date actually works very neatly with my timetable. Obviously I’ll contact everyone once I have those results.’
‘Great.’
‘Now, Silver’s party. First, Vesna wants to make absolutely sure that she really doesn’t want presents.’
‘Yep, no presents, definitely. She says fifty’s way too old for presents.’
‘I’m with Silver, but our girls are shocked!’ Robert chuckled. ‘What’s a birthday party without presents! So, how about flowers, Vesna asked, can we bring her some flowers?’
‘Um, I think she’s actually having someone in to do flowers, so the place’ll be chocka with them anyway.’
‘Right-o.’ There was a little pause, probably, James thought, while Robert made a note on his list. ‘Now, the girls are thrilled about coming of course, but we don’t want them to have too late a night. If we bring their sleeping bags, would it be possible to bed them down there? In the upstairs guest room perhaps?’
‘Sure, not a problem,’ James said, idly turning his sketchbook upside down, and then back the right way again.
‘Thanks. And lastly, unfortunately Vesna has learned that she has to work that night – some supervisory thing she can’t get out of – so she’ll be coming later, probably about ten o’clock. Is that too late?’
‘Too late? No, not at all, this party’ll be going into the small hours. Whenever she gets here. Tell her we’re looking forward to seeing her. And the girls.’
‘That’s nice,’ Robert said. His voice relaxed. ‘Actually, James, Vesna and I were just saying that it’ll be quite fun to meet up with each other at a big party again,’ he said warmly. ‘Like the party at that mansion in Toorak where we first met.’
‘Oh yeah – nice. Kind of romantic.’
‘You were there that night, do you remember? I took you with me.’ Robert laughed. ‘Because I was so nervous about going to such a posh place by myself.’
‘Is that why? It’s funny, I was just thinking about that party the other day. Do you remember when it was?’
‘Yes indeed. I had just finished my teacher training, so it wasDecember 1980. Getting on for twenty-four years: amazing. It’ll be our twentieth wedding anniversary soon.’
‘I’d forgotten that’s where you and Vesna met. I was thinking about it because Silver just re-sold a painting I did of… something from that night. It was one of my first big water paintings. Maybe the very first.’
‘Is that so? Let’s see: those close-up paintings of swimmers’ bodies, their feet and so on, those were the first I saw.’
‘This is even earlier.’ James started ambling around the studio. He looked out the high wide window towards the lap pool. Might go for a swim after this. ‘It’s of…Well, it shows two figures… um… ’ Oh, what the hell! ‘Two people making love, actually, in the water. In a swimming pool.’
‘Two people?’ asked Robert. There was an unusual tone in his voice. Mischievous. ‘Not three?’
James stopped dead. He felt like his brain had just gone on hold. ‘Hang on a second! How did you know?’
‘Vesna and I were on the terrace above the pool. We had perfect balcony seats, you might say.’ James heard the grin in his brother’s voice. ‘Not that we watched the whole show, I hasten to add! We went indoors when it started getting…’
‘A bit too hot and heavy? Wow! What did Vesna say? Was she shocked?’
‘Well, I think I was more shocked than she was, James, to tell you the truth.’ Robert laughed. ‘I was a bit of a prude in those days. And terribly… naive. Being married certainly changes things, doesn’t it?’
‘It sure does. It has for me, anyway,’ said James.
‘Yes, you’ve certainly left your wild ways behind now.’
‘Absolutely!’ said James. ‘You know, I was thinking about that night and thinking, “What the hell was that about? Was that me ?”’
‘It certainly looked like you, my lad!’ said Robert, chuckling again. ‘Well, as I say,
‘Great.’
‘Now, Silver’s party. First, Vesna wants to make absolutely sure that she really doesn’t want presents.’
‘Yep, no presents, definitely. She says fifty’s way too old for presents.’
‘I’m with Silver, but our girls are shocked!’ Robert chuckled. ‘What’s a birthday party without presents! So, how about flowers, Vesna asked, can we bring her some flowers?’
‘Um, I think she’s actually having someone in to do flowers, so the place’ll be chocka with them anyway.’
‘Right-o.’ There was a little pause, probably, James thought, while Robert made a note on his list. ‘Now, the girls are thrilled about coming of course, but we don’t want them to have too late a night. If we bring their sleeping bags, would it be possible to bed them down there? In the upstairs guest room perhaps?’
‘Sure, not a problem,’ James said, idly turning his sketchbook upside down, and then back the right way again.
‘Thanks. And lastly, unfortunately Vesna has learned that she has to work that night – some supervisory thing she can’t get out of – so she’ll be coming later, probably about ten o’clock. Is that too late?’
‘Too late? No, not at all, this party’ll be going into the small hours. Whenever she gets here. Tell her we’re looking forward to seeing her. And the girls.’
‘That’s nice,’ Robert said. His voice relaxed. ‘Actually, James, Vesna and I were just saying that it’ll be quite fun to meet up with each other at a big party again,’ he said warmly. ‘Like the party at that mansion in Toorak where we first met.’
‘Oh yeah – nice. Kind of romantic.’
‘You were there that night, do you remember? I took you with me.’ Robert laughed. ‘Because I was so nervous about going to such a posh place by myself.’
‘Is that why? It’s funny, I was just thinking about that party the other day. Do you remember when it was?’
‘Yes indeed. I had just finished my teacher training, so it wasDecember 1980. Getting on for twenty-four years: amazing. It’ll be our twentieth wedding anniversary soon.’
‘I’d forgotten that’s where you and Vesna met. I was thinking about it because Silver just re-sold a painting I did of… something from that night. It was one of my first big water paintings. Maybe the very first.’
‘Is that so? Let’s see: those close-up paintings of swimmers’ bodies, their feet and so on, those were the first I saw.’
‘This is even earlier.’ James started ambling around the studio. He looked out the high wide window towards the lap pool. Might go for a swim after this. ‘It’s of…Well, it shows two figures… um… ’ Oh, what the hell! ‘Two people making love, actually, in the water. In a swimming pool.’
‘Two people?’ asked Robert. There was an unusual tone in his voice. Mischievous. ‘Not three?’
James stopped dead. He felt like his brain had just gone on hold. ‘Hang on a second! How did you know?’
‘Vesna and I were on the terrace above the pool. We had perfect balcony seats, you might say.’ James heard the grin in his brother’s voice. ‘Not that we watched the whole show, I hasten to add! We went indoors when it started getting…’
‘A bit too hot and heavy? Wow! What did Vesna say? Was she shocked?’
‘Well, I think I was more shocked than she was, James, to tell you the truth.’ Robert laughed. ‘I was a bit of a prude in those days. And terribly… naive. Being married certainly changes things, doesn’t it?’
‘It sure does. It has for me, anyway,’ said James.
‘Yes, you’ve certainly left your wild ways behind now.’
‘Absolutely!’ said James. ‘You know, I was thinking about that night and thinking, “What the hell was that about? Was that me ?”’
‘It certainly looked like you, my lad!’ said Robert, chuckling again. ‘Well, as I say,
Similar Books
