She reached into the boot of her car and pulled out armfuls of bags with decorations in them. Then she carried them to Penny’s beach house and knocked on the door with her wrist.
“Come in!” Penny called.
Rowan opened the door as Taya was about to set the bags down to do it herself. He kissed her cheek and offered to get the rest of the things from the car.
“Thank you, Rowan. You’re a gem.”
Inside, she found Penny fussing about in the kitchen with bags of chips and salsa plus a dozen bottles of soft drink on a table set with a white tablecloth.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Taya admonished her as she set down the bags on the bench top. She gave Penny a hug, awkwardly avoiding her enormous stomach. “I told you I’d take care of everything.”
“I had to do something,” Penny replied. “I’ve been lying around the house like a beached whale. Rowan’s been very attentive.”
They spent the next hour decorating Penny’s beach house. Taya hadn’t laughed as much in months as she did during that hour. She’d missed Penny’s sweet nature, her feisty spirit, and her sense of humour more than she imagined. She hadn’t noticed that her laughter was so muted while Penny was gone until now, when she finally laughed so heartily that it brought tears to her eyes. But thankfully, these tears were happy ones.
The guests began to arrive soon after, and the fun began. There were games to discover how big Penny’s stomach was or what disgusting concoction of chocolate or Vegemite was which type of baby poop. Vegemite or Nutella as baby poop was a common baby shower game, one Taya had never appreciated in her twenties but now brought her to the verge of tears while she laughed at the various faces each of the women pulled as they tasted the contents of the disposable nappies. There were funny prizes and heartwarming speeches, and plenty of delicious food brought by Beatrice.
Charmaine was there taking photographs. Evie had offered, but Taya wanted her to relax and enjoy herself. Besides, Charmaine preferred to be behind a camera in a large crowd, she’d said. So, Taya gratefully accepted her offer. She looked a little pale, which she said was the result of a too much work and not enough food. Taya made her promise to take eat plenty at the party. She’d laughed at that, said “Yes, Mum,” and trundled off to get her camera from the car.
When Penny’s brother, Rob, showed up, he brought his wife and son with him. Taya hadn’t seen his family in years, not since Julian was a baby. Jacqui looked older and had blonde highlights in her brunette curls. She seemed happy, and Taya was glad they were all together. She knew how much Rob longed for reconciliation.
“You look good,” she said to Rob as they gathered around the food table, paper plates in hand.
“Thanks,” he replied with a grin. “You too. I was sorry to hear about your dad.”
She felt the familiar drop of her heart into her gut, but she ignored the emotion to focus on Rob. “Thank you. It was a shock to all of us, but we’re learning to cope. I’m glad to see Jacqui and Julian here.”
He turned to look at his family, his gaze wistful. “It’s been a long time coming. She’s agreed to give me another chance, and this time, I’m not going to blow it.”
“Good for you,” Taya said.
“One of the main reasons we split up is because I was gone so much with work. I wasn’t there for her like I should’ve been, and she had a hard time with being a new mum. I didn’t understand it at the time. I knew she was struggling, but I was too. I didn’t know how bad it’d gotten until it was too late. She moved out and took Julian with her. She needed someone to help, so she went to live with her parents and said she didn’t want to be married anymore. It broke my heart.”
“I’m so sorry you went through that,” Taya said. “But hopefully you can start fresh.”
“Yes, I hope so too. I’ve decided that being a construction worker on major projects, always travelling around the state, isn’t the best career for a family man. So, I’ve quit my job and bought a small construction company here on Coral Island.” His eyes sparkled, and he tapped his nose with one finger. “But don’t say anything yet. I want to surprise Penny.”
“That’s amazing,” Taya said in a hushed voice. “She’s going to be so happy, especially with the baby coming. They’ll be cousins.”
He shook his head slowly. “I never thought Julian would have a cousin on my side of the family. I’m over the moon about it.”
“It is incredible. Penny and Rowan will be amazing parents.”
Rob’s smile faded. “Yeah, I hope so. But he’s going to be away, going to miss so much of his child’s life, like I did. I don’t want to tell him off because it’s his life, but if I could do it over again, I’d be there for it all — the everyday, mundane things. Not only the big stuff. It’s the consistency, being available day after day, that builds the relationship. I’ve learned that the hard way. Julian barely knew me for years, but now we have a good connection. I’m hoping to build an even better one when we move back to Coral Island. I can teach him to fish, to dive, to gather oysters. I’m looking forward to it. I’m sick and tired of living inland where there’s barely any rain, too much dirt, and no ocean. The island is home for me, and now it will be home for Julian too.”
“Welcome home,” Taya replied, giving Rob a hug. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
After the party was over, Taya and Penny collapsed into chairs on the back deck of the beach house. The view out over the water was spectacular. The moon had risen until it hung above the horizon. A bluish glow lit up the water, which sparkled and shone in an eerie reminder of how deep, dark and unknown it was.
“Thank you for the lovely party,” Penny said with a sigh as she rubbed her neck with her fingertips.
“You’re welcome, sweetie. It was my pleasure. I’ve always wanted to throw you a baby shower, by the way. I’ve been waiting a long time.”
Penny laughed. “Can you believe it? Your daughter is in her twenties, and my child is yet to be born. They’re not even close to being in the same generation.”
“It’s strange. I’m hoping to be a grandmother soon.”
“Everyone will think I’m a grandmother,” Penny replied with a pensive tone.
