SEPTEMBER 1972

At first, Georgia didn’t want to go but her mother was insistent.

“This is going to be a chance for you to finally meet your father’s family. Goodness knows I should have done this a lot sooner, but you have a whole bevy of cousins and aunts and uncles who’d love to meet you. You’ve just graduated, you have no job lined up; you have no excuse not to come with me … other than sheer stubbornness.”

Gloria Fitzgerald gave her daughter her harshest scowl of displeasure. Problem was, Georgia was a grown woman and such devices no longer brought the desired effect. She decided to try another tactic.

“Your father’s niece is getting married and all his family will be there. Remember how you used to tell me that you wanted to go to Australia; meet all these people and see where your father grew up?”

Georgia sighed. “Mom, that was a long time ago.”

“It’s because of that boy, isn’t it?”

Georgia felt the familiar tightness in her chest at the mere hint of anything reminding her of the summer of 1969. She was devastated when Dominic disappeared; overcome with guilt for not understanding the emotional turmoil he’d been experiencing and ashamed of her own cowardice for never getting in touch with him afterwards. Even when Swani gave her Dominic’s parent’s address and telephone number, she still never tried to contact him.

“That was a long time ago; ancient history in fact.”

Gloria knew better. Her daughter came home after that summer a changed person; sadder and far more serious than a young woman ought to be. Georgia’s heart had been broken, but in the beginning her mother underestimated depth of grief her only child’s psyche. To her frustration, Georgia refused to talk about it, closing herself off from her mother and friends with a single minded seriousness uncharacteristic to her former free-spirited personality. She’d re-enrolled in college, taken a heavy course load of political science and psychology electives, finally setting her mind on obtaining a teaching degree. Problem was, Georgia had graduated over five months ago and was still working part time as a waitress at the local coffee shop.  

Gloria took the tea kettle from the stove and sat next to her daughter. As she poured hot water into their mugs she reflected on how much she wanted to see Georgia happy. Since she seemed to be stuck in a self-imposed rut and showed no signs of trying to climb out, maybe harsher methods of coercion were in order.

“If your father was still alive, he’d be horribly disappointed you’d let me travel to another country all alone. What if something happens while I’m there? What if I get sick or robbed or lost?”

Georgia laughed. “Oh mom, Australia isn’t a third world country and Queensland is hardly the outback.”

“Oh, just come with me. I don’t ask for many favors and I’ve given you more than a few over the years. I say it’s time for payback. Look at it this way; if you agree to come along with me, your conscience will be clear of ever owing me another thing.”

“Mom, would you listen to yourself? Which of us here is the parent and which is the child?” She couldn’t help but smile, even though she was acutely aware of what her mother was doing. Of course, her mother was right. Maybe it would be the chance to lay a few demons to rest so she could finally move on with her life. She hadn’t dated anyone seriously, not because she didn’t have the opportunities but because she was afraid of getting hurt again. There were times she felt like an old maid, and she was only twenty-five!

She took a deep breath and placed her hand over her mother’s. “All right, I’ll go. But please, do not try to push me off on every eligible male we meet, okay? Promise me that and I’ll do my best to enjoy myself.”

Gloria fought the urge to let out a whoop of triumph; she’d already booked their flight and paid for the airline tickets, had even told her in-laws to make room for the two of them. She didn’t let on to Georgia, however. “I’d never dream of doing anything so annoying. I’m your mother, not a matchmaker.”

They sat in and drank their tea, each lost in their own thoughts; Georgia musing over the notion that maybe it was time to send her resume to the local school board; Gloria smiling, thinking about all the handsome (and hopefully single) young men who’d be attending her niece’s wedding.

OCTOBER 1972

The transmission on Mrs. O’Flaherty’s Oldsmobile had given up the ghost and Dominic doubted there’d be an eleventh hour resurrection. One mechanic had called in sick and as part owner and manager of Peterson & Maloney Motors; he had to reschedule several pending service appointments for later in the week. He wasn’t worried; the garage was doing its best business in months and he enjoyed the responsibility of being in charge.

He’d come a long way from the angry young man of three years earlier. Hard work and weekly ranting sessions with Father Daniel’s Vets group, all men facing similar issues and coping with civilian life after Vietnam, had helped him regain his focus. The meetings reinforced that he wasn’t alone in his sense of displacement and provided him with comfortable camaraderie. His boss at the garage was so impressed with Dominic’s improved performance; he offered him a fifty percent partnership in the business. Dominic’s accomplishments were hard earned and well deserved.

