-- Chapter 1 --

Life is filled with surprises. From our first breath, to our last, as each of us travel this long and winding road. If we are among the lucky ones we will find our place in the world, and someone to share it with, and life can be sweet. But even then, everything is subject to change. We either roll with the flow, or find ourselves fighting against the tide, because you just never know what might come at you from out of the blue.

As the sun slowly rose and touched the house on Beachside Lane with its golden fingers, it slowly came to life. The warmth of the early morning sun on the corrugated iron roof caused it to tick and moan, while the residents beneath it stirred, with thoughts of the day ahead foremost in their minds.

For Matt Parsons and Luke Solomon, and their friends Tim and Guy, Avalon had been their home for almost sixteen years now. It was a modest country home that had been a cheap rental when they first moved to Thompsonville, with thoughts of study at the nearby university on their minds. Since then, however, and especially after having been given the opportunity to purchase the place, then subsequently renovate it to suit their unique needs, it had become more than just a house; it was their forever home.

Sitting just a few minutes outside the town boundary, upon a square of lawn that seemed to slide into acres of tea-tree scrub, which ran right down to the sandy shores of Hidden Beach, this was their place in the world. And with each of the four having that special someone with which to share it, life couldn’t be better. Mornings smelled of bush and sea-spray. Evenings hummed with the song of cicadas and the soft murmur of lives being lived, accompanied by the fragrance of Jacaranda trees.

Life was good, and all four residents knew just how good it was.

As he lay awake this Wednesday morning, listening to the sound of the old house coming alive beneath the warm morning sun, while his partner in life still slept beside him, Matt began going over in his head just what came next, and what the day was going to bring.

After glancing at Luke beside him, then leaning over and gently kissing his partner’s forehead, Matt threw back the sheet that covered his naked body and sat up, before running his fingers back through his still dark hair. Next, he knew that muscle memory would kick in, so he wouldn’t have to think too hard as he started his morning. After pulling on some shorts he would stagger into their ensuite and take care of business, while glancing at his thirty-four-year-old body in the mirror and being grateful that he still looked okay for an old guy, as one of his young staff members had recently called him.

After shuffling down the hallway to the kitchen, trying to be careful not to wake his friends by treading on the creaky floorboard outside their bedroom as he went, Matt retrieved his mug from the cupboard beside the stove. He was careful not to allow the door to catch as he opened it, so that it wouldn’t squeak as the timbers stuck on each other. And sometimes when he turned on the tap to fill the electric jug, the pipes would rattle, but thankfully not today. It was a good start to the day.

These were all parts of the character of their old house, and yet another reason why they all loved it so much.

As the electric jug switched off, Matt spooned instant coffee and sugar into his mug, then poured the hot water in, leaving just enough room for a splash of milk. Moments later, as he placed the milk carton back in the refrigerator, he heard the first sounds of movement in the house, followed by the sweet melody of Luke’s laughter coming down the hall. Obviously, the other lads had created something of a stir for him. Matt loved how Luke’s laugh always seemed to come down the hallway before he did. When Luke emerged from the hallway just a few moments later, he too dressed only in shorts, he was still sporting a huge grin.

‘Tim has no shame,’ Luke said, as he crossed the floor and kissed his partner. ‘He’s been wandering the hallway naked again.’

‘You almost sound surprised,’ Matt replied.

‘Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be,’ Luke responded, as he reached into the cupboard for his own personal coffee mug.

A few minutes later the two of them were sitting at the table on the outside deck, in the morning sunshine, sipping on their coffees, discussing their plans for the day and simply shooting the breeze. Matt had switched on the radio in the kitchen, so they could catch the morning news wafting through the open window, while they enjoyed what was a glorious summer morning. With the weather report indicating that it would be nudging forty today, it looked like the remainder of the day would be just as good.

By the time they were finishing their coffees, they had been joined by Tim and Guy for a short while, but then it was time to shower and get ready for work. Twenty minutes later, Matt kissed Luke goodbye and he was out the door, heading for his beloved black, VB Commodore sedan; the car that had been his pride and joy for more than seventeen years now. Of all the things in his life, this car ranked second; only behind Luke.

*   *   *

With the windows down, and radio up, Matt cruised into town thinking about stock orders, and whether Don Weston, his boss at Auto Stop – the local parts and small machinery store – would finally sign off on the new display stands and stock needed for the upcoming Christmas rush. After parking his car out back, Matt entered through the back door, switching off the security alarm, and then opening up, to start getting ready for the day ahead. Don, and the other staff member, wouldn’t be in until later in the morning, so he decided to start going through yesterday’s deliveries and stocking shelves.

For a Wednesday, the store was busier than it had any right to be, and Matt wasn’t too sure why that was exactly. Still, he couldn’t complain, as more customers meant more sales, which ensured that his wage would keep coming. School holidays were still weeks away, but maybe people were getting in early? Regardless, by late morning Matt was knee-deep in stock, and juggling customers like his life depended on it.

