The Eden Effect (14 page)

Arthur had begun to consider moving out. But it was not so simple. His job required him to be ready to leave at 5.30am, easy enough when you are living on site. If he moved out, it would have to be somewhere close enough for Martin to pick him up before they made their first delivery. And then there was the cost. Board was now free. He would have to rent and his wages would struggle to stretch that far. He may have described himself as an accountant to Tracey, but he was, in fact, just the assistant's milkman, under the Centrelink work for the dole scheme, with a modest pay the scheme provided. There were no obvious solutions and Arthur stayed on and hoped that his presence there did not impact adversely on the newlyweds.

While Arthur had anxieties about the domestic setup, neither Martin nor Natalie seem to have any. They appeared deliriously happy. Arthur even heard Martin singing or humming a song, something he had never done before. They ate out less often. Natalie was an excellent cook. She insisted that Arthur join them to every meal, which he did, although feeling awkward at invading their privacy. During one of their meals, Arthur opened up about his encounter with Tracey, whose surname, hard as he tried to remember it, would not come to him. Martin did not say anything, but Natalie was genuinely excited. ‘Have you called her yet, Arthur?'

‘No,' was his reply. ‘I can't really see the point. She is in Melbourne and I am stuck here. Sorry Martin. I mean, I live here. Doesn't make for an easy relationship. And I don't know what she meant by ‘call me', probably just being polite.'

‘Arthur, don't be so daft,' said Natalie her voice rising.

‘If a woman gives you her mobile number and says, call me, she's not being polite. She wants you to call her. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. When did this happen?'

‘Ten days ago.'

‘Ten days, Arthur! Wake up. Get with the program. How do you think Tracey feels by now? Ten days and no phone call. Not doing her self-confidence much good.'

‘I really hadn't thought about it from her point of view. I suppose I should have called, even if was just to thank her lunch. I'm not very good at this. Out of practice.'

‘Arthur, I want you to call her, now! Go on, into your room and call. Make some excuse. Tell her you have been sick or that your phone was broken. Makes some excuse.'

This time it was Martin and he was sounding annoyed.

‘Can't I wait until I have finished my meal? The lamb is excellent by the way, Natalie.'

‘No, Arthur. Look your plate is almost empty anyway. Get the fuck up and go and make your phone call,' Martin was becoming more animated.

‘Okay, okay, I'll do it.'

Arthur went to his room, took the note out of his bedside table and dialled Tracey's number. It was answered on the third ring.

‘Hello, Tracey Turnbull here, who is this?'

Arthur was momentarily taken aback by the response. It sounded very businesslike. At least he now had a surname. There was a lot of noise in the background. It was 9pm; she was probably out, out on a date. Why did he listen to Martin? Stupid idea to call.

‘Hi Tracey, this is Arthur, Arthur Fromm. You remember we had lunch last week? Here in Eden.'

Her tone of her voice changed immediately.

‘Hi Arthur, great to hear from you. I was beginning to think you wouldn't call. What took you so long?'

‘Err, my phone, I haven't been very well but I'm okay now. Nothing infectious.' He was not sure where that last remark came from.

‘Your timing couldn't be better, Arthur. We are doing a follow up story. The first one generated a lot of interest. Did you see it?'

‘No, I didn't. I don't have a TV. I mean, the TV is broken at the moment.'

‘I'll be there next Tuesday. Let's catch up. You owe me a lunch. What's your number? I'll call you when I get in.'

Arthur gave her his mobile number, they said goodbye and hang up.

‘How did it go?' asked Natalie when Arthur returned to the dining room.

‘Look at his face,' said Martin. ‘He's beaming from ear to ear. How do you think it went?'

‘She'll be here next week. To do another story in Eden. She'll call me when she gets in.'

Arthur was trying his best to wipe the grin from his face.

‘I'd love to meet her Arthur,' said Natalie. ‘Happy to check her out for you.'

‘Thanks Natalie, I'm not sure how long she is staying, didn't say. I'll see what we can work out. Thanks for dinner. I might go to my room now. A bit tired. Get an early night.'

Arthur went into his room, changed and went to bed. He wasn't at all tired. His mind was racing and he couldn't stop smiling. He did not fall asleep until 2am. He had to be up at 5am.

I think I want to come out,' said Martin.

Arthur almost lost control of the van. It was his turn to drive. It was the next morning. He had been struggling to keep awake after only three hours sleep, despite two extra strong coffees. But this made him wake up.

‘Come out, Martin? Do you mean, come out as in, I'm gay?'

‘Don't be an idiot, Arthur. I'm not gay. By come out, I mean I want to reveal myself. You know. The Foundation, the project. I want people to know that it's me. Natalie agrees. I've been thinking about this for a while and when you told me last night that your reporter friend was coming to Eden next week, I thought it would be the ideal time to give an interview.'

‘Firstly Martin, she's not a reporter. She is an assistant something or rather, not sure what. And secondly, I would hardly call her my friend. This friendship so far consists of a forty five minute lunch and a ninety second phone call.'

‘Arthur, don't sell yourself short. I bet she's got the hots for you.' Arthur felt himself blushing, hoping.

‘Do you really think it's such a good idea, Martin? You know what the press is like. You'll be hounded. Forget about your privacy. Eight billion, Martin. They will descend like vultures.'