“Hey Dom, there’s someone here to see you.”

Dominic glanced out the window and smiled when he saw who was waiting for him. Setting his clipboard down on his desk, he combed his hand through his hair and went out to greet her.

“G’day, Stephanie.”

Stephanie O’Hara stood in the front entrance doorway, her very pregnant belly making it difficult to maneuver about without forever bumping into things. This was the same young woman who had left Dom to chase after dreams of a rock and roll career. She married a guitarist named Ryan O’Flaherty who now worked for a local insurance agency in town.

“Hey Dom. What’s the verdict’s on my mother-in-law’s car?”

Dominic shook his head. “I think the old girl’s really kicked the bucket this time. No sense putting any more money into her, I reckon.”

He couldn’t take his eyes from Stephanie’s belly. There was no animosity existing between them; they had helped each other through a difficult time and Stephanie had been fortunate enough to meet a bloke who treated her well. He caught himself wondering if she ever missed the crazy wildness of her past, but she seemed happy. In fact, she was positively glowing.

Stephanie laughed. “Thank God. Ryan’s been telling her he’d buy her a nice new Mustang, but she’s so sentimental.”

“How much longer before the nipper’s born?”

“Six weeks, but not soon enough for me. I feel big as a house.”

“You look great.” He wasn’t lying; he always secretly found pregnant women to be rather lovely.

“You sound like Ryan. I don’t know if he’s just telling me that to make me feel better for gaining so much weight, or because he really believes it.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that; he was at the pub the other night bragging about his beautiful wife; and this was before he even had a drink.”

Stephanie gave him a doubtful look but Dominic could tell that she was pleased. “He’s such a romantic. Hey, are you ever gonna think about settling down?”

It was Dominic’s turn to look doubtful. Truth was, he’d dated a little but nothing too serious. He wasn’t certain why, but it had nothing to do with his being unattractive. Over time he’d gained a bit of weight and grown more handsome, but he was still far too modest to put much importance on his appearance. He just hadn’t met any one particular woman who caught his fancy; they either wanted to get too serious right away or they were disappointed by his lack of enthusiasm. Perhaps he was destined to remain a bachelor.

“I’m happy just as I am,” he kidded. “Too many women and not enough time.”

Stephanie laughed, knowing he was a terrible liar. She let the matter drop. “Do you think maybe we could sell the Olds for scrap or something? I can’t see towing that thing back to the house if it doesn’t run any more.”

“Maybe Leon can tow it out to the junkyard. Let’s go see what his schedule’s like today.”

Stephanie followed Dom out the front door and around to the mechanic’s bay, cautious to watch her step despite the fact that Dom ran a clean and neat shop. She hoped the arrangements to get rid of the old car didn’t take too long; her feet were swollen and her back was aching and she had a horrible craving for pickles.

w

Georgia had been in Queensland for over two weeks; the wedding was a success and her mother was right; her father’s family had welcomed them with open arms. After a whole life with so few relatives, it was a bit of a shock to find herself surrounded by numerous aunts, uncles, and a ridiculous amount of first and second cousins who seemed intent on making up for lost time. One of her cousins was the superintendent for the local school board; he was attempting to lure Georgia into considering applying for a teaching position.

“You’d have to pass the certification exam, but I know you’d have no problem with it. I could pull some strings and have you working as a substitute teacher in a matter of weeks, then you could fill in full time when the new semester starts in the spring.”

She was overwhelmed by the offer and hadn’t completely ruled the idea out; the fact that her mother was all for it relieved any initial guilt over possibly moving so far away. But there was one other matter she had to deal with first; the matter of Dominic Maloney.

It turned out that Dominic’s parents lived a mere forty-five minutes away from her aunt’s house in Queensland. Fate was presenting her with a monumental test, although she couldn’t possibly imagine what the outcome could be either way. If she tracked down Dominic, what would it accomplish, really? What if he refused to see her? What if he had continued his downward spiral and was an emotional wreck like so many Vietnam veterans?

“At least you’ll know, then you can move on with your life.” Her cousin Frankie had agreed to go along with her, and as they came closer to the highway exit, he reached over and squeezed her hand for encouragement. They’d grown rather close. Frankie’s mum was Georgia’s dad’s baby sister. Frankie and Georgia bore a startling resemblance. That they were born on the same day was just one more serendipic coincidence that cemented their friendship. Georgia had confided things to him that she had only hinted at in conversations with her mother, and Frankie felt a strong sense of protectiveness towards his pretty cousin. “You never know, Dom might have moved away, or he may be married with a bunch of ankle biters driving him bonkers.”

