Chapter 28: Acta est fabula

The party went extremely well. Michiko and Charles brought a beautiful piece of Japanese silk embroidery and Winnie had found me a nineteenth century steel engraving of a kangaroo and a sugar glider. Sandra gave me an antique Wurda shield. The art works went up the next day, Rachel would have to advise me on the embroidery.

Nadine’s life companion turned out to be a professor at Macquarie, and known to Sandra. She was interested in the Macartney Mission to China [1793] and its failure. Al arrived with a handsome young woman with neon blue hair, wearing a t-shirt, a micro-skirt and thigh-high boots with ten-centimetre heels. She was stunning; and apparently a budding “performance artist.” (Michiko seemed appalled at her son’s taste. Henry seemed to enjoy the view, but was otherwise indifferent.)

Sarah and Henry had found a place on Sturt Street in Adelaide. It would be about a 20 minute walk to the Museum. They brought me a hand-carved tiki of the goddess Pele. It would go into the glassed-in area. I watched as the human locusts descended upon the sushi.

I was quite amazed. I told Winnie that I hadn’t expected gifts, but I was thrilled by what I’d been given.

“Your environment still needs colour,” she responded. “The shield and the tiki lend some three-dimensionality. But the embroidery is largely modulated in colour. Look at the way the girl’s hair bursts into the room. Maybe a painting of a galah.”

Rachel had been right. Nadine and her partner, Al and his date, Sarah and Henry were gone before 21:00. Sandra left soon after, as did Charles and Michiko. Rachel and Winnie cleaned up the detritus and put things into the dishwasher. There was too little in the way of food to think about.

Rachel and Patrick bid their adieux at about 22:00.

“It’s late,” I told Winnie. “Let me take you home in a cab.”

“Thirty years ago, you would have expected me to stay over.”

“And thirty years ago you would have. But now we’re past that.”

“Sadly.”

“No. We’ve no regrets where the past is concerned. But the past is just that.”

“You’re right.”

I took her home and let the same cab return me to Goulburn.

Charles and Michiko were spending a holiday week in town, so I arranged a sixth wedding anniversary party for Patrick and Rachel: eight of us – Patrick and Rachel, Charles and Michiko, Henry and Sarah, Al and me. I called the Intercontinental – no vacancy; the Hilton – same; the Marriott – sorry. I got lucky at the Park Hyatt near The Rocks. So, I took a small “meeting room” for a private dinner party. It would be a bit late, but on the 27^th. Then I called everyone. Luckily, no one had a “previous engagement.”