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  Mrs Collins bit her lip and looked to Sub Lt Sheldon. “What exactly is involved?” she asked. “I have to be sure that what they plan to do is safe. There is something about a wreck isn’t there?”

  “Yes Mrs Collins, there is. They will be leaving on Friday in two weeks if they come with us. We are driving to Townsville and going out that night on a launch to the Barrier Reef. Next day we will do four dives. First is a revision dive. Next they do a navigation dive. Then, after another safety rest, they are to do a dive to study and report on marine life. That involves recording and photographing. They are all quite safe activities within a hundred metres of the boat.”

  “Yes, go on.”

  “That night there is a night dive. Now, I know that sounds dangerous but we do it in a group and with lights and a lot of safety precautions and with experienced instructors,” Sub Lt Sheldon explained.

  At the thought of that Andrew’s anxiety level shot up and he fervently hoped that his mother would say no. To his consternation she nodded and said, “I’ve heard about that. There are supposed to be some pretty spectacular sights that only appear at night I gather.”

  “That’s right. And we have the surface spotlighted so they can easily find the boat at any time,” Sub Lt Sheldon added.

  “It is the idea of them diving on a wreck I don’t like,” Mrs Collins said.

  Sub Lt Sheldon nodded. “I can agree with that. Wreck diving can be very dangerous. Without proper training it can easily lead to potentially fatal situations. That is why we are planning this one to be as safe as we can. Usually we dive in thirty metres on a large wreck called the S. S. Yongala.”

  Mrs Collins looked thoughtful. “I don’t like the sound of that. Is this Yongala wreck among rocks or coral outcrops?”

  Sub Lt Sheldon shook his head. “No. It is on a flat, sandy bottom miles from the nearest reef. It is in the open sea out of sight of land.”

  At that Mrs Collins bit her lip. “Oh I don’t know. I don’t like the sound of that either. I would much prefer it to be in shallow water in some place where there are no currents or big waves or anything.”

  Sub Lt Sheldon nodded. “I see what you mean. There are a couple of wrecks down that way that are close to shore. There is the old sailing ship called the Moltke. She is only a hundred metres off shore at Magnetic Island, in Geoffrey Bay. There are a couple of others too. In fact some of my friends are diving on a newly discovered wreck this weekend. It is close to shore and might be suitable.”

  At that Carmen asked, “Oh sir! What’s the name of this wreck?”

  Sub Lt Sheldon shook his head. “Don’t know. Some local fishermen only reported it recently. They say it is a small vessel but at present the location is a bit vague. The Townsville diving club are going to try to locate and mark it this weekend.”

  The sailing ship wreck sounded more interesting to Andrew so he asked about it. To his disappointment he was informed by Sub Lt Sheldon, who had dived on it, that there wasn’t much left, “and certainly no ghostly masts and yardarms still standing in the water.”

  Sub Lt Sheldon then turned to Mrs Collins. “Sorry to press the issue Mrs Collins but we need to make a booking. It is only two weeks away. If we can find a nice safe little wreck in sheltered and shallow water can they do the course?”

  At that Mrs Collins wavered. “Oh alright. I will see if their father will agree. How soon do you need to know?”

  “Next Friday night for sure,” Sub Lt Sheldon answered.

  “Please Mum!” Carmen pleaded. “If we don’t do it now then it might be months. We have a cadet camp coming up and then the holidays.”

  “What’s this about a camp?” Mrs Collins asked. “I thought you had your annual camp in June?”

  “We did. This is a specialist training camp,” Carmen answered.

  “Where is it this time? Will it cost much?” Mrs Collins queried.

  “Mackay,” Carmen answered, evading the issue of cost.

  “Yes, alright. Now come on you children. Time you were home and in bed,” Mrs Collins replied.

  As he walked away with his mother and sister Andrew kept glancing back at Muriel. She was smiling and called, “See you tomorrow night.” That sent his hopes soaring and kept him from thinking about diving all the way home.

