Twenty Years On
The black Land Rover Discovery turned into the lane towards the back gates of the vast Benloch property. Jeff remarked how little had changed in the twenty-three years since he had first driven his old, rusty Ford Fairlane along this narrow road, too quickly over the gravel and kicking up dust behind them. In the back of the car, his son woke with a start, for a moment not recognising where he was.
His sister dug him in the ribs. ‘Wake up. We’re here.’
Jet had flown in from the UK that very morning, having started his journey home from Cambridge University some thirty hours before. It had been his first Christmas away from the family, permission for which he had negotiated carefully when he found out an exquisite Russian archaeology student was staying in college over the holidays. However, he had later confessed to his father secretly that his plan had been an almost total waste of time and that he regretted not coming home to Melbourne as planned. The girl had not turned out to be quite as exquisite as he hoped, and the young buck had beaten a hasty retreat from her room first thing on Boxing Day morning.
The eighteen-year-old sportsman had received a very sympathetic hearing from his dad, who had then undoubtedly passed on the juicy snippets of information to his mother, judging by the knowing smile she had given him later in the day. Jet didn’t mind. He was very pleased to be back en famille, even if it did mean his kid sister was on hand to give him a hard time.
‘Grab this, please,’ Lynn asked her son, pointing to a large black suitcase.
Jet lifted the case out of the car easily, his six-foot-four-inch frame beginning to fill out as he headed towards the end of his teens. He carried his own bag in the other hand and a folder of paperwork under one arm, stopping to kiss his grandmother in the doorway as he passed through into the house.
‘Are you tired?’ Marianna asked. ‘You mustn’t know what time it is, dear.’
‘What time is it, Grandma? Sorry? What did you say?’ the larrikin replied, teasing her gently. ‘Nice to see you. Happy Old Year.’
Jeff clipped the top of his son’s head affectionately with the fingers of his right hand, and bent over to kiss his slowly shrinking mother-in-law.
‘Ignore him, Marianna,’ he told the elegant lady of the house. ‘He thinks he’s funny. We haven’t got the heart to tell him the truth.’
‘Good morning, Jeff,’ the gracious woman replied. ‘Twenty years. Can you believe it?’
‘Definitely not,’ her daughter’s husband shook his head. ‘Feels like forty.’
‘Papá!’ Kierney shrieked from behind him. ‘That’s so mean! You think you’re funny…’
The father turned round and gave his daughter a playful grin. ‘I mean I wish it were forty,’ he quipped.
Once inside and with everyone suitably greeted and kissed, the Diamond family went straight upstairs to unpack for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. The air conditioning system made sure the temperature in the big house was comfortable, and the outdoor pool down below glistened enticingly as the couple looked over from the balcony. Jeff looked at his watch.
‘Are we all having lunch, d’you think?’ he asked his wife. ‘Or can we just relax for a while?’
To his delight, Lynn walked towards her husband and lovingly wrapped her arms around him. She was wearing a new perfume, and it turned him on. Just a hint of mystery about the woman he knew so well. He had missed out on their usual morning liaison earlier that day, since mother and daughter had disappeared before dawn to collect Jet from the airport and to squeeze in some valuable driving practice for the sixteen-year-old.
‘I have no idea,’ his wife answered, her hands rubbing his chest and stomach, heading towards his belt.
‘What are you doing?’ Jeff asked, kissing her lips wantonly. ‘This is your parents’ house.’
Lynn backed off, leaving her husband looking crestfallen.
‘You’re right,’ she replied, kissing him again. ‘I’m going downstairs to help Mum.’
‘Good,’ he agreed. ‘Go on then.’
His hands slipped inside his wife’s shirt and began to fondle the underside of her breasts through the silky fabric of her bra. Lynn leaned into him willingly, and they stood as close together as they could. After a short while, the handsome man turned around and locked the bedroom door.
‘I’m sick of living dangerously,’ he smiled, seeing her blue eyes flash their approval. ‘Take me to bed.’
Jeff steered his wife towards the bed which had been hers since she was fifteen years old, and they made love with all the intensity that had built up over the last two decades, as they had grown together and matured as lovers and as people. Both their children were already older than Lynn had been when she first invited her dark-haired mystery man back to the family’s farm for the weekend.
