Back on Track, page 4
“They’re a nice couple,” Carlos said as he sat next to Ketty. “I feel as if they know me.”
“I told them you were coming and that we’d visit.”
They both chose the linguine that Anna was famous for and settled back with a glass of wine.
“I have something for you, Ketty.” Carlos picked up his bag and lifted the flap. “I can’t wait till Christmas Day to give you this.” He drew out a long envelope and handed it to her.
She eyed him suspiciously. There was a gift for him already wrapped under her tree. “I remember the last gift you gave me. It was for my birthday. That beautiful little sewing case. I use it often and it reminds me of you.” She tapped the envelope against her fingers.
“Ah yes, that was the birthday you celebrated on the final journey of the Diamond Duchess.”
“It seems so long ago.” Ketty sighed. “I know you said once you retired you never wanted to cruise again but I miss it, Carlos.”
“Open the envelope.”
Ketty did as he asked and drew out a piece of paper. She unfolded it. It was a gift voucher from her local travel agent. Ketty’s name was on it followed by a large monetary figure. She dropped the sheet of paper and looked up.
“Carlos!”
He held up his hands. “Let me explain. We’ve talked about travelling together and now that I’m here—”
“Yes, but you’re not paying for me. It’s too much, Carlos.” She eyed him closely.
“What if we shared it?”
Ketty looked at the page. The idea of cruising again was so alluring. “You said you’d never cruise again.”
“I know your heart is set on it, and of course you’ll go again if you wish, but what about you and I taking a train journey together?”
“Trains don’t have quite the same appeal.”
He sat back. “What do you love about cruising?”
“The people, the destinations, fine dining and being spoiled.” She smiled. “Dressing for dinner…and not having to unpack more than once.” Ketty drew in a breath and closed her eyes, picturing herself aboard a cruise ship. “It’s an adventure, something special always happens.”
“You’ve just described a train journey.”
She opened her eyes. “I’m really not sure if train travel is for me.”
“You once told me anything was possible.”
“Did I?”
“The last time we were together farewelling the Diamond Duchess.”
Carlos rummaged in his bag again and this time he pulled out a brochure. He opened it, ran his finger over the text, then paused and began to read. “Iconic Australian experiences.”
Ketty took a sip of her wine. “I like to go further afield than Australia.”
“Have you seen it all?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not being a snob about your own country, are you, Ketty?” He glanced back at the brochure and continued to read. “Capturing the rich tapestry…romance and adventure…we take you there in style.”
“Where?”
“There are several destinations with fine dining and exclusive off-train adventures.”
“And you want me to go with you?”
“Most certainly, if you’d like to.” He studied her hopefully. “We could plan it together.”
Anna arrived at that moment with their linguini. As she fussed over them, bringing cracked pepper and extra parmesan, Ketty and Carlos took their first mouthfuls and murmured their appreciation.
Anna nodded her approval and moved off to greet some new customers.
“This is delicioso,” Carlos said, scooping some of the sauce into his mouth.
“It’s Anna’s addition of vodka to the creamy tomato sauce that sells it for me.”
“It reminds me of Venice.” Carlos twirled more linguine onto his fork. “But I’m so happy to be here in Australia with you at last.”
“I’m so happy you are too.” Ketty smiled and took another mouthful of the delicious food. Life had changed so much in the last few years and she’d rolled with it but even this brief time with Carlos reminded her how much she’d got into the habit of managing rather than living. Perhaps he was right about a train journey. It would be something to look forward to. She imagined a cabin, the gentle rolling motion of a train and the view from the window, a changing vista over land instead of the ocean, dressing up for dinner, elegant cuisine, a new group of people to meet…a little shiver of anticipation ran through her.
“Tell me more.”
five
Day One – On board the Ghan
Ketty was startled from her reminiscing by a sharp rap on her door. Surely Caryn wasn’t there already – she hadn’t even looked at the excursion brochure.
