The Eden Effect (22 page)

‘Don't be so sure, Martin. It kept going even with all the negative publicity. What makes you think it won't continue? And anyway, outside of Eden, how many people watch this show? Don't be so negative, Martin.'

‘I don't care anymore, Arthur. As far as I am concerned, anyone can watch, read or listen to anything they want to. None of my business. Not anymore. You're welcome to do what you want, leave me out it.'

‘You are upset, Martin. Understandable. I bet you'll feel differently in the morning.'

‘Good night, Arthur. I'm going to bed. Natalie is waiting.'

‘Good night, Martin. Tomorrow, I'll do the round on my own. You stay in bed, spend the morning with Natalie.'

‘Thanks, Arthur. Good idea. Thanks for that.'

At 10.30 the next morning when Arthur had returned from the delivery round he found Martin and Natalie waiting for him.

‘Arthur, we've made a decision,' Martin announced once Arthur had joined them at the kitchen table.

Martin continued. ‘Natalie and I are leaving Eden. We have plans to travel. We're going to take an extended holiday and see the world. And when we come back it won't be to Eden. Don't know where yet, just not here.'

Arthur waited. There was obviously more.

‘I'm putting the dairy up for sale. I'll give it three months, but I doubt there will be a buyer. I'll close it. The people of Eden will manage with the supermarket. What we discussed before still applies. I will make arrangements to transfer the 10 million to your account in the next few days. I presume you'll also be leaving Eden. Back to leafy suburbs of Melbourne where you really belong, Arthur. I hope we can still keep in touch. Be friends.'

‘Always, Martin, always. I'm going to change now. Three months you say. I'll leave the same time as you do. I guess I've got plans to make too.'

The marquee that had been used for the town meeting all those months ago was again set up on the football oval. The artificial grass was down, the seats were in and a small stage with a single microphone, no table, no chairs, was set up at the front.

At 3.45pm people began to file in. It was unusually quiet. None of the chatter that is usually associated with large numbers of people congregating together. Many of the men wore jackets and ties, all the woman wore either dresses or skirts, no slacks. The children appeared to be in their Sunday best. By 4.10pm all the seats were taken and there were two or three dozen people standing up at the back of the tent.

At 4.20pm, Mayor Gibson and all the Councillors took their seats in the second row, which had been reserved for them. They were joined by Owen and Glen and the two policemen, Gill and Roger. Also taking their places in the third row were Robert Mackie and Fiona Malcolm, who arrived and sat together.

At 4.25pm Natalie and Tracey took their seats in the front row. They were the only occupants. Both were dressed in black suits. Natalie's eyes looked puffy. It was obvious she had been crying. Tracey looked solemn. Her beautiful smile was absent.

At precisely 4.30pm, Arthur took his place at the microphone. He was wearing a black Armani suit, white shirt and black tie. The little noise that was present ceased and there was total silence.

‘Today is a sad day for the town of Eden,' Arthur began. ‘For those of you who may not know me, my name is Arthur Fromm. Martin was my friend and colleague. I've been nominated to speak at this solemn occasion, and I do so with great pride.'

‘It is only two weeks since we lost Martin Brophy, but it feels much longer than that. His passing has profoundly affected many lives and it is obvious by today's attendance that Martin was held in high esteem by the people of Eden.'

‘He was far too young to leave us. Life can be so cruel. Martin and his wife, Natalie were about to embark on trip of a lifetime. To see the world. Martin had never been outside of Australia before. He was so excited. But it was not to be. We can take some solace in the fact that he died peacefully in his sleep. He did not suffer. There has been most speculation about the cause of Martin's death. We'll still do not know. There is still more test results to come, but the best assessment by the medical profession is that he suffered a fatal heart attack in his sleep.'

‘All of you know what Martin Brophy has done for this town. The Eden Foundation is now firmly a part of the fabric of Eden and Martin, through his selflessness and foresight has ensured that it would continue for many years to come. It will be there to ensure the future of Eden.'

‘You're all aware that the project that Martin instigated, the project that all of you were a part of did not achieve what Martin and all us had hoped for. And this affected Martin very badly. And it is sad, that what turned out to be the last few weeks of Martin's life were not happy ones for him. He had taken it very badly and while the doctors say he probably died of a heart attack, I would say it was more likely a broken heart.'

Arthur stopped. He looked down at Natalie who was crying. He could see tears welling up in Tracey's eyes too. All around them there were handkerchiefs wiping moist eyes, some men too, not just the women.

Arthur continued. ‘Martin was not a religious man. I don't know whether he believed in God. We never discussed this. He believed in people and firmly believed that you could bring out the good in anyone with the right type of encouragement.'

‘Again, thank you all for coming this afternoon. Natalie has asked me to convey to you her thanks for the all good wishes, flowers and cards that she has received from so many of you. That's given her much comfort in this difficult time. If you could all please stand and let's together observe one minute of silence for Martin Brophy.'

At the end of the minute everyone remained standing. Arthur climbed down from the stage and joined Natalie and Tracey, and the three of them walked out together. Everyone else remained standing for a few more minutes and then people began to slowly file out, and within twenty minutes the marquee was empty.

The people of Eden returned to their homes. The wives prepared dinner and after dinner most people watched the news on TV.

A suicide bomber had blown himself up killing twenty four police recruits in Kabul. In Delhi, India, two teenage girls were brutally raped. A church was set on fire in Northern Nigeria and forty seven congregants were burnt to death. A five year old boy…

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