The mobile phone started the way it always did, with a small buzz in his pocket, but he ignored it that first time, because almost twenty years of experience told him to finish with the customer in front of him. After not having been answered by the third ring it stopped, then a few moments later a ping was heard, signalling that a voicemail message had been left. It went off again halfway through ringing up the next sale, so he fished it out and glanced at the screen, seeing his mother’s name.

Sitting the phone down beside the register, he mouthed, ‘Sorry,’ to the woman for whom he was completing the sale. He was halfway through handing over her change and receipt when the phone rang again, his mother’s name bright and insistent.

‘You better get that, love,’ the woman said.

Matt nodded, then thumbed the green button. ‘Hey, Mum.’

‘Oh, Matthew — finally.’ She sounded like she’d been running and had stopped only to breathe straight into his ear. ‘Why didn’t you pick up? I’ve been trying . . .’

‘I’m at work. And it’s been busy,’ he said, instantly on edge. ‘What’s happened?’

‘You need to come home, darling,’ she said. ‘Right now.’

He took a breath, feeling the floor shift beneath him as he asked, ‘Is dad okay?’

A pause.

‘Just come, darling. Please. He’s at the hospital.’ Her breath caught. ‘We’ll explain everything when you get here.’

‘Mum . . .’

‘I have to go,’ his mother said, then there was the click, and where her voice had been there was now just emptiness, as his mind started doing backflips, while trying to make sense of the conversation that had just finished.

Everything around him seemed to recede into the background, as he stood at the counter, still staring at his phone, trying to decide if any of the last two minutes had been real.

Was it real, or was it a prank? No, of course not. His parents didn't do pranks!

It was into this scene that his boss, Don Weston, entered and immediately noticed that something wasn’t quite right, so he walked straight over to Matt.

'You okay, Matt?

There was no reaction at first, so Don reached out and touched his employee on the arm.

'What's happened? Is everything okay, mate?' he asked again. Only at his boss's touch did Matt look at him.

'That was mum. She says my dad is at the hospital and I need to go home, and right now.'

'Then what are you waiting for? Go!'

'But what about . . .'

'Family is far more important, mate. If they need you then you need to move. Don't worry about the shop. Tom and I will cover it. Now get your arse moving!'

Finally, Matt's brain clicked into gear and managed to move his feet.

'I'll call later to let you know what's happening,' he said, before starting for the door.

'Don't sweat it, mate. I just hope everything is okay. Just ring me when you can.’

'Thanks, Don,' Matt managed to say.

When the next customer stepped up to the counter, Don stepped in and took over, saying to Matt, ‘I’ve got this. You just go.’

Matt nodded, and headed through the door into the office, signed off and then left the building. He was in the Commodore with the engine running before he realised his hands were shaking.

He tried to call his father first, but there was no answer. Next, he tried his mother, but that too, went through to voicemail. He rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair, then he called Luke.

‘Hey,’ his partner said. ‘What’s happening? You on a break?’

‘No. Just had a call from mum. I need to head up the mountain. She says dad’s at the hospital.’ He could hear the emotion in his own voice coming through, and hoped Luke didn’t pick up on it.

‘Where are you now?’

‘Just leaving work. I’ll grab a few things from home, then I’ll head your way.’

‘I’ll meet you outside my work,’ Luke said. ‘Just call me when you’re almost here.’

‘Will do. Just give me half an hour or so.’

‘Just drive safe.’

Traffic in Thompsonville never really counted as traffic, so it was only minutes later when he pulled back into the yard at Avalon. The place was deserted, with both Tim and Guy also at work in Macquarie Harbour. He guessed that Luke would be able to fill them in on what’s happening once they got home tonight.

Leaving the car running he ran inside and quickly retrieved his carryall, which was always packed with a change of clothes and ready for emergencies, from the bottom of his side of the built-in wardrobe. He then grabbed his toiletries bag from the bathroom and stuffed that into the carryall as well, before heading for his car once more.

The total time spent for this pit stop was less than two minutes, and he was quickly back on the road and heading for his rendezvous with Luke, with his foot flat to the boards.

Twenty minutes later, Matt pulled up in front of the modern, glass-fronted building where Luke plied his trade; writing code, installing software and talking in jargon that Matt had no idea about the meaning of.

Luke was already on the footpath, hair ruffled by wind, phone in his hand, and moving with the dependable, steady action that allowed Matt to lean on him when things started going sideways. Luke slid into the passenger seat without ceremony and as soon as he looked at Matt, he could see that worry etched into his face. Taking hold of Matt’s hand, he allowed their fingers to intertwine.

‘Just breathe,’ he said. ‘Has your mum said anything else?’

‘No. She won’t pick up,’ Matt replied, hating the way his voice seemed to catch in his throat.

‘How about your father?’

‘Same.’

‘Okay,’ Luke said. ‘Here’s the plan. You drive to your folks. I’ll finish what I have to today and talk to Tim and Guy tonight. Unless you need me sooner, I’ll head up Friday at lunchtime . . . I’m owed enough time to be able to take a few hours back. Just call me when you get there this afternoon though, alright?’