  That night, when in bed, Andrew fantasized about being a hero to impress Muriel. He conjured up dreams of being a naval officer commanding a patrol boat. A radio message sends them to the aid of a cruise ship attacked by pirates; Asian pirates- Chinese or Filipino- hard, ruthless men with black balaclavas and sub machine guns. The fighting is fierce and desperate. He gets aboard the liner- but no- the pirates have fled with hostages. Muriel is one of the hostages. The patrol boat pursues. The pirate boat has guns and they fire at the patrol boat. But it can’t shoot back in case they hit the hostages.

  Andrew was a bit stumped by that but then decided that a navy helicopter was available so, after dark, they swoop on the pirates and he slides down a rope onto the deck. Savage hand-to-hand fighting erupts. He saves Muriel. But then- he paused and bit his lip. Somehow she didn’t seem to be the sort of person who needed saving. ‘She might resent me thinking that way about her. She is just as likely to be saving me,’ he decided.

  At least he got through the night without any nightmare, or at least none he could remember. Saturday morning found him tingling with hope and excitement. His body kept getting aroused, which annoyed him a little as he wanted to think he was in love with Muriel, that it wasn’t just lust. But he had to admit that she was a very attractive girl and that he was hoping for just a bit. ‘Only what a decent girl would allow though,’ he rationalized.

  The day was spent doing chores: mowing the lawn, cleaning the storeroom, changing the water in the aquarium, checking the sails on their skiff. By lunchtime it seemed to Andrew that the evening would never come and he became impatient and fretful. Having spare time was no help either. An attempt to lie on his bed and read was a dismal failure and he had no interest in computer games or TV. Instead he set to work again and cleaned out the skiff and polished the hull. It was an old wooden boat owned by their father and the shiny, lacquered plywood was, as always, a joy for Andrew to touch and shine.

  Finally the day ended and the routine of the evening took over. After tea Andrew showered and dressed in his going-out casual clothes. Carmen noted this and gave him several sly grins which he did his best to ignore. His story about going to the movies with Blake she plainly did not believe.

  Andrew’s mother drove him to the cinema and dropped him off. To his relief Blake was there but there was no sign of Muriel or the other girls. After waving his mother goodbye Andrew was left wondering what to do next: stand and wait, or go and buy two tickets? A check of the prices made him hesitate. They were just expensive enough to stretch his already strained finances.

  ‘What if Muriel doesn’t turn up?’ he fretted.

  For a while the two boys stood and waited. While they did the thought that he might be going to be ‘stood up’ caused Andrew waves of anxiety and anticipatory humiliation. As the minutes ticked by he became more and more anxious. To add to his concern the movie started and still there was no sign of the girls. Even so he did not want to let on to Blake that he was worried or that anything unusual might be happening so he stood in the foyer and chatted in as casual and light-hearted a voice as he could manage.

  While they were standing there Graham Kirk and Stephen Bell arrived. They chatted for a few minutes then went inside. A few minutes later four girls from their school arrived: Louise, Amanda, Karen and Annette. All four were in Year 9 and Andrew knew them but they were obviously in a group so, apart from casual smiles and greetings, he said nothing. The girls went inside. More minutes of embarrassing waiting ticked by.

  Then Andrew caught Blake making surreptitious checks of his watch and it dawned on him that maybe he was having the same worries. That helped a bit but it still hurt. Finally he mustered his courage and said, “It looks l
ike the girls aren’t coming. Are we going in?”

  Blake shrugged and tried to smile but Andrew glimpsed the pain in his eyes. “Suppose so, now that we are here,” Blake answered.

  The two boys strolled over to the ticket office. Blake went first. Andrew dug out his money and was counting it ready when a girl’s voice called out, “There he is!”

  It was Shona. With her was a girl Andrew had never seen. His own hopes shot up, then plummeted. Blake at once perked up and became all smiles and jokes. The friend was introduced: Cassie, and they once more moved to the ticket window. By this time Andrew was feeling humiliated and embarrassed. He did not want to admit that he was waiting for another girl, but loyalty made him stand-offish with Cassie.

  Shona obviously thought that he would make a good partner for her friend and made several strong hints to that effect. These had the effect of making Andrew consider not going in at all. ‘If I do and Muriel gets to hear about it, even if this Cassie chick and I don’t become friends, it could cause trouble,’ he reasoned. He began casting around for a face-saving excuse to back out.