“Miss Clift?”
As Ketty opened the door Tien burst in.
“Oh, Miss Clift.” Her eyes were wide with alarm.
Ketty glanced over her shoulder to see if someone was chasing her. “What is it?”
“I can’t do it.” She wrenched her hands. “I’ve tried but I can’t.”
“Sit down and tell me what you can’t do.”
Tien sat, then immediately jumped up again. “That cabin…it’s too small.”
Ketty felt her shoulders ease a little. She’d thought perhaps Tien was going to say she couldn’t stay on the train.
“And that man who took our photos.”
“Photos?”
“At the front of the train.” Tien flapped her hands. “He is there with a friend.”
“Surely not in your cabin?”
“No, they are further along the carriage but they are men.”
“Yes.” Ketty nodded.
Tien leaned closer and lowered her voice. “We have to share a bathroom.”
Ketty placed a reassuring hand on Tien’s. “But not at the same time.” She’d forgotten the single cabins weren’t en suite and Tien would need to use one of the shared bathrooms at the end of the carriage.
Tien’s worry turned to horror. “I can’t do it, Miss Clift. I can’t.”
There was another knock on Ketty’s door and this time Judith and Ning were there. They both peered in anxiously.
“We thought we could hear Tien,” Judith said. “What’s happening?”
“Are you all right?” Dear calm Ning took her hand and Tien who never cried began to.
Next Birgit and Lacey appeared, the brochures they held quickly tossed aside when they saw all the serious faces.
“What’s happened?” Birgit asked.
“Tien’s cabin isn’t suited to her,” Ketty said carefully.
“Why?” Lacey bent down and offered Tien a clean tissue.
“Too claustrophobic,” Tien said. “When I shut the door it was so confining, so…awful.” She shuddered. “And I don’t want to share the bathroom with men.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Birgit’s eyes sparkled cheekily.
“You’re not in the bathroom at the same time,” Ketty explained again.
Tien wiped her eyes and sat stiffly upright. “I do not like it.”
Ning sat next to her and put a protective arm around her shoulder.
Ketty quietly said goodbye to the room she’d thought she’d have to herself. “You can share with me.”
“That’s not fair, Ketty,” Judith said. “You’ve paid for us all to come on this holiday.” She looked pointedly at Tien. “Ketty is entitled to her own space.”
“I don’t mind taking the single cabin,” Birgit said. “I live in a sardine can as it is with two cousins.”
“But hadn’t you moved in with—”
“I’m with my cousins again.”
Ketty’s head spun. She was sure Birgit had moved in with her boyfriend over the Christmas break. She’d shown them all some of the soft furnishings she’d sewn for his apartment.
“Having a room to myself would be grand.” Birgit gave Lacey an apologetic look. “Tien could take my place.”
“You’re very kind.” Tien looked up but leaned against Ning. “I don’t know that I can share either. I…I’m so sorry, Miss Clift.”
“Tien, you can’t back out now,” Ning said. “We would all be so disappointed without you. And you were the one who…who convinced me to talk to Ketty and come.”
Ketty forgot about Birgit and glanced between the two women huddled together on her couch. Ning had asked Ketty to keep her retirement to herself until after their holiday but perhaps Tien knew about it too.
“You’d be okay sharing with me, wouldn’t you, Tien?” Lacey smiled encouragingly. “You’ll be able to fill me in on the latest Amazing Race episodes. I’ve missed the last two.”
“And Judith and I will be right next door.” Ning gave Tien’s shoulders a gentle squeeze.
Ketty blew out a breath as Tien agreed, pleased a resolution had been reached. She was grateful to Lacey, who she was sure would be disappointed not to be sharing with Birgit.
“How are you all settling in?” Caryn called out from the corridor. “Are you ready with your off-train selections?”
“No,” Birgit said. “We were just trying to decide before all this happened, weren’t we, Lacey? And we’ve made a few room swaps.”
“Oh?”
