ii

They had their first maths lesson after breakfast and Jo managed remarkably well. ‘He really is a bright spark,’ Kate mused as they prepared to go out. The would take Benny to the park for a walk and play before lunch and then Kate would head back into the city to go clothes shopping with Jo. They had sandwiches for lunch, and it felt just like their pre-on-the-run days. Kate was already pinning after a normal life. She wondered if she would ever feel normal again. At least the shopping felt normal, even though the choice of clothing wasn’t. She bought another pair of jeans, a couple of pairs of three-quarter pants, plus a bucket load of new tops, a pair of plain, black shoes and a simple suit and dressy skirt. She had to have a few nice clothes. Before heading home Kate bought a pre-paid mobile and opened a post-office box in the city in Julie’s name, giving her new mobile as contact. When she had put her new clothes and their dirty ones in the wash Kate phoned her Adelaide Police contact and asked about Julie’s credit rating. The contact wasn’t sure and said that he’d have to check with the person who set-up the identity. Kate gave him her new mobile number for them to call her back and the contact promised to get back to her as soon as possible. Kate gave him a brief overview of their arrival in Adelaide and told him that everything was fine prior to ringing off. She wanted to give Jo another quick lesson before starting dinner preparations. He helped her to make spaghetti bolognaise. They had so much fun that Kate made a note to herself to include him in the dinner preparations more often. She wanted him to have as many normal experiences as possible. They had dinner and then took Benny for another walk. The city streets sure were quiet after work. Adelaide was nothing like Melbourne. She wondered what she and Jo would be doing if they were in Melbourne. She looked at her watch. it would be seven thirty in Melbourne now. She would probably be doing the dishes, although it was a Thursday, so maybe she’d be at the pub with the gang. She missed her friends so much, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

The rest of the week passes pleasantly. Julie did have a credit rating and it was reasonably good, so Kate applied for a credit card on Monday morning. She also phoned Alex’s parents on Monday. They were surprised to hear that she had been in Adelaide almost a week already and Mrs Morova invited her and Jo to dinner. They drove down to Glenelg early and walked along the beach. It was no St Kilda, but it was nice. They bought gelati and found a bench on which to enjoy it. Kate was people watching as the evening commuters began to arrive home. Adelaide’s only tram was a quaint oddity. Kate wondered why they bothered. She looked at her watch, 5.45, they were expected at the Morova’s at six.

Mrs Morova greeted them warmly at the door and ushered them inside. ‘It really is a modest house,’ Kate reflected as she surveyed the entryway and lounge room that they had just entered. It was all open plan at the back of the house. Mrs Morova explained that her husband wouldn’t be home yet and then a young man entered the kitchen, “this is my younger son, Peter,” she introduced him. “Peter, this is Julie and Jo,” she said, indicating Kate and Jo. Benny was out in the backyard and he started barking, “That must be Yuri, my husband,” explained Mrs Morova, “he always comes in the back way.” Yuri was a large man and Jo hid behind Kate when he saw him. “You have a shy one there,” remarked Mr Morova kindly. Kate smiled, “Yes, he is a bit shy and I should just warn you that he doesn’t speak either.” The Morovas collectively raised their eyebrows, “he was abused by my ex-husband,” Kate explained bitterly, “just one of the reasons I divorced the bastard. He was a tall, dark man, so Jo has been particularly wary of men like that ever since, I’m afraid. He’ll be right once he’s got used to you though.” Lydia presented a large platter of pre-dinner nibbles. She prided herself on her entertaining. They all sat down and Kate was gently coerced into telling a little more of Julie’s story. She would have to write it all down so that she maintained consistency. “If you’re looking, I might be able to find you something at the company,” Mr Morova offered generously. Kate smiled and thanked him, Julie would need something to do soon she supposed.

The evening wore on very amiably. Peter was studying Commerce at Adelaide University and said hoped to join the family business. Though Kate suspected his aspirations would be different outside of his parent’s hearing. Mrs Morova didn’t work, but volunteered at the Russian Club with the oldies. They also had two daughters, one older than Alex and the other younger than Peter. The younger one was currently in Russia for her gap year and the older was married and living in Brisbane. Her husband was just starting up a branch of the family business up there. She had two daughters of her own. Kate smiled, they seemed like a nice family. As the evening drew to a close Mrs Morova invited Kate and Jo to stay with them. Kate had decided that it would be ok and gladly accepted their generous invitation. She looked forward to becoming part of a family again and hoped that it would ease her growing loneliness. Mrs Morova seemed like a kind and sensible woman and Kate missed her own mother. She hadn’t realised how much she had relied on her when she was around. ‘I guess you just don’t,’ she reflected as they drove back to the city. She was becoming accustomed to Adelaide’s quiet streets.

When they arrived home they put Benny to bed and then Kate read Jo a story and he happily turned over and went to sleep. Kate wrote Bess a letter, telling her about the Morova’s and her first week in Adelaide. She hadn’t written to Bess, other than the brief e-mail of last week and her friend deserved better than that. Then she thought of Steve, she hadn’t contacted him yet either and she hadn’t heard from him. ‘Maybe he’s still a bit sore about the Ben thing,’ she deliberated. She dreamt of evenings at the pub with her mates.

They checked out on Wednesday morning and spent the day in The Museum and Art Gallery. Jo loved the dinosaur exhibit and Kate hadn’t realised that the Adelaide Art Gallery had so many Australian Classics. It had been a very informative and enjoyable day. Kate dropped all her old clothes at a Salvation Army Family Store on their way down to Glenelg. She would miss her old clothes, but she was quickly getting used to the new ones. They weren’t so bad, really. She reflected on her new life as they drove west into the setting sun. She liked Adelaide, its quiet pace was soothing and it seemed like a friendly enough town. She was due to start work in the Morova family business on Monday as a secretary in their city office. Mrs Morova was going to look after Jo on the days that she worked. The job was three days a week, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so she would still have plenty of time to spend with Jo. She was looking forward to working again. She felt like her brain would die without a bit more stimulation. Of course, the secretarial work wouldn’t be as challenging as her old job, but it would suit Julie. She was also looking forward to meeting more people and hopefully making some friends. She was keen to get Julie established in Adelaide. She figured that she would blend in more that way. She had the ‘Best of Simon & Garfunkle’ playing on the CD player and she turned it up as ‘59th Street Bridge Song’ came on and sang along. She was in a good mood, hopeful that she and Jo could make a home in Adelaide. ‘If only Ben were by my side…’ life would be perfect.