‘How many songs have you brought with you for tomorrow?’ she asked, caressing his chest as they moved together.
‘Songs?’ he gasped in pleasure. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘OK,’ she laughed. ‘Sorry I mentioned it.’
‘Why? Is there something special going on this weekend?’ the joker enquired with an innocent smile on his face.
His eyes were only half open as he arched his back and kissed his wife’s forehead. Then, without warning, he whipped them both over so that he was now lying on his back, and Lynn’s long, golden hair fell over her shoulders and onto her breasts.
‘Can you believe it’s twenty years?’ his wife asked, between moans of sweet delight.
‘No,’ Jeff replied. ‘I still remember being in this room for the first time. Can I make you scream like back then?’
‘I hope so,’ she sighed, lying down onto his stomach and feeling her orgasm closing in.
‘Scream so your parents can hear,’ her lover urged, his breath hot on her face. ‘Scream loud enough for them to know how much I love you.’
‘Oh, I do love you,’ Lynn groaned. ‘I’ve loved you forever.’
Taking in his wife’s pleasure with all his senses, Jeff came in a huge rush moments afterwards, locked in a deep kiss. They lay motionless for several minutes, each lost in memories of their time together.
‘Two,’ the star announced finally, breaking the silence.
‘Two songs?’ his partner checked. ‘Damn! I’ve only got one.’
‘Par for the course,’ he teased her. ‘I’m used to it. I had four, but dumped a couple because that would’ve been just too embarrassing for you.’
The beautiful woman sat up and slapped her husband’s chest playfully.
‘It’s quality not quantity,’ she told him. ‘I thought we might disappear to the dam tomorrow morning early, if we can get away with it. Would you like that?’
Jeff rolled his eyes in ecstasy and squeezed his wife’s tight obliques. ‘What do you think?’
Lynn shrugged. ‘I don’t want to take things for granted, even after twenty years.’
‘Ha!’ the forty-three-year-old laughed, pushing his wife gently off onto the mattress and heading towards the bathroom. ‘Go ahead, angel. Take me for granted. I’ve been waiting a long time to be taken for granted. I’m all for new experiences at my time of life.’
Lynn smiled. It was great to see her husband so happy and contented. The family was together for their special occasion, and her gorgeous lover had an extra spring in his step and a glint in his eye. Nineteen-ninety-six was going to be a great year for their whole family. In fact, they had all been great years, and each better than the last.
Downstairs, Kierney had gone in search of her girl-cousin, Jazz. They found each other by the pool, with the younger of Jazz’s two brothers, Bruce. They had all seen each other over Christmas, so there was little news to catch up on, except for the fact that Jet was home. The others laughed as Kierney told tales about her brother’s many romantic escapades.
Jet was the eldest grandchild of Bart and Marianna Dyson, closely followed by Sonny, Bruce’s elder brother. Jazz was the youngest, having only recently turned the corner into her teens, and she lived vicariously through the exploits of Kierney, the willowy, sixteen-year-old gipsy. Another grandchild was expected next year, the first baby for Lynn’s much younger sister, Anna. It was exciting to think of a new arrival in the family after so long, and the two girls swapped name suggestions, hoping it would not be another male firstborn.
By the time Lynn and Jeff had changed and reached the pool, almost the whole family was assembled. The only person missing was Bart, the head of the Dyson dynasty and the man largely responsible for putting Australia at the top of the sporting world. Even now, at sixty-three years of age, his dedication to the Olympic movement and his determination for the national team to succeed meant his family hardly ever saw him, even during the holiday season.
‘Mum,’ Lynn asked, ‘what would you like us to do? Can I help with lunch?’
‘Shortly, dear,’ Marianna responded. ‘You guys relax. There’s not much to do.’
Bart Dyson Junior, Lynn’s elder brother, sat himself next to Jeff and extended his hand.
‘A day early, I know, but happy anniversary, Jeff,’ the big man said.