Ketty caught sight of Caryn’s hat and, through a gap between Lacey and Birgit, a striped sleeve and a clipboard.
“Perhaps if you’d all go to your assigned cabins and you can tell me what’s going on,” Caryn said.
Ketty kept out of the way inside her cabin. Birgit was more than excited to take over Tien’s single cabin and Caryn was doing her best to be accommodating of all the changes. It took a while to sort everything out, and due to the narrow space they all had to manoeuvre in Ketty thought it best to leave her to get on with her job for the moment. She sat back on the couch she’d only managed to sit on for five minutes and her phone rang.
She glanced at it reluctantly but then accepted the call quickly when she saw the name on the screen.
“Carlos! Are you on your way?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Ketty glanced at her watch. It was almost nine thirty and the train left at ten.
“There’s been a bit of a mix-up.” Carlos paused, the usual assurance lacking from his voice.
“What’s happened?”
“It seems my ticket wasn’t postponed and then reinstated but cancelled instead.”
“Oh no, Carlos. Surely there’s been a mistake.”
“There has, and unfortunately not in my favour. I have been on the phone ever since my name didn’t appear on the hotel-to-train transfer list. But it seems there’s nothing to be done. My cabin has been rebooked and the train is at capacity.” He continued on, telling her about the whole difficult situation.
Ketty flopped her head back against the seat, only partly listening. She’d hijacked his idea of the train journey and made it a staff holiday then been delighted when he’d said he’d be able to join them and now that he definitely couldn’t come the wind went from her sails. Or should it be she felt derailed. Somewhere nearby she heard Caryn’s voice.
Ketty glanced at her bag, still not unpacked, and up at the bunk folded away overhead. The idea came to her with such force that she stood up suddenly and spun with light-headedness. She grabbed the table for support. Heat did that to her sometimes when she moved quickly.
“Carlos!” She cut him off just as he said the travel agent was putting him up in a fancy hotel as an apology.
“I can spend a few days here and meet you in Adelaide,” he said.
“Nonsense. This whole journey was your idea. You’re coming on this train.” Ketty glanced at her watch. There were thirty minutes until departure.
“I told you, Ketty, I—”
“Can you get a taxi to bring you here immediately?”
“I suppose but—”
“Please, Carlos. Get your things – at least you don’t have to worry about your case – check out of that hotel and come to the train. I’ve had an idea.”
Judith sat back on the couch and stared out the window. She looked past the railway tracks and red dirt to the green of the vegetation beyond the railyard and wondered again how she’d given in to this. She’d been wary of Ketty’s notion of a train trip from the start but as it had drawn closer she’d warmed to the idea. It was hard to ignore Ketty’s joy at taking her staff on holiday, Birgit’s open excitement and even Tien’s regular updates on the places they would visit, but now that she was there and had seen the size of the space she was sharing with Ning, Judith was a little uneasy. She hadn’t shared an apartment let alone a room with anyone since she’d left her failure of a marriage all those years ago. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she was with Ketty.
Still, of all the other staff members she was pleased it was Ning she’d be with. They’d known each other the longest, being the first staff Ketty had employed in the early days of her business. While their personal lives were poles apart, they were of a similar age and, besides herself, Ning was the neatest person Judith knew.
They’d both unpacked, found a space for their items and stowed their cases, and the cabin was tidy. The only thing that might get annoying was the amount of time Ning spent on her phone. It pinged with a message every five minutes. At least it was quiet now. She’d gone off to help Tien shift her things. Judith thought it best to keep out of the way for a while and make the most of some time to herself.
Of course she’d have opted to share with Ketty but it seemed only right the person paying for this holiday should be the one to have a bit more space. And Judith had thought perhaps Ketty might like to entertain in her room like she’d said she had sometimes on her cruise holidays. Judith glanced around the small cabin. There was really only room for two, three would be a squeeze, but she and Ketty could enjoy a cup of tea together, a pre-dinner drink or even a nightcap and settle in for a chat. Judith was looking forward to that. She wanted Ketty’s opinion on a pressing matter.
