Life on the Swan - 5. Swan Chapter 5

I had also received an email from Sebastian, informing me that he had managed to sell the apartment on Bay Road, and found a house on Victoria Avenue that would be suitable for a permanent home for me, and a place for Seb and Lewis to stay when they are down in the city.

He had sent me all the information about the three-level, three-bedroom townhouse which is one of five in the complex, with a shared swimming pool and gymnasium with the other four townhouses, and includes two parking garages, and a separate rear entry gate.

The photos of the townhouse indicated that my new home was very spacious and comfortable, with all furniture included in the sale, with the master suite being at the rear of the top floor, and the other two bedrooms at the front, with a shared bathroom.

The main floor has a large formal sitting room and a library, plus a formal dining room, and the kitchen, laundry and storerooms at the back. On the lower level, there is a large billiards rooms, and lounge room, with an outlook to the large rear courtyard, with wonderful views of the Swan River.

I was looking forward to checking out this new home of mine, which I discovered is only 400 metres away from the main roundabout entry to the school, and I hoped that maybe I would not have to be a boarder and that I can live in the townhouse full time, if a suitable housekeeper can be found.

During the last two days at Whangarei, I did a lot of looking around and doing a number of tours, checking out the Whangarei Falls and the Kauri Forest, a day cruise, with kayaking, swimming, cave exploring and the Poor Knights Islands, plus a Maouri Cultural tour, all which was amazing to see.

With all the crew back from their shore leave, we set off for the seven day journey West to Fremantle, with an estimated time of arrival is 1800 hours, just on sunset, which will be perfect, as the Aquaria will need to be surfaced to be able to sail upriver, with it being only just narrow enough to squeeze between the jetty pylons.

After the first 3 ½ days of the journey, we stopped briefly in Hobart, to collect some supplies, and I was able to fit in a 3-hour city tour of Hobart and its surrounds during this time. In the time that we were at sea, I attended a number of conference meetings with Trenton, and his father via video link, to discuss a possible partnership, between Wagner International and Lloyd Corporation, with their Ocean Guardian project.

After leaving Hobart, the next conference meeting included Sebastian in Perth, where he was staying at his twin brothers’ home while in the city, and with the twins, who are on holidays in Liechtenstein, which was a little difficult to arrange, because of the three different time zones.

Wagner International was prepared to assist with two of its smaller marine engineering companies in La Spezia, Italy, and Gibraltar, able to assist with building new vessels to the required specifications. It was decided that Sebastian and Hamysh Lloyd would meet in Genoa, Italy, to look at the shipbuilding sites, and to go into more detail with the project.

By the time we were approaching Fremantle harbour, we were a few hours behind schedule and the skipper had managed to get permission to have the submarine moored at the Sulphur Bay Jetty on Garden Island, which is five kilometres north of the Fleet West Naval Base, and we arrived there shortly after 2100 hours.

The skipper announced that all crew and passengers are to remain on the vessel and that in the morning, buses will transport any crew are being given shore leave, at 0800 hours tomorrow. I was informed that I would be disembarking after breakfast tomorrow and that the bus would take me to the Fremantle train station, where I can continue on home from there.

I had really enjoyed my time on the Aquaria, and it was sad that I would be leaving after just under two weeks as a special guest, but it was two weeks that I would never forget.

On my last morning, I woke up remembering, that I was soon to be on my way back to school, and I felt very sad about this, but I was leaving having become good friends with Trenton and his husband Travis, plus most of the senior crew of the Aquaria.

After a thirty-minute bus ride from Garden Island to Fremantle, I said goodbye to the crew who were on shore leave, as I stepped off the bus and headed into the train station, where I would take a fifteen-minute journey to Claremont station, and walk 900 metres to the school.

It was during my leisurely walk back to school, that I realised what day it was, and with it being a Monday, I checked my watch, which read 10.18 am, I silently swore as I picked up my walking pace, to get back to the boarding house, and to quickly change into a school uniform and get to class.

I was lucky that no adults were around as I snuck into the boarding house and into my room, where I changed, and grabbed my backpack of school books, and began to walk down to the mains senior school buildings.

“Devonport, what are you doing out of class, and that that matter, when did you get back to school?” I loud voice barked out, and at first, I was unsure who the voice belonged to until I turned to see Chas standing there smiling. “Phew, I thought it was a teacher or the headmaster,” I said softly, and Chas laughed.

“Care to explain what the hell is going on with you, and why you have been MIA from school for two weeks?” Chas asked. I sighed loudly and decided to tell him the truth, but firstly I pulled out my phone and found the picture that was taken of me earlier this morning, before leaving Garden Island, before handing it over to Chas.

“What the… that is the Research Vessel Aquaria, how did you get to be so close to this famous… wait… is this where you have been for the past two weeks?” Chas said to me, and I grinned and nodded my head in the affirmative. “Holy sh…” “Charles Parker, don’t you dare finish that word” a loud voice boomed loudly, and I heard Chas swear very softly, “Shit, my father” and this time it was me that chuckled.

“Sorry father, it is just that I learnt something amazing, and I couldn’t help myself,” Chas said as he turned to face his father, and the Headmaster was standing right next to him.

“Mr Devonport, good to see that you have returned from your little adventure, I hope to hear about it very soon, but for now, I suggest you head to your classes,” the Headmaster said to me.

“Yes sir, I said and I grabbed my phone off Chas and quickly walked away, as I heard Mr Parker begin to talk to Chas. A few minutes later as I approached my school locker, the bell sounded for the end of the third period, so I sped up a little so as to get to my locker before the other students appear from the various classrooms.

I had just one class to attend before the lunch time break, so grabbing my books for that class I slammed the locker door closed and headed off to class, with just a few classmates beating me there, and as more classmates entered and saw me there, they began to ask where I have been for the past two weeks, but before I could answer, the teacher entered and asked for everyone to quieten down and take a seat.