She didn’t know why, but the thought of Dominic married bothered her. Was it better to imagine him as mentally unstable? She shuddered at the notion and squeezed Frankie’s hand in return.

“Okay, here we are.” Frankie drew his hand away as he steered the car along the exit. “Read me that address again, will ya?”

Georgia knew it by heart. “331 Anza Terrace.”

Frankie found the street in no time. As he pulled up in front of the house he looked over at Georgia. “Are you sure you really want to do this? We can turn around and go back; no one ever has to know.”

She shook her head. “We’ve come this far. I think I’ll be okay.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“I think I need to do this alone.”

Frankie nodded, vowing to beat the bloody hell out of Dominic Maloney if he ended up making his cousin cry. He watched as Georgia got out of the car and headed up the walkway, her head held high and her shoulders squared as she approached the front door and knocked.

There wasn’t an answer right away and she was about to knock again when the door opened. She was greeted by a young girl who looked to be ten-years-old. The resemblance to Dominic was uncanny.

“Hi, I’m looking for Dominic Maloney.” Her voice sounded almost too cheerful and her stomach did a flip flop as the girl stared at her.

“Dom doesn’t live here any more.”

Oh dear. He had moved away. “My name’s Georgia, I’m a friend of his. Is there any way I can get a hold of him?”

The girl shrugged her shoulders and was about to close the door when a woman’s voice called out from inside. “Moya, who’s at the door?”

The girl looked over her shoulder. “Someone to see Dominic.”

Georgia heard the sound of footsteps and the door swung open wider, an older woman appeared. “Who’s here to see Dom?” She looked at Georgia and her eyes widened. “Oh, hello.”

Georgia smiled, feeling horribly awkward under the woman’s intense gaze. “Um, hi. My name’s Georgia … Georgia Fitzgerald. I was a friend of Dom’s when he was in New York and I …um, well, I’m here visiting family and I thought I’d drop in to say hello.”

Mary Maloney gave the young woman a cautious once over. She was certainly pretty. So this was the girl who had left such a mark on her son’s memory? How odd that she should suddenly show up from out of nowhere.

“I’m Dominic’s mother, Mary. I’m afraid Dom hasn’t lived here for a couple of years, but he’s probably at work about now. I could give you directions if you’d like.”

Georgia wanted to ask Mary if her son was married but she thought it might be too personal a question, so she just nodded her head. Mary pulled a paper napkin from her apron pocket and scribbled out the address, smiling softly as she handed the directions over. “There you go. Are you planning on staying long?”

 “Well, it’s kind of up in the air right now; I haven’t made up my mind just yet.”

They stood there for a moment, both wanting to ask the other a whole list of questions but too uncomfortable to speak. Georgia made the first move.

“Well, thank you for the directions.” She waved the napkin and smiled. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Maloney.”

She turned and headed back to the car. Mary and Moya watched her go, closing the door only after Frankie pulled away from the curb.  

He looked over and grinned. “Don’t tell me … he’s moved on.”

Georgia shook her head. “He’s at work. Do you know where this place is?” She handed him the napkin.

“Yeah, just a couple of blocks over.”

If Georgia was nervous the moment before, she was a wreck as they pulled into the garage parking lot. Her mouth went dry and her stomach clenched when she saw the sign over the front entrance.

Patterson & Maloney Motors.

“Well, at least the bloke’s gainfully employed,” Frankie joked as he followed his cousin’s line of vision. “I wonder if he’s any good.”

“Oh my God, Frankie,” Georgia’s voice crackled.

“What?” Frankie looked around and all he saw was a busy garage loaded with cars and a man and a very pregnant woman standing near the entrance. From the look on Georgia’s face, he knew the man must be Dominic.

He pulled into a parking space and turned to her. “Listen, I’ve been kidding with you about all this, but I think you really need to go out there and talk to him.”

 “I can’t.” Georgia shook her head. “I don’t know why I even considered doing this stupid thing. I can’t just waltz up to him and his wife and say ‘Hi Dom, remember me?’” 

“How do you know that’s his wife? It could just be a customer.”

He had a point. She’d traveled halfway around the world and now that Dominic was only feet away from her, it would be pure madness to cop out. She took a deep breath.

“You can do this, cuz. I’ll be right here in the car if you need me.”

Another deep breath and she opened the car door. One foot out on the pavement and the other followed. Another deep breath as she again squared her shoulders and stepped forward.

w

“So okay, Leon can take the Oldsmobile out to the salvage yard and he’ll pick up the check from the manager. You want to swing by for it sometime tomorrow?”

