Chapter 74

"Henry's flying back!" Rachel said.

"Oh?"

"Sarah called. He'd phoned her. The lava from the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on the east rift zone of Kīlauea is no longer flowing into or towards the ocean."

"I assume that this means that they are – uh – still 'a number'."

"I think each serves to satisfy the other's itch."

"Rachel! That's far grosser than I'd expect from you!"

"Yes, dear. But I don't know what else to say about either of them: neither appears to be matrimonially inclined."

"No. But we're the ones at fault where Sarah's concerned."

"Really?"

"She said so years ago. We're the model of perfect love she has in front of her. We've been together as long as she's been alive."

"That's true. It's also depressing. Should we have affairs?"

"I hope not. I've got a different notion." I picked her up.

"Let me go, you beast!"

"No, my pretty, I'm going to wreak my insatiable lusts!"

"Oh, dear. What should I do?"

I tossed her on the bed.

Later, I asked Rachel whether Sarah had told her anything else. It turned out that Henry had spent some time at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, reading about Marianas prehistory and archaeology. He'd also met with his advisor in Hilo and gone over his notes on the contents of the three boxes. It was Henry's hope to gain information from the Australian navy and then write a dissertation based on the modern collection of insular archaeological materials.

Interesting.

At breakfast, Rachel asked when we had time to travel or take a holiday.

"Well," I said, "Pretty much all of June and July, unless you've got an exam. Then I've got one course beginning at the end of July. Do you have any beginning then?"

"No exams, just one paper. But I should take one the last term. I'll look online and talk to Winnie."

"Okay. We're supposed to be 'available.' The Uni says: 'Students are required to make themselves available for the duration of the scheduled exam period at the end of each semester (or on the dates specified by the Unit Coordinator in the case of an early or late intensive unit) to complete their exams.' I presume that's us."

"Who's my 'Unit Coordinator'?"

"Head of Art History, I suppose. Why don't we go to campus: I'll head for the Law School, you go to art. Let's meet a bit before noon for lunch at the pizza place."

"Okay. I can leave as soon as we put the mugs and dishes in the sink."

I learned that I needed a letter of evaluation from Sean Curran by 30 May and a separate one concerning my July to November internship. It was a bit brisk, but I sat on a bench reading the data about the College of Law and Practical Legal Training (the next step in my trial by ordeal). There was to be an "information session" on 13 October at UNSW. Most of the information had been carefully obfuscated, so we'd all need the "session."

When Rachel arrived I asked her what she'd found out.

"Three more courses. But they seemed to think two of them ought to be lectures or seminars. No more than one additional 'special study'."

"Anything interesting?"

"I thought I'd do cartoons and illusions."

"That is... ?"

"Pop Art and Op Art."

"Roy Liechtenstein and Bridget Riley."

"It should be interesting. What will you do at the Gallery?"

"Dunno. Whatever Winnie suggests."

We were seated.

"I want aubergine."

"Fine. I thought I'd like sausage. Want to share?"

"Let's be individual."

"Yes, dear." I placed our orders.

"I guess we could travel towards the end of June and most of July. Where do you want to go?"

"Melbourne, mostly. The VGA. But I'd like to visit my parents either at the beginning or end of our trip."

"How about we fly down for a week, go to the ACT for a few days, then back here? We'll take two weeks, including travel days."

"Perfect! I'll call my mum later."

"Do you want to stay with them?"

"Not at all. We'll stay near the National Gallery. I want to visit. I may spend a day shopping with my mum. But I don't want to live with them."

We munched for a while. Then I said: "Okay. When we get home we'll get out a calendar and then you can phone your mum. Why don't we estimate six or seven nights in Canberra, returning here on a Sunday. Once you've talked to her, we can work backwards and then I'll make travel and hotel reservations. I'm going to want a day or two at the Museum, looking at the aboriginal collection and, if it's in session, a day at the Supreme Court."

"Sounds like the beginning of a plan."

While we were walking home, I remarked that I was going to need two separate letters from Sean and that I thought it was getting close to the time for me to call or write Craig Ardler at the South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation.