Read Online The Year It All Ended by Kirsty Murray - Free Book Online
Authors: Kirsty Murray
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neck she wore a simple necklace with a brown chiastolite stone pendant set in silver. One of the other Cheer-Up girls had told Tiney that chiastolite was good luck. Nette proposed that each sister chip in to buy one of the stones and then they could take turns wearing the pendant, as they couldn’t afford to own one each. The sisters agreed it was only right that Nette should wear it for Ray’s return but Tiney thought the black cross at the centre of the stone looked onimous rather than lucky.
‘It feels like a party, doesn’t it?’ said Nette, anxiously smoothing down a strand of fair hair that had escaped from her cloche hat. ‘Perhaps we should have simply married on the railway platform!’
‘Maybe you should wait,’ said Tiney. ‘Ray can go ahead and build his house and then you can get married next year, after he’s sorted a home for you both.’
‘Ray wants to get married straight away. He wants us both to be in Cobdogla by the end of the month. He signed on to the scheme even before he left London.’
‘I can’t believe you’ll leave us so soon,’ said Tiney.
Nette put an arm around Tiney’s shoulders. ‘I know what the others think,’ said Nette, touching the chiastolite pendant. ‘But Ray is good and kind. I don’t care if he’s not the brilliant man Pa thinks I should marry. I will help make him whoever he wants to be.’
‘But you don’t have to do it straight away. You could tell him you’re still in mourning for Louis.’
‘Tiney, you don’t understand. Marrying Ray will bring me one step closer to Louis. Through Ray, I can make up for all that we lost when Louis died.’
Tiney couldn’t quite see the logic in this line of thinking. She pressed her lips together to stop any contrary words escaping. It came again, that wilful, irrepressible thought, crowding in on her – the longing to drag Nette away, to take the whole family on a ship to Europe.
A shout of welcome went up from the crowd, drowning out the screeching of the train’s brakes. Then men began pouring onto the platform, larger than life in their slouch hats and uniforms, their kitbags on their shoulders. Families surged forward to embrace their sons and wives their husbands.
Ray was easy to spot, his craggy face looming above the crowd. His eyes skidded over the Flynns at first but Nette tore off her hat and waved. Her blonde hair shone like a beacon. Ray’s face broke into a smile of relief and he shouldered his way towards them.
For a moment, Nette and Ray stood awkwardly staring at each other and then Ray put his arm around Nette and hugged her. Tiney saw that Ray had lost three fingers on his left hand and she looked away, ashamed that she should be thinking of what it would feel like to be caressed by a fingerless man. At least Ray had all the fingers on his right hand, and his thumb and ring finger on the left had been spared, even if they were scarred and twisted. Tiney wondered if he’d choose to wear a wedding ring.
Cod’s heads and kerosene lamps
Mama had set out all the ingredients for dinner on the scrubbed timber benchtop. Suet, pork forcemeat, thyme, parsley, lemon rind and juice, and a great big ugly cod’s head.
It was Tiney’s job to stuff the fishhead. She sat on a stool and jammed a kitchen needle into the cod’s leathery skin to sew the stuffed head shut. Cod’s head, offal and pigs trotters were among Mama’s favourite dishes. Tiney knew it was because they were inexpensive and could stretch to feed the whole family cheaply. Mama made sure they tasted delicious but Tiney longed for roast chicken. Before the war, Papa had taught German at Adelaide High School and in the evening he had tutored private students. Back then, the Flynn family enjoyed roast chicken every Sunday. But when the teaching of German was banned, Papa lost his job. Louis’ soldier’s pay had helped cover some of the family expenses during the war years but now that had stopped with his death and there was even
‘It feels like a party, doesn’t it?’ said Nette, anxiously smoothing down a strand of fair hair that had escaped from her cloche hat. ‘Perhaps we should have simply married on the railway platform!’
‘Maybe you should wait,’ said Tiney. ‘Ray can go ahead and build his house and then you can get married next year, after he’s sorted a home for you both.’
‘Ray wants to get married straight away. He wants us both to be in Cobdogla by the end of the month. He signed on to the scheme even before he left London.’
‘I can’t believe you’ll leave us so soon,’ said Tiney.
Nette put an arm around Tiney’s shoulders. ‘I know what the others think,’ said Nette, touching the chiastolite pendant. ‘But Ray is good and kind. I don’t care if he’s not the brilliant man Pa thinks I should marry. I will help make him whoever he wants to be.’
‘But you don’t have to do it straight away. You could tell him you’re still in mourning for Louis.’
‘Tiney, you don’t understand. Marrying Ray will bring me one step closer to Louis. Through Ray, I can make up for all that we lost when Louis died.’
Tiney couldn’t quite see the logic in this line of thinking. She pressed her lips together to stop any contrary words escaping. It came again, that wilful, irrepressible thought, crowding in on her – the longing to drag Nette away, to take the whole family on a ship to Europe.
A shout of welcome went up from the crowd, drowning out the screeching of the train’s brakes. Then men began pouring onto the platform, larger than life in their slouch hats and uniforms, their kitbags on their shoulders. Families surged forward to embrace their sons and wives their husbands.
Ray was easy to spot, his craggy face looming above the crowd. His eyes skidded over the Flynns at first but Nette tore off her hat and waved. Her blonde hair shone like a beacon. Ray’s face broke into a smile of relief and he shouldered his way towards them.
For a moment, Nette and Ray stood awkwardly staring at each other and then Ray put his arm around Nette and hugged her. Tiney saw that Ray had lost three fingers on his left hand and she looked away, ashamed that she should be thinking of what it would feel like to be caressed by a fingerless man. At least Ray had all the fingers on his right hand, and his thumb and ring finger on the left had been spared, even if they were scarred and twisted. Tiney wondered if he’d choose to wear a wedding ring.
Cod’s heads and kerosene lamps
Mama had set out all the ingredients for dinner on the scrubbed timber benchtop. Suet, pork forcemeat, thyme, parsley, lemon rind and juice, and a great big ugly cod’s head.
It was Tiney’s job to stuff the fishhead. She sat on a stool and jammed a kitchen needle into the cod’s leathery skin to sew the stuffed head shut. Cod’s head, offal and pigs trotters were among Mama’s favourite dishes. Tiney knew it was because they were inexpensive and could stretch to feed the whole family cheaply. Mama made sure they tasted delicious but Tiney longed for roast chicken. Before the war, Papa had taught German at Adelaide High School and in the evening he had tutored private students. Back then, the Flynn family enjoyed roast chicken every Sunday. But when the teaching of German was banned, Papa lost his job. Louis’ soldier’s pay had helped cover some of the family expenses during the war years but now that had stopped with his death and there was even
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