge handed me a cup of tea and I complimented him on his fire-building skills.
‘Hang on a minute,’ said Adam. ‘I hauled the wood for the fire and carried all these blasted stones. Also, we wouldn’t be eating the fish if I hadn’t gutted them, since Lars here was too squeamish.’
Larry blushed and poked the fire with a stick.
‘Adam, you’ve done us all proud,’ I said, trying not to laugh. ‘And as you’ve done all the hard work, you won’t have to lift a finger for the rest of the night.’
No gourmet meal at a posh hotel could match our stone-baked snapper. We demolished the fish, Adam chucked some more wood on the fire and everyone leaned back in the warm sand.
‘Compliments to the chef,’ Adam toasted Larry. We gave him a round of applause. A rare smile from Larry, who stood up and took a bow.
I gathered up plates to take to the stream for washing. The water was cold, a big yellow moon sparked splinters of light off the surface.
Walking back, I heard Edge singing something slow and bluesy, Bono coming in with the harmony. I moved quietly back to the fire, Bono indicating that I should come and sit beside. Which I did, watching the firelight flickering over the planes of his face. Caught Adam watching me watching Bono, raising his water bottle in an ironic toast, giving me his funny upside-down smile. He knew the score. They all did, and seemed OK with it, I realised.
Edge began a new song.
‘I know you rider, gonna miss me when I’m gone/Gonna miss your baby, from rolling in your arms …’ Bono sang.
Too right, I thought. Lots of harmonies in this one, Adam and Larry joining Bono and Edge in the vocals, Edge spinning notes around the melody, making something special out of the simple song.
I could listen to this all night, I thought. I lay back and looked up at the night sky, letting the music drift me up beyond the moon, out to the cool and dark among the stars.
I feel bad for Roo! 
omg the way you describe the guys... it's so... real!
two kids with the tummy bug meant I missed the last few chapters but WOW!!! What a 'welcome back' for me!!!