  But by then he was at the window and his courage failed him. He placed his money on the counter and opened his mouth to ask for one ticket. As he tried to speak the shriek of girlish giggles made him look towards the entrance. Through the door scurried Muriel, Tina and Jennifer.

  “Hurry up, the movie has started,” Jennifer was saying. Then she saw Andrew and the others and added, “Oh! Oh here they are, still waiting.”

  In an instant Andrew’s eyes registered the girl’s appearance: Muriel in a pair of white slacks and a loose, white cotton top that buttoned down the front; Tina in jeans and a floral cotton blouse that bulged and wobbled as she hurried along; and Jennifer in a tight-fitting pale blue dress that really accentuated her trim curves. Tina gave him a smile but it was one that did not quite reach her eyes and that caused Andrew a tiny spasm of guilt as he suspected that Tina was wishing they were going together. Several times in the past she had hinted at this and he had been tempted.

  To Andrew’s intense relief Muriel hurried over and stood close beside him. “Oh thank you for waiting Andrew. I’m sorry we are late. Mum’s car had a flat battery and she had to call the RACQ.” As she said this she cast several searching glances at Cassie. That made Andrew very glad that he had not weakened and given in to temptation. He made no attempt to introduce her, leaving that to Shona. As she did he turned away and purchased two tickets.

  As soon as he had them he took Muriel’s arm and steered her towards the entrance to the theatre. Only after a dozen steps did he realize what he had done but by then Muriel had put her hand down to grip his and he understood that he had acted rightly in the circumstances. As they were ushered into the darkened theatre Muriel gave his hand a squeeze and his hopes went even higher.

  The group seated themselves in a row near the back. Muriel went on the left hand end with Andrew beside her. Next came Tina, then Jennifer and Cassie. Blake sat next to her with Shona on his right next to the aisle. For a few minutes all sat and tried to focus on the movie. Andrew knew the outline of the story but had difficulty concentrating. Most of his thoughts were on Muriel, who sat pressed against his left arm, her hand still holding his.

  Then began one of those agonizing tests of adolescent social skills. Andrew badly wanted to cuddle Muriel, to feel her body against his, to kiss her. But he was terrified of making the wrong move and thereby ruining his chances! So he sat there in a cold sweat of worry, wondering if Muriel really wanted to concentrate on the film or whether, like him, it was just an excuse to allow them to get together. From listening to his friends and their older brothers he had some idea of the tactics that he might employ, but that only got him even more tense. To make a move- or not to?

  To further inhibit him was the close proximity of the other girls. Andrew was very aware of Tina’s presence, her well-filled blouse being very much in his peripheral vision. Indeed Tina’s large bosom always had an unsettling attraction for him and again he felt the social pressure. He was very aware that the girls would note every single move he made and there was the embarrassing probability that they might even compare notes later, to rate his performance against other boys. That was a very unsettling thought!

  So was his physical arousal. Muriel’s touch had caused him to become very erect and that got him all confused and anxious about his motives and desires. Heated memories of Letitia added to his excited state.

  The dilemma of teenage movie theatre tactics was then abruptly forgotten as a piercing scream suddenly caused them all to jump. The first movie was an old horror story about a psychopathic murderer who crept into houses to kill women with a huge knife. The movie had reached a scene in which a girl was having a shower (unfortunately only showing her bare back!). The maniac crept into her house and then into the bathroom. By then Andrew was on the edge of his seat. Just as the madman reached forward to slash the girl’s throat the scream sounded.

  It came from close behind Andrew and he jumped in fright. Muriel also shrieked, as did most of the girls in the cinema. Muriel gripped Andrew tightly as they turned to look. Across the darkened theatre flashed the beam of a powerful torch. It lit up Louise and Stephen. Stephen was sitting behind Louise and had obviously grabbed her by the throat.

  Louise turned and shouted angrily, “Stephen Bell, you are a bastard!”

  A large male usher arrived, the torch he held now focused on Stephen. “What’s going on? Is everything alright?” he asked. A female usher with a torch hurried down the next aisle to join him.