‘Cheers, Junior,’ Jeff nodded, before impersonating his father-in-law’s booming voice with surprising accuracy. ‘Remarkable achievement.’
The kids all looked round together in amusement, before continuing to lark about in the water. Lynn came over to kiss her brother and to receive her dose of the congratulations. She sat between Junior and her husband, opening her book and feigning ignorance of both of them.
‘So what does it feel like to be an old married woman?’ her brother teased.
‘Great, thanks,’ the beautiful woman smiled, surveying the scene. ‘Where’s Jetto?’
‘I expect he’s fallen asleep up there,’ Marianna replied. ‘We’ll wake him before lunch.’
Jeff and Kierney exchanged furtive glances. There could be any number of reasons for the young man’s temporary absence, virtually none of which suitable to share with his grandmother.
‘He’ll be checking his e-mail,’ Lynn informed their host, which was code for arranging one or more hot dates for the coming nights.
That evening the Dyson family put on a New Year’s Eve party in the courtyard behind the house, as they usually did. The Diamonds had declined their invitation for a large combined extravaganza for their anniversary, saying they would be perfectly happy just to celebrate quietly. Nineteen-ninety-five had been an exceedingly successful year for them, and they had attended enough swanky parties all over the world to have become thoroughly bored with having to dress up and revel in sycophantic attention.
They were also conscious of Junior’s recent divorce, and although he and Julie had separated amicably, the twenty-year couple were sensitive to the fact that he was only slowly adjusting to being a single parent. He had previously admitted to Jeff to being annoyed with himself for failing to make his marriage last like his sister’s.
Next morning the house was bursting at the seams with leftover party guests. The hustle and bustle of a breakfast barbecue was too much for many heads and stomachs, including Jeff’s. Staring into the bathroom mirror, he examined his bloodshot eyes and the extra grey hairs which he could have sworn had appeared overnight on his head, chest and arms. He watched as his reflection rubbed the tattoo on its right pectoral muscle, before looking down to his left at the real thing.
‘Happy anniversary, mate,’ he wished the bloke in the mirror, dipping his razor into the hot water and beginning to shave.
Off to Coldwater Creek this morning, the celebrity’s fuzzy mind reminded itself. Excelente! It had always been the pair’s special place, and they had spent many happy hours there, writing songs together, talking endlessly about the meaning of life and sharing each other’s bodies in the splendid isolation. Despite his hangover, the vision of Lynn lying naked on a picnic rug beside the deep dam aroused him quickly.
His wife frowned in amusement on seeing his excited state when her husband returned to the bedroom.
‘Thinking about the dam, were you?’ she asked.
‘Maybe,’ he smiled, quickly putting on shorts and a t-shirt. ‘I suppose we’ve got to get through breakfast first again. You’re always so mean to me, making me wait like this...’
Lynn stood up and kissed him, as he grabbed her hand and pressed it against his predicament. She snatched her fingers away playfully.
‘The suspense is killing you. I know and I’m sorry. It’ll be worth it.’
‘You always say that,’ the actor moaned, putting on a sad face. ‘One year we’ll have to go straight over there as soon as we wake up and see if you’re right. If the sex is still good, I’ll finally know I’ve been duped all these years.’
‘And if it’s bad?’ Lynn asked.
Jeff shook his head, knowing full well that sex between them could never be bad.
‘Yeah, well... That’s where my argument sort of collapses.’
***
Breakfast over and hangovers clearing, Lynn and Jeff piled their stuff into a ute and picked their way over the ruts on the edge of each paddock until they reached the creek, as they had done in all weathers at least once a year since they had known each other. A large number of hit records had been created there, and many a grand scheme had been hatched. Moreover, the couple was fairly sure their son had been conceived in this idyllic spot, or at least they chose to think so.
Twenty years was a long time, they agreed in the warm country air. Twenty years with the same partner, never once wanting anyone else, was no mean feat, particularly in the showbusiness world. In all that time, they had never grown tired of the songs one wrote for the other, the hair-brained ideas each came up with or being able to share the endless pressure of staying on top of their game both personally and professionally.