‘I thought about that too, Arthur. Natalie and I have discussed this. We are prepared to take the risk. And that's not all. I, I mean we, want to make some changes, big ones.'

Arthur waited but wasn't prepared for what came next.

‘I want to sell the dairy and if I can't sell it I'll close it. The people of Eden can buy milk from a shop like everyone else. Natalie and I want to travel. I've never been anywhere. Natalie has and she wants to show me the world. It will be our honeymoon. Lord knows I can afford it. Once the project has finished, I want to buy the Victorian and we'll live there. Eden will still be our home.'

‘As far as I know, it's not for sale,' said Arthur. ‘I asked the agent once just out of interest. He told me the owner does not want to sell.'

‘Arthur, weren't you the one who once told me everything is for sale if the price is right?'

‘Yes, I suppose I did. Yeah, I'm sure you could buy it if you wanted to.'

Neither man said anything more. Arthur was thinking, what about me. It suddenly dawned on him he would be free to leave the job, leave Eden and return to Melbourne. The prospect of that had always excited him before, but he realised that he was feeling a tinge of regret. He didn't say anything, but Martin did.

‘I haven't forgotten about you, Arthur. I will notify Centrelink that your position no longer exists, and you'll be off the hook with them. Don't worry about that. And Arthur, don't think I've forgotten everything you have done. This whole project, the Foundation, none of it would have existed without your help. Since you are being terminated, you are entitled to a redundancy payout. Natalie and I have discussed this and we feel that ten million would be fair. Natalie actually suggested twenty, but I think ten would be more than enough to set you up for life. Twenty might make life a little too complicated.'

This time Arthur did lose control of the van. He had to brake suddenly to avoid an oncoming car and pull the van over to the side of the road. He was having difficulty breathing. ‘I don't know what to say, Martin. I never expected. I never thought…' He could not get a coherent sentence out.

‘Steady Arthur. Take a few deep breaths. Maybe I shouldn't have told you while you were driving, but I was dying to tell you, couldn't hold it in any longer. You deserve it, every penny. You have had enough shit in your life and this money can turn it all around. And if you play your cards right you might have someone to share it with.'

Arthur could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He turned his face so Martin couldn't see them. He did not speak. He couldn't. After a few minutes he had composed himself sufficiently to start up the van and drove back to the dairy. Not another word was said for the rest of the trip.

Tuesday came and went without a phone call. By Wednesday lunchtime, Arthur was sick of waiting and decided to go on with the aim of finding the TV crew. He was not successful.

He spent Wednesday evening at the Red Lion, drinking alone in a corner booth. He excused himself from dinner and neither Martin nor Natalie needed to ask why.

Thursday morning's delivery round was conducted in silence. Arthur began to wonder whether he had misheard Tracey and she was not really due on Tuesday, or perhaps it was Tuesday of next week, not this week. But he knew that he had not made a mistake. She had been or was still in town and had not called. On Thursday evening, he did not even bother going out. He spent the evening lying in his bed, fully clothed, staring into the ceiling and trying to come to terms with disappointment.

Martin offered Arthur to drive, which he declined, something he had never done before. Martin knew better than to ask or make any comment at all. At five minutes to ten, Martin was easing the van into the parking space when Arthur's mobile rang. Arthur had been sitting quietly, eyes closed. He jumped to the sound of the phone, pulled it out of his shirt pocket and pressed the talk button. Before he could say hello, he could hear Tracey's voice at the other end.

‘Hi Arthur. I'm in a rush. Can't talk now. Will call back later. Are you free for dinner tonight?'

Arthur was too stunned to reply immediately and after a few seconds managed to stammer. ‘Yes, I'm free. I'll wait for your call.'

The line went dead. Arthur kept sitting, holding the mobile phone in his hand.

‘Come on Arthur, we're home. You can get out of the van now.'

Arthur opened his door and got out. He managed to drop the phone and quickly picked it up and put it back in his shirt pocket.

‘That was Tracey, Martin,' he said.

‘No kidding, Arthur. I would not have ever guessed. Now wipe of that silly grin and go and get changed.'

Arthur changed. He stayed in his room, sitting. The mobile was on the small table next to the chair. He had not had lunch. He wasn't hungry. He sat and waited for the phone to ring. This is stupid, he thought. I'm like a bloody teenager waiting to hear if the girl will go to the high school social with me.

It was 2pm and Arthur was still sitting, waiting. At 2.15pm the phone rang. He answered it on the second ring. It was Owen, asking him to join him and Glen for a drink that evening. Disappointed, Arthur politely declined, explaining that he already made other arrangements. Perhaps next week.

Three minutes later the phone rang again and as he answered it Arthur heard:

‘It's me Arthur. Sorry about before. I was just going into a production meeting and couldn't talk. It's been crazy here the last two days. We didn't get in till late Tuesday and haven't had a minute since. Sorry I didn't call earlier. Are we on for tonight?'

‘Yes,' Arthur replied, ‘I'll book for dinner. There really is only one place to eat. The local pub. The Red Lion. The food is good though. You'll be surprised. I'll pick you up at ten to seven. Where are you staying?'

‘I'm not twelve, Arthur. You don't need to pick me up. I'll meet you there. The Red Lion. I know it. I'm at the Eden Motel. I'll walk over and meet you there at seven.'