  “No it is not!” Louise cried. She quickly explained how Stephen had grabbed her by the throat. Next to her was a sobbing Annette.

  “It was only a joke,” Stephen replied defensively, blinking through his glasses in the bright light.

  The male usher shook his head and angrily pointed to the door. “I don’t care. Out!”

  “Aw! Fair go!” Stephen replied.

  “Out I said!” the man thundered.

  Stephen stood up and made his way along the row. As he did the torch beam settled on an embarrassed looking Graham. “What about you?” the usher asked. “Were you involved?”

  “No,” Graham replied, but he stood up and made his way along the row after Stephen.

  “Bloody Stephen!” Andrew muttered. “Trust him.”

  “Do you know them?” Muriel asked.

  Andrew realized she was still clinging tightly to him and he silently thanked Stephen, then nodded. “Yes. They are in Year Nine at my school. They are in some of my classes.”

  “That poor girl! She must have nearly died of a heart attack,” Muriel said, twisting around and craning to watch as Graham went through the back curtains.

  Andrew had to chuckle at that but shushing noises from people around them made him stop talking. He settled back to watch the movie. Muriel relaxed but kept leaning firmly against him, keeping his hopes high.

  For perhaps half an hour Andrew sat there almost paralyzed with anxiety (He did not want to admit it as fear). So still did he sit that his muscles began to cramp. To add to his worries he knew he was perspiring, despite the air conditioning. ‘I hope I don’t smell,’ he fretted.

  After fidgeting for a bit he leaned forward and risked a quick glance along to his right to see how Blake was getting on. What he saw was both enlightening and challenging. Blake had his right arm around Shona’s shoulders and his hand appeared to be hanging down so far that it looked to be touching her right breast! That got Andrew even more anxious. He had heard that that was one way to ‘test the water’ but could not imagine himself doing it- except that he burned with hypocritical shame at scorching memories of fondling Letitia’s very full breasts!

  For another ten minutes Andrew sat there, knowing that he was possibly damned if he didn’t and maybe damned if he did! He was acutely aware of every little movement made by Muriel, of her breathing, of the warm feel of her hand, of his own hot desire. Finally he steeled himself to tr
y his luck. ‘May as well,’ he reasoned. ‘If I don’t and she thinks I am cold or a coward then I lose anyway.’

  Thus, hoping that Muriel would give him warning signs if he looked like doing the wrong thing, he gently eased his hand free of hers. She turned to look at him and her eyes shone in the flickering light, large, liquid eyes that seemed to be full of promise. Seeing her quizzical eyebrow he deliberately raised his left arm and placed it behind her shoulders. To his enormous relief she smiled and snuggled closer to him.

  For a few minutes Andrew sat in silent happiness, allowing his anxious heart to slow down again. Then he began to very gently stroke her shoulder and upper arm with the fingers of his left hand. That brought him another smile and she snuggled even closer, pressing her right breast firmly against his body.

  Next Muriel leant her head on his shoulder. The gentle tickle of her hair on his cheek and neck was a revelation of tantalizing promise and made him both happy and anxious. Very tenderly he turned and kissed the top of her head. That drew a murmur of appreciation and she looked up at him. Andrew saw that her eyes looked liquid and misty and that somehow her face was softer, more appealing, her lips slightly parted. With hammering heart he bent down to kiss her. She came to him and there lips met. This time Andrew was better prepared and he was able to kiss her properly.

  For several minutes their lips remained locked together. Then he drew away and hugged her to him, his right arm going to her left shoulder. As he looked over her shoulder Andrew knew he was experiencing sheer delight. A feeling of wonder flooded him and he knew he was in love. Panting slightly from his rapid heart rate he kissed her again.

  This was even better. She responded eagerly and this time the tip of her tongue began to probe and explore between his lips and against his teeth. His confidence growing by the minute Andrew kissed her ardently, his own tongue now exploring her mouth. She sighed and pressed harder against him, encouraging him to continue. Andrew knew he was now drinking her saliva, and she his, but somehow it did not seem disgusting. Instead he kept kissing, relishing the intimate contact and the scents and flavours that went with it.