Chapter 4

The Americans spent the next two days doing mining and safety inductions and examining the latest maps in the evenings.

They then spent two more days in the main mine being shown how they were currently mining the opals and what boulder opals looked like in their natural state. Both Mark and Bambie found the tours, the geology of the caverns and the mining procedures fascinating.

In preparation for their arrival, Smithy had the entrance cavity to the caverns they were to survey, hollowed and flattened to roughly four meters high by five meters wide by ten metres deep room. The electricians had dropped in a cable, installed a temporary supply and strung up lights. They had included a charging station for hat lamps, radios and the battery-operated portable equipment.

Smithy had dropped down the equipment he thought they’d need and even set up a little kitchen area, a couple of folding tables, six chairs and installed a chemical port-a-loo. After Bambie arrived, he assured her that her equipment was moved to the cavern.

For Smithy, the highlights of those first four days were the time spent with Bambie. He also shamelessly encouraged Kira, Davo Allan’s sister and Sandy, his sister, to distract Mark so he could take Bambie for evening strolls. Bambie had no problems falling into Smithy’s plans.

She was entranced with not only the Australian bush but with the man who was showing her his strange and beautiful home. Smithy named the prominent flora and any fauna they located. She got to see the huge red kangaroo’s bounding over the dusty plains. She was introduced to a variety of bugs, spiders, lizards and birds.

Smithy pointed out what was poisonous and what wasn’t. She even got to learn of some of the uses of particular plants known to the natives. At dusk, she saw the light glitter off the eyes of a fox, and they even scared a rabbit out of some spinifex one night. They ended each evening, on the other side of the camp on a small hill that faced south.

Bambie sat between Stuart’s legs and leant back on him, as he told her about the constellations above, and what was making the noises that she heard in the bush. Not once had she felt frightened. Each night had ended-up with them talking about their hopes and dreams and doing a lot of kissing.

Bambie had let him caress her tits and kiss her neck as they talked. Each night, he had got a little bolder, but he always waited for Bambie to encourage him in his exploration of her. He was more than happy when she reciprocated, even though they hadn’t gone all the way.

Each night, she had gone to bed dreaming about Stuart, after having to take care of the little problem he had left her. She knew he was taking it slow with her and while she appreciated it, she had a feeling if he didn’t make the final move soon, he was going to get raped. She had never desired a man as she did him.

Bambie had never been left wanting or so needy before. She had rarely let anyone get in under her guard, as she had let Stuart. More often than not, she had ended most of her dates hoping they would never call her back. She didn’t have a problem with sex before marriage, just who to have sex with.

Most of her dates soon worked out that Bambie didn’t put-out, especially on the first couple of dates anyway. Not too many got past three dates. In high school, she had dressed to hide her assets and didn’t date at all.

Her mother had often wondered if something was wrong with her daughter. Bambie informed her that she was picky, and the boys only wanted what she didn’t plan on giving them.

She did have friends and did go to her prom with her two best friends, as none of them had been asked anyway. Nerdy girls that didn’t associate with nerdy boys were strange critters to many of their fellow High Schoolers.

She hadn’t been much different when she went to University, as she had still lived at home and didn’t go to the University functions. The fact her mother had been unwell, from the cancers that riddled her body due to her excessive alcohol intake, also restricted Bambie from dating.

She did go out on a few dates, mostly to keep her mother happy, but her lack of encouragement soon had the boys moving on. The last four years working with Graeme had also provided a level of insulation after her mother passed away, leaving her alone in the world. She had been a loving mother despite her inability to cope with what life had thrown at her.

Bambie loved her job, and even though she had to extend out her studies to work, she considered it worthwhile. She did have her dreams and fantasies. The fact that she was living her biggest fantasy right now made Bambie one elated girl.

Stuart felt that taking it slow and steady with Bambie was the way to win her heart, as she had already stolen his. Out in the middle of nowhere made it hard for a bloke to show a girl a good time.

Even so, by their fifth date, Stuart had worked out that their dates had been just perfect as far as Bambie was concerned. She didn’t want to go dancing and drinking. Her enquiring mind much preferred the stimulation of discovery he had been able to provide.

He had long since worked out that she was smarter than the average. They had found so many topics to discuss that time just disappeared on them. They had even enjoyed just sitting and watching the sunsets over the semi-arid riverine landscape, as the kookaburras with their strange laughing calls and the cockatoos’ squawks competed in singing the sun to bed.

Watching the southern stars filling the night sky was just awe-inspiring. He loved that Bambie didn’t need constant chatter to keep her entertained. She found the simplest things that he took for granted interesting. As much as he wanted to make love with her, it just didn’t seem the right time yet.

He was pretty sure Bambie would tell him when it was, and he could wait. He had waited this long to find her; he didn’t want to scare her off. As far as they had gone with the kissing and exploration under clothes and even the blue balls, it had been worth it for every minute in her company.

He’d walked her back to her room each night and then went to seek his own rest, wondering what exciting little find would captivate Bambie tomorrow, as she learned about his home and him. Her kisses and smiles, and her expressions of wonder would invade his dreams but that was what made them so tremendous.

It was time to take her to see his opals.

Monday the thirty-first of October arrived with rain.

The thunderstorm had snuck in during the dark morning hours. A few people had commented on the higher humidity the day before but with air-conditioned rooms, the increasing humidity that night hadn’t bothered them. The storm hit just after four in the morning and bucketed down on its way to the south-east.

Storms in the mid-west of Queensland can come hard and fast. They are often pushed down from the north and dropping their load of four to six inches (10-15cm) of rain in a half-hour downpour for an area, were very common. The camp woke to the sodden ground and the raucous sounds of birds calling, ribbiting frogs and croaking toads.

“Just you wait, Bambie; in two days, I’ll show you some of the most amazing flowers,” Smithy told her at breakfast. He knew she was in for a surprise when the riverine region bloomed.

Peter O’Toole, the mine manager, joined them and said, “Roscoe has had a quick look and said the rain shouldn’t stop your first trip down but take things carefully and don’t go too far today. It can take a few days for the surface water to filter down that far, it really depends on how the caverns are connected.”

“Due to the iron deposits’ having some magnetite in them, some of what is down there is still hidden from us as you know. That stuff can really screw with the readings. You may just want to check the maps are accurate before you go into new areas. It won’t hurt to verify that your string lines are still up, Smithy.”

“Yeah, I was going to make that a priority. They are here for four weeks, so we should get the area I hope to map finished. Hopefully, we will find you some good specimens, Bambie. This is boulder country, so you never know just what you will find,” he replied with a friendly grin.

With a lot of excitement, Mark and Bambie collected their climbing and caving gear. They walked over to where the cage-winder was set up, with Smithy and Davo, who was an expert Caver.