Heart of The Tree

Chapter 8

Vince awoke to the screeching of a flock of galahs flying over the house. His headache made it sound like they were in the room, using a rock band’s amplifiers at full volume.

Gingerly easing open one eye, he saw that he was lying on top of his bed, still wearing the clothes from the night before. The only things that had been removed were his shoes, though he didn’t remember doing that. He didn’t even remember going home.

He was incapable of smiling, as that required too much effort, but he was happy. He’d had a good time with his friends. There was a sense that something bad had happened, but he couldn’t recall what it was, so he just relaxed.

He was still vegetating an hour later when his door opened and Matt entered, carrying two steaming cups. A bitter aroma drifted towards Vince.

“Strong coffee,” Matt whispered, wincing at the noise.

Vince levered himself upright, then dropped his head between his knees as the violent manoeuvre threatened to make his brain explode.

“I don’t think I’m as bad as you, but I suspect I’m not far behind,” Matt whispered.

“Can we cancel today?”

“Can’t do that. We’ve got a wedding to go to, remember?”

Vince raised his head and looked at Matt. Accepting the coffee that was held out to him, he took a sip before asking his question.

“Wedding?”

“Pat’s wedding.”

“You’re getting married?” Vince asked, trying to work out why he’d failed to remember such an important event.

“Not me,” Matt said. He chuckled, then grimaced as his hangover responded. “Pat and Colin.”

“Who’s Colin?”

Matt stared for several seconds. “You don’t remember?”

Vince shook his head, then wished he hadn’t. Knowing he’d have to get over his hangover sooner or later, he took another sip of coffee.

“Colin’s Pat’s fiancé. They’ve been secretly planning this wedding for a long time.”

Vince suddenly recalled the bad news from the night before.

“Give me some time to recover. I’ll see you soon.”

As Matt stepped out, Vince felt like kicking himself for being so abrupt with Matt. His only excuse was the intense hangover he was experiencing, and he vaguely remembered that Matt had been a major culprit in giving it to him.

It was another thirty minutes, after a refreshing shower and some careful, slow movements while getting dressed, before Vince appeared in the kitchen. Matt was sitting at the table with Mrs. Aster.

“I hear you had a good night,” she said, smiling at Vince’s tentative movements.

“So I believe,” Vince mumbled, collapsing into a chair.

Another cup of coffee appeared in front of him, as if by magic.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Matt replied, sounding better than he had earlier.

“Matt tells me that you’re going to a wedding this afternoon.”

“Yeah,” Vince said while crouching over his cup. He wondered if it was possible to absorb the caffeine by just breathing in the aroma, so he wouldn’t have to go to the effort of lifting the cup to his lips.

“Do you have a present for them?”

Vince grimaced. “No. We only found out about it last night.”

Kirstie Aster smiled warmly at her younger son. Since he rarely got drunk, she was prepared to be lenient. Learning limits was part of growing up.

“There’s two wrapped presents on the table in the lounge room. I hope you don’t mind me doing it for you.”

Vince looked up to give her a radiant smile… for half a second, before grimacing in pain again.

“Thanks, Mum.”

He thought for a moment, before continuing. “Two presents?”

“One from you and one from Matt. If Matt already has one of his own, the second can be from your dad and me.”

“You shouldn’t’ve!” Matt said.

With the ease of years of practise on two teenage boys, she simply raised an eyebrow and stared down at him.

“I’ll get a present later; you don’t have to do that for me.”

“With the amount you two drank last night, it’ll be hours before either of you will be in a fit state to drive. You don’t have time to do any shopping, anyway, since you need to get dressed for the occasion.”

“At least let me pay for it.”

She paused, as if considering the suggestion. “We’ll worry about that later. For now, you need to clean up and get ready. I think you said the wedding will be at three?”

“I think so, but we should ring someone to make sure. Vince and I weren’t exactly sober when we were told about it.”

She laughed. “No need. I’ve already rung Rhys and gotten the details. I’ll drive both of you into town when it’s time.”

What was left of the morning was spent trying to get ready for the afternoon’s activity. Vince had as long a shower as he thought he could get away with, trying to restore some vitality to his alcohol-racked body. Sorting out clothes didn’t take too long, though he had to ask his mum to iron the shirt he wanted to wear.

By the time they climbed into his mum’s car, Vince was feeling ready to rejoin the human race. He didn’t intend to have a late night. From what he and Matt could recall there was no reception organised for after the wedding, but he suspected they’d all end up at one of the restaurants for dinner.

