‘Well, you know how motivated Mandy is.’ Lockie stood up and moved restlessly across the room. ‘She’s sort of used this family event to issue me with a bit of an ultimatum.’
Georgia frowned. ‘What sort of an ultimatum? You don’t mean she’s called off the engagement, do you?’
‘No. Not exactly. You know she hasn’t been happy about—well, about things lately, and she wants some changes made.’
‘By “things” I suppose you mean the band?’
He nodded and Georgia watched him as he continued to prowl about the room.
‘Mandy says we’ve been going nowhere and she’s sick and tired of all the two-bit gigs Country Blues has been doing. She wants me to get organised and work out a plan to get the band ahead, otherwise…’ He pursed his lips.
‘Otherwise?’ Georgia encouraged gently.
‘Otherwise she’s going to leave Country Blues and take up an offer from a group in Sydney. She has a month to decide on the Sydney offer and she’s going to make the decision when she comes back from New Zealand in a few weeks’ time.’
‘And if she takes the job in Sydney?’
‘Then I guess we’re all washed up. The band because we need a female lead singer, and Mandy and I because-well, just because.’ Lockie looked down at his hands.
‘Do you want to break your engagement?’ Georgia asked him.
Lockie sat down again, his long legs stretched out in front of him. ‘What do you think, Georgie? You know how I feel about Mandy. I want to marry her and if I had the money I’d do it tomorrow-you know that.’
‘Then for heaven’s sake do something about it. You can’t just sit back and hope it will all come good, Lockie. I know how Mandy feels too, and I can understand it. You’ve dragged her around the countryside in that clapped-out old van barely making ends meet. You must see it can’t go on for ever.’
‘But you have to pay your dues in this business and it’s the only business I want to be in. My music is my life.’
‘And Mandy knows that, but it doesn’t mean she has to forfeit what she wants from life. There has to be some compromise.’
‘I guess. And I suppose I was expecting too much of her. I thought perhaps I wasn’t ready for marriage but when I tried to imagine my life without Mandy I knew I couldn’t give her up. And I don’t want to, Georgia.’ Lockie looked at her directly.
‘So what are you going to do?’
He shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
‘What about that chance of doing the recording you were talking about last week?’
‘With D.J. Delaney and Skyrocket Records? That was all talk, sis. We’d need to be seen and heard to even stand a chance. We can’t just front up and say, Here we are. We wouldn’t get past the front desk.’ He stood up again and crossed to the window. ‘We’d have to get an engagement at somewhere like the Country Music Club in Ipswich.’ His thin features brightened. ‘Now, if we could get to work there it would be a stepping stone to anything-recording, television-who knows?’
‘Then try for it, Lockie,’ Georgia encouraged, and he gave a short laugh.
‘Oh, sure, sis. Just walk in and offer the services of the best popular country band in Oz? They’d say, Country Blues who?’
‘Why not?’ Georgia could almost laugh at herself. Who was she to be offering such earth-shattering advice? She could barely help herself when she had to. She hurriedly pushed that thought out of her mind with an ease borne of an old habit. ‘What alternative do you have, Lockie?’
He shook his head. ‘Right. About none, I’d say.’ He pulled a face but before he could comment further the phone rang and Georgia leant across to lift the receiver.
‘Hello?’ she said tiredly.
‘Georgia? Thank goodness it’s you. Can you come and get me?’
‘Morgan!’ Georgia could hear the agitation in her young sister’s voice. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Do we have to go into that now? I just want to come home.’ Morgan’s voice rose. ‘Is Lockie there? Can you come in his van?’
‘Yes, of course. But why? Where’s Steve?’
‘He’s gone out and I don’t want to be here when he gets back. We had a fight.’
‘What about?’ Georgia raised her hand to massage her tern ple. The headache that had been threatening all day now really made its presence felt, beginning to pound relentlessly.
‘For heaven’s sake, Georgia!’ Morgan exclaimed shrilly. ‘It was just a fight. Can’t we leave it at that?’ She sighed loudly. ‘If you must know, Steve hit me and I’m not staying here another day.’
‘Steve what?’ Georgia asked in dismay.
‘If you don’t come and get me, Georgia, I’ll start walking.’
‘You can’t do that at this time of night—’ Georgia began.
‘Then come and get me.’
‘All right Wait there. We should be down in about thirty minutes. And Morgan—’
‘Not now, Georgia,’ Morgan broke in. ‘I’ll explain later. I just want to get away from here, OK? So hurry.’ With that the young girl hung up.
‘What was all that about?’ Lockie came to stand beside Georgia as she replaced the receiver.
‘Morgan wants us to go and get her. She wants to come home,’ she explained.
‘Oh, great. That’s all we need.’ Lockie threw his hands in the air.
‘She said she had a fight with Steve and he hit her.’
‘Steve? I don’t believe it!’ Lockie exclaimed. ‘Morgan probably hit him first’
‘Oh, Lockie, please.’ Georgia ran a hand over her forehead. ‘We’ll have to go and get her. I’ll lock up while you bring the van around.’ She went to pick up her bag.
‘The van’s not here.’
Georgia stopped. ‘Not here?’
Her brother shook his head. ‘Andy and Ken have got it. Remember I told you Andy’s landlord had complained about his drum-practising? Well, he got another place and they borrowed my van to shift his stuff after I took Mandy out to the airport. I don’t know when they’ll be back.’
Georgia’s stomach churned, her tiredness forgotten. ‘Then we’ll have to call a taxi.’ She turned back to the phone, mentally tallying up how much money she had left out of her pay.
Lockie put his hand on her arm. ‘It’s OK,