“Mr Devonport, welcome back to class, I have been reliably informed that you have been on a short overseas trip, I hope that everything turned out alright for you?” the teacher said to me, when he spotted my presence. “Yes sir, all went extremely well thank you,” I replied.

At lunch time, as I had expected, Chas had soon located me, as I sat in my usual spot in the dining hall, and he sat down next to me. “Ok Mr, spill it. How come you have a photo of you in front of the Research vessel Aquaria, which I have heard is here in Western Australia at the moment” Chas asked me in a soft whisper, so no one else could hear us.

“That is where I have been for the past two weeks, I had a disagreement with my guardian, and I have the money and a passport to go where ever I please, so I went to the airport and flew to Auckland,” I responded, “You what?” Chas said a little too loudly, which drew the attention of everyone within hearing rang of Chas’s shocked comment, and I frowned at him for being so loud.

“Oops, sorry mate, I will try and not do that again, but man you are one very surprising dude, who exactly is this guardian of yours, that allows you to be able to do things like that?” Chas asked in a whisper once again.

“Have you ever heard of Wagner International Corporation?” I asked Chas, and his eyes went very wide in surprise, “You mean you are related to Mr Sebastian Wagner, the Swiss businessman?” Chas asked, managing to keep his shock to a loud whisper.

“Yes, Sebastian is my first cousin once removed, and has been my guardian, since I learnt of my father’s passing when I was about ten years old. He and his husband, now live in a beautiful house on the shores of the Indian Ocean, just south of Denham, while Seb’s twin brothers are always travelling around the world, but they too have a house here in WA, which is in Mosman Park.

I use to spend my weekends away from school at the house, until I stuffed up and really upset the twins housekeeper, and I have been banned from going there any more, but I have recently bought my own house, which I have not seen yet, as Sebastian organised the purchase of it” I explained.

“Holy cow, dude you are richer than everyone in this whole school,” Chas exclaimed, and I smiled and nodded my head yes. “I probably am, I inherited all of my father’s estate, and I am a shareholder in Wagner International as well, plus I have my own investment company, which consists of just a few properties here in Perth at the moment,” I answered.

“No wonder my old man wouldn’t tell me anything about these secret meetings, that you have been attending, and what is all that about anyway?” Chas asked, “Well I shouldn’t tell you, but since your dad is the chairman of the school board, I guess you can be trusted.

The school is planning to move the whole senior school over to the front section of the new school grounds at Mount Claremont, which Wagner International will finance, and when completed and the move is done, the prep school will take over the front two thirds of the senior school, while the river end one third of the school property will become the property of Wagner International” I explained.

“Wow, that is one enormous project, how long is that going to take to build?” Chas responded, “I think Sebastian said that he wants the new school to be completed and operation before the start of the February, the year after next, just after I have graduated, but it is still in planning stages at the moment, so we just have to wait and see” I replied.

As the lunch break come to an end, I reluctantly agreed to meet up with Chas at the end of the school day, as he wanted to come with me, when I go to check out my new home. A text message from Sebastian, had given me instructions on to collect the master set of keys to my new home, from the real estate agents in Claremont, who will give me all the necessary information at the same time.

At the end of the last period of the day, I found Chas waiting for me at my school locker, and he patiently waited as I purposely slowed down and took my time to get to the locker and put my books away, and he was getting quite agitated by the time I was ready to go, which made me chuckle.

I already knew that Chas rode his bike to school each day, but I had no idea where exactly that he lives, and after retrieving our bikes, we set off into town to the nearby real estate agents to collect the keys. When we arrived, and I provided enough identification to satisfy that I was indeed Alexander Devonport, I was handed a large yellow envelope, and told that all the necessary information and keys are inside, and I thanked them before stepping out of the building, then opened the envelope.

“Congratulations on your newest investment properties, yes that is right, more than one. What I described to you in the email last week, is your investment property, while a bigger house is to be your new home. I have found a suitable housekeeper for you, and will be already there when you arrive.

I have spoken to the school, and you can move into your new home at the end of the week, I hope you really like it, the feedback I have received from your housekeeper, is that it is a magnificent home. Regards Seb”. I stared at the note for a few moments, until a light nudge from Chas brought me out of the daze that I was in.

“Well, where is this new home of yours?” Chas asked me, with a big frown on his face, and I looked into the envelope and pulled out two sheets of paper. “The Mansions, Apartment 16A, Victoria Avenue” which I knew to be the investment property that Sebastian had emailed to me about, and it showed a brief description of the townhouse and a photo of the front of the building, and Chas snatched the first sheet of paper out of my hands.

“Is this it, oh wow, I know this place, it is on the corner of Jetty road, right on the river, not that far from my place, as I live at number 46 Goldsworthy Road, so less than a kilometre away” Chas said to me excitedly, and I smiled at his enthusiasm, and happiness that I would be living just down the road from him, as I checked my phone and typed in the Chas’s address into the search bar of Google Maps.

The address revealed that it has a large wall around a much older house, with a garage, tennis court and a small swimming pool at the back, with access from the back-access lane. Next I typed in the second address given, which will be my new home.

“86 Victoria Avenue. I was surprised to see that the address revealed a rather large house, located On the corner of Adams Road, where the main entry is located, and it has a large swimming pool with a gazebo, a beautiful mature garden with plenty of very old palm trees, and it is a little bit further away to Chas’s place, with just 950 metres between front doors of each place.

From town we rode up to the town house, and not bothering to go inside, we looked at it from the front and the side roads, before I revealed to Chas that this was just and investment property, and that my new home was actually just a little way down the road on Victoria Avenue.