Ketty called from outside the door then there was a tap.
Judith stood. “Come in.”
Ketty’s head appeared around the door, her flushed cheeks a pretty pink contrast to her grey hair. “You’ll never guess what’s happened.” She entered the small space. “Carlos’s cabin has been double-booked.”
Judith swallowed the small surge of excitement that whooshed inside her. Having Carlos along on this trip had been one of the things she hadn’t been happy about. She knew he was Ketty’s friend and she trusted Ketty’s judgement on most things but there was something about the man she didn’t like, with his smooth manners, ever-ready smile and that accent. She knew some women found a European accent attractive but he seemed too perfect to her – smarmy was how she’d describe him, and she didn’t like the way he’d ingratiated himself into Ketty’s life. Ketty was a pushover when it came to Carlos. Judith simply didn’t trust him.
“That’s a shame,” she said and hoped she’d layered it with the right amount of disappointment.
“I couldn’t bear him to miss out. The train trip idea started with him and he’s travelled all this way after such a sad time. It will mean more swapping around but I’m going to see if Birgit would mind moving back, perhaps Tien could move in here with Ning and you could move in with me…if you didn’t mind.”
Judith took a moment to process Ketty’s suggestion. It seemed they’d still be stuck with Carlos but at least she’d be sharing with Ketty.
“Of course not, if it’s okay with everyone else.”
“Thank you, Judith.” Ketty gave her a brief hug. “I’ll go and talk to Birgit now.” And she was gone. Judith closed the door again. She looked at her case stowed up above the bathroom and sat down, a small kernel of warmth unfolding inside her. Carlos might still be on board but Judith would be Ketty’s roommate and there’d be plenty of time for cosy chats – something rare since Carlos had first arrived to visit.
Ketty had seen several men in the time Judith had known her but none had held her as enthralled as Carlos seemed to, rendering her blind to the parts of his character that Judith questioned.
Voices sounded outside in the corridor and a door closed further away. Judith looked around the cabin and didn’t know if the squirming in her stomach was due to excitement or trepidation. She’d never been outside New South Wales, let alone taken any kind of journey like this. She didn’t know whether to be grateful to or annoyed at Carlos for sowing the seed of this train holiday. At least she would be sharing with Ketty. She lifted down her case and began to repack.
Her thoughts drifted to the first time she’d met the man who seemed to have woven some kind of magical spell over her friend. It had been two days before Christmas. Judith knew Ketty was creating a special luncheon and had refused any help. With nothing to do at her own place, Judith had decided to simply turn up and offer her services.
six
The previous December – Paddington, Sydney
Judith was hot and sweaty by the time she reached the side gate that gave private access to Ketty’s living space above the shop. The afternoon was much warmer than she’d thought. The walk across the park from Randwick had tested her, but then on the final trek from Oxford Street down the winding narrow roads cluttered with vehicles, the humid air had pressed in on her.
Mail poked out from the letterbox. Judith tucked it under her arm and pressed the doorbell.
“Judith, what a lovely surprise. Come up.” Ketty’s voice crackled from the intercom and the gate clicked unlocked.
Ella Fitzgerald’s perfect cadence singing ‘How High the Moon’ drifted down from the upper floor as Judith reached the stairs. She paused on the bottom step at the louder sound of a deep male voice followed by Ketty’s laughter. Judith remained stationary. Ketty already had visitors by the sound of it, and they were in fine form. Judith hadn’t heard that happy, carefree lift in Ketty’s voice for a while. Often at the end of the week they’d retire up to Ketty’s living room or go out onto the balcony and share a bottle of wine. They’d relax and review the week, but the last few years had changed Ketty. The weight of the challenges that had come, first keeping the business afloat, and then keeping up with it once it expanded, and a pandemic, all had taken a toll on her.