For this special anniversary, Jeff had submitted one slightly ironic and sarcastic lyric and the other optimistic and romantic. They had both been set to music and recorded before Christmas by an up-and-coming British singer whom he had signed to their label, and the prolific songwriter was very happy with the results.
And for her anniversary gift to her husband, Lynn’s theme was also nostalgia, with heartfelt lyrics and a simple melody. She had recorded it herself while Jeff had been away in Europe just before the holiday season. While his gorgeous wife sang, skilfully picking out a lean accompaniment on the acoustic guitar, the happiest man on Earth lay back in the sun and listened with his eyes closed and his heart wide open.
Making love in the open air, with always the faint possibility of being discovered by a farm worker or some local Daundwurrung or Woirurrung people looking for a cooling swim, Lynn and Jeff enjoyed their own private anniversary celebration. Ahead of them was another huge year which would see the family dispersed still further from each other, yet nonetheless they were looking forward to it with great excitement for the new challenges on which all four would be embarking.
Jet would shortly be heading back to the UK to continue his second year at Cambridge, and Kierney was impatient to start her first semester at Sydney University. Turning seventeen this coming February, their daughter was also itching to take her driving test, which in her mind was the last obstacle standing between her and independence.
Lynn’s diary had several successful artists blocked in to record new albums in her studios and to have their music painstakingly crafted by one of the most highly respected arranger-producers in the business. She was also due to complete an ambitious film project as a present for Jeff, which she had hoped would be finished in time for their special occasion. Given how hectic the year had turned out however, the personal endeavour had fallen behind schedule for several worthy reasons. And if that wasn’t enough, now the children were almost self-sufficient, she was keen to explore new ways of influencing the country’s governing classes, beyond the years of effective activism afforded to her causes by her very public profile.
And for Jeff, this would be another year when too many hours would be spent on aeroplanes or locked securely in hotel rooms all over the globe. There would be no touring this year, at least, since the “Live On Earth” series of concerts had finally come to an end in Los Angeles a few months ago. Instead, he would focus more on the peace negotiations he was spearheading in the Middle East, Northern Ireland and his beloved Africa, while in the background working on a plan to pare down the travelling and to focus more on developing both his golf swing and his wife’s career.
‘The change’ll be good for us, I think,’ Lynn ventured, stroking the hair on her husband’s chest and abdomen. ‘Change is as good as a rest, they say. Do you need a rest?’
‘Sex is as good as a rest,’ her lover quipped, not even opening his eyes. ‘Old Italian proverb.’
The patient woman sniffed. ‘Of course. Attributed to?’ she asked, only too aware that she had also been massaging his ego. ‘Rudolf Valentino? Or Casanova?’
‘That’d make it an old Spanish proverb,’ her husband corrected her.
Taking his dream girl by surprise, he grabbed her wandering hand and pulled it to his mouth to kiss it. Both sat up and embraced, knowing that time was passing and their presence would soon be required back at the house. Lynn had a broad grin on her face.
‘So I suppose you were him in a former life too?’
‘Expect so,’ Jeff shrugged with just a trace of macho conceit. ‘If you say so.’
The anniversary couple dressed and gathered up the rug and water bottles, ready to throw into the back of the ute. Lynn put the old guitar back into its case until the next visit, and they turned the car round to return to the present tense and their family. No matter how many times they came to this oasis, it never lost its ability to transport them somewhere special.
‘I am getting tired now,’ the billionnaire philanthropist confided in his beautiful best friend, just before they reached the road. ‘I feel like I’ve been around for two hundred years. I think I’m becoming a self-satisfied fat cat at last.’
Lynn laughed. If there was something she knew her husband was incapable of turning into, it was their fabled self-satisfied fat cat.
‘Yeah, right,’ she teased him. ‘So when are you going to cut up your frequent flyer card? And what makes you think I want you hanging round the house anyway?’
‘Easy fixed,’ Jeff returned the favour, swinging the ute into the garage. ‘I’ll hang around someone else’s house then.’
His wife put on a sad face. ‘Oh, alright then. You win, Felix.’
Hand in hand, the happy couple trudged across the gravel and entered the luxurious farmhouse through the back door, preparing to re-join the rest of the clan.