Matt nodded, his jaw tight. Luke lifted their hands to his mouth and pressed a brief kiss against the back of Matt’s knuckles, a simple, intimate gesture that seemed to steady Matt’s racing heartbeat. On the footpath, three kids in school uniform wandered past, glancing in on them at just that moment. One of the boys grinned and elbowed the one closest to him, which was soon followed by giggles, that faded away as the boys kept walking.

Matt met Luke’s eyes. ‘We’re going to corrupt the youth if we keep this up.’

‘Mate, they were corrupted the day they discovered Facebook,’ Luke said, deadpan, and noticing that the tightness in Matt’s face seemed to soften.

‘I’ll call,’ Matt said.

‘Good. And just drive safe,’ Luke said, before leaning over and kissing Matt. A proper kiss this time.

*   *   *

He did drive safe, because it was what you did when your world was teetering on an edge: you followed the rules that kept you on the straight and narrow. The highway climbed coastal flats and low hills, into the blue range. Tall gums were throwing lanky shadows across the bitumen, the sky clear and hard. Matt tried again to call each of his parents, but again the calls went straight to voicemail, their voices asking him to leave a message, please and thank you.

He drove with the window down until the mountain air cooled and thinned. With the sea behind him, the brown, sun-drenched paddocks gave way to granite and forests of eucalypts. The drive to his old hometown was usually around a three-and-a-half-hour trip, and the climb took the edge off his earlier panic. The clear air and scent of the forests helped turn the weight of today’s events into something he could bear, taking away his earlier panic and lightening the load on his shoulders. Pushing a cassette into the old car stereo – while wondering why he hadn’t upgraded it yet – he let the familiar notes and voices carry him away; old songs he loved, the ones that had been the soundtrack of his earlier life, were comforting and real.

At a small town somewhere in the mountains Matt stopped just long enough to fill up on petrol and a meat pie, which only burned his tongue, then he pushed on. With the slight south-west change in direction the road took from there, the afternoon sun shifted, until it was now cutting across the bonnet and falling through his open driver’s side window. At least he wasn’t driving directly into a setting sun now. He remembered the countless number of drives on this road that he and Luke had taken since that first trip; the one when they had met Tim and Guy. This road was filled with memories.

By the time he hit the outskirts of the town that he and Luke had both grown up in, the light had turned to the colour of honey, with the gum leaves along the main street almost looking as if they had been polished. The hospital was one of the first well-known buildings he came to on the road into town, and so he slowed, then put his indicator on and turned into the car park. The white of the old building was already bathed in gold at the edges as that early evening quiet seemed to be descending. Soon the outside lights would illuminate it once more, bringing back the brilliant white of the concrete walls.

Inside, the reception desk was down to a single lamp and a note that said “For assistance, please ring bell”.

He rang. He waited. He rang again. The bell sounded far too loud against all the hush that surrounded him.

His phone pinged. A text message from his mother.

<Where are you?>

He shifted screens and hit redial on one of her previous calls.

‘I’m in reception,’ he said, just as soon as she answered.

‘We’re on the second floor,’ his mother replied. No warm greetings or anything like what he would usually expect. ‘The waiting room is at the end of the corridor at the top of the stairs.’

Taking the stairs two at a time he reached the landing and then stopped to look around. There was a teenage boy wearing a grey sweatshirt with a hood, sitting on a seat nearby, but he barely gave him a second glance, as his eyes focused on the end of the corridor. Suddenly he wondered what would be waiting at the end of it.

He turned a corner and found the waiting room. Seeing his mother first, sitting with her handbag clutched to her front even though there was no one else around to take it. She stood when she saw him, and she let him hug her. Her familiar perfume bringing back more memories.

‘Mum,’ he said into her hair. ‘What’s going on? Where’s Dad?’

‘I’m right here, son,’ a voice said from the shadows where a vending machine stood. Matt looked him up and down. He looked . . . fine. He was in his regular clothes . . . not a hospital gown or drip into an arm anywhere in sight. He just looked a bit older than he had the last time Matt had seen him.

Relief washed him as he let go of his mother and turned, swallowing down the way his eyes burned. ‘You’re alright then? What’s going on?’

His father’s mouth twitched. ‘Well, the machines say that my cholesterol’s trying to kill me slowly, and my blood sugar is a little high . . . but otherwise . . .’

Matt Snr. let that sit for half a beat and then, when he realised any shred of humour had missed the mark, his face turned serious. ‘You’d best sit down, Matt.’

‘I’ll ask again . . . what’s going on?’ Matt said, standing his ground, as frustration was beginning to build.

‘It’s . . . complicated,’ his mother said, smoothing her skirt with a hand that wouldn’t stay steady.

‘Is it?’ Matt looked between them. ‘You call me in a panic, tell me Dad’s at the hospital and I need to drop everything, and then you’re both fine! I’m really glad that you are, but do you have any idea what kind of thoughts have been going through my mind today?’

‘We didn’t actually lie,’ his father said lightly, then sobered when Matt didn’t smile. ‘I was here. For tests. And I ran into someone.’

‘Who?'

His father glanced at his mother and then back at Matt. 'Julie,’ he answered.

To be continued . . .