Stephanie tilted her head, thankful that Dom was willing to handle the disposal of the old car. “I could pick it up tomorrow afternoon. Would three be okay?”

Dominic’s expression suddenly changed. A moment ago he was smiling, then he glanced towards the parking lot and turned white as a ghost. “Hey, you okay?”

When he didn’t answer, Stephanie turned to see an attractive brunette walking towards them. She turned back to Dom. “Do you know her?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” His voice sounded far away and strange. Stephanie was curious but realized that this was something that was none of her business. She and Dom had remained friends in spite of their past history, she was intent on being a friend now by letting him handle the situation himself.

“Listen, I gotta go. Um, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Dominic didn’t even look at her. “Uh, okay, sure.”

She quickly headed towards her car, taking a quick glance over at the woman once more before looking again at Dom. Oh yeah, he knew her, all right.

Georgia felt Dominic’s eyes on her and she fought the urge to turn and run. You’ve come this far … DO NOT chicken out now, Georgia Fitzgerald!

She had imagined this scene so many times over the years, practicing every word she intended to say. But her heart was beating so hard that she could barely breathe, let alone think. He was even more handsome than she remembered; a little heavier, shorter hair but he still looked terrific.

“Hi, Dom.”

She stopped just feet away from him, afraid to say anything else. She tried to read his expression and was afraid that perhaps he was unhappy to see her … but then he smiled.

“Oh my God. Georgia? Is that really you?”

His voice sounded deeper than she remembered and she felt her stomach gripping again.

“It’s really me.”

She couldn’t remember what was said after that, but the next thing she knew she was ushered inside to an office where Dominic closed the door behind them.

“I don’t know what to say. Bloody hell, you look beautiful.” His eyes shined as he looked her over. “I’m afraid that I owe you an explanation but I don’t know where to start.”

He leaned back against his desk and tried not to fidget with the box of tools sitting near his hand.

“That’s okay, because I don’t know where to start either.” She was unaware that several of the mechanics had stopped working, now busy watching the two of them through the office windows. “I’m visiting my dad’s family, my mom’s with me. We were only going to stay a couple of weeks, but one of my cousin’s says he can get me a teaching job. I haven’t made up my mind about what I want to do yet.”

Dominic’s eyes sparkled. “You’re a teacher? You went back to school?”

“Graduated in May.”

“You’re not married?”

Did she detect a tone of hopefulness in his voice? “No. Not even close. You?”

“Married? No way. I’ve been too busy running the shop to have much time for dating.”

Why did she feel so glad to hear that? “Dom, listen, I need to say this; I just want you to know I understand why you left the way you did. Well, I didn’t at first, but after a while I learned more about what happened over there and I’m sorry about …”

He held up his hand as he cut her off. “You don’t owe me any apologies. I ran away and left you without even saying goodbye. Can you forgive me for being such an arse?”

He wanted to tell her so much more but was afraid that he’d just start babbling.

“Of course I forgive you.” She stepped closer and took his hand in hers. “You were dealing with something terrible and I was this big, goofy wannabe hippie chick. I had no idea what you were dealing with. I had some long talks with Swani about it afterwards. Oh, did you know that he and Jasmine got married last year?”

“I got an invitation to the wedding but I couldn’t get away. I sent them my best wishes.”

Another awkward moment of silence, but they were still holding hands and Dominic had no intentions of letting go.

“How are you Dom …really?”

He felt himself relax as he considered his answer. “Better.” Did she just move in a little closer? “It was really tough at first but I’ve been meeting with one of our parish priests. We have a group meeting with a bunch of blokes who’ve been to Nam. It helps, having someone to talk to who’s been there, you know? I bought my partnership in the garage last year and that’s been keeping me real busy. It’s kind of therapeutic, actually.”

“If you only knew how many nights I laid awake thinking about what had happened to you, Dominic Maloney …”

Neither knew who actually made the first move. Years later they’d teasingly argue over who actually kissed who first, but at that moment they’d fallen into one another’s arms.

“How long did you say you were staying again?” Dominic asked breathlessly between kisses.

“Haven’t decided,” Georgia gasped softly as his lips came down again on hers.

“Dinner tonight?” Another breathless sigh as he sucked on her bottom lip.

“Oh Dominic …”

Outside the office, the small group of mechanics gathered around to watch the show, smiled then dispersed back to work as Frankie drove away.

“Hey mates, I think the boss may be closin’ up early tonight,” one of them said.