The ride was a quiet one, with both guys still subdued as a result of their over-indulging the night before. It wasn’t long before they pulled up near the park.

“Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Aster,” Matt said as he got out of the car.

“Yeah, thanks, Mum.”

“Call me if you need me to pick you up. I’ll be in town for a couple of hours, but you can stay late if you want. Just let me know, okay?”

“Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Aster. My car is still here from yesterday. I’ll drive Vince home after we’re finished.”

“Thanks, Matt. I’ll see you both later, then.”

Matt and Vince walked the short distance to the park, where they could see a small group of people clustered around The Tree. The fence that had been erected by the council had been pushed back to provide a place to stand underneath The Tree’s canopy. Vince guessed that would be where Patricia and Colin would take their vows. Scattered clouds kept the day from being too hot.

“Matt! Vince!”

Vince smiled to himself. Mia always seemed to be pleased to see them. She didn’t move, but waited next to Bobby, Rhys, and Mark until Matt and Vince joined the group.

“How’s the head?” Mark asked, grinning.

“It’s exploded several times, but I’ve managed to put it back together again,” Vince replied.

“Did you remember to put the brains back in?” Rhys asked.

Vince looked at him blankly. “Brains? What are they?”

“Well, if you never had any, don’t worry about it.”

“Hi, Matt,” Bobby said. “I wasn’t sure if you two were going to make it. You were both pretty wasted last night.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for anything. I’ve always loved weddings, especially for nice girls like Pat. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a romantic in that respect.”

Mia stepped up and slipped her arm around Matt’s waist.

“Most of these guys are romantics, too, but they refuse to admit it. At least one person here is honest.”

“Romantic? I can’t even spell the word! How am I supposed to admit to being one?” Rhys asked.

“I’ve never denied being a romantic,” Bobby said. “It’s just that no one has ever asked me.”

“Here come Padma and Karen,” Mark said, looking across the park to where the two girls were strolling towards them.

Matt looked around. “I don’t see Pat or Colin. Shouldn’t at least one of them be here by now?”

When the others went silent, Matt and Vince stared at the serious faces in front of them.

“Do you see the two policemen over there?” Rhys asked, pointing to a group of three people near The Tree.

“Yeah… What are they doing here?” Matt asked.

“There were some threats made last night when I went with Pat to pick up her bag. I spoke to my dad and he’s got two of his men here, just in case. Pat and Colin will be showing up together at the last minute. We don’t want anything to happen.”

“Who’s that with the policemen?”

“The lady in the red dress is the celebrant,” Rhys said.

“Crimson, not red,” Mia said. “Get it right!”

“Okay, crimson,” Rhys said, rolling his eyes.

“Why isn’t Reverend Cloister doing the wedding?” Vince asked, surprised. Hardly anyone in town used a celebrant.

“Colin told me it’s because he and Pat couldn’t meet the church’s requirements about meeting beforehand. They would’ve loved for him to do it, but it just wasn’t possible. Using a celebrant meant there were fewer hurdles for them to jump,” Rhys said.

Vince nodded his head. It was obvious in hindsight. As Padma and Karen joined them, Vince spotted Aunt Cynthia exiting The Treasure Coffee Shop with Ian Cloister and his wife and heading in their direction. He smiled as he watched them walk over. It was a novelty for the reverend to be able to attend a wedding instead of conducting it. Even if Patricia and Colin couldn’t have a church wedding, the church’s representative would still be there for them.

“Hi, guys!”

“Lilly, Greg! Good to see you here,” Rhys said, looking past Vince.

Vince snapped his head around in surprise. The feminine voice belonged to Lilly Roundtree, who was standing there with her younger brother, Greg. She was wearing an elegant mauve dress and a broad-rimmed white hat. Her smile at Matt immediately told Vince why she was there.

Vince felt a mixture of curiosity and revulsion. The news about Patricia’s wedding must’ve spread fast, he thought. Lilly was on the short list for the new Heart, and if it wasn’t Patricia, she was clearly there to find out if it might be her. While he wondered if it might be her, Vince couldn’t help feeling disgusted about how quickly Lilly had shown up to push herself forward.

To take his mind off her mercenary attitude, he looked at her brother. He’d never minded Greg, who’d been in the same school year as Vince, but he wasn’t really a friend. Greg seemed a bit tentative, as if he was only there as an excuse for his sister to meet Matt. When Vince caught his eye, Greg flashed him a wry smile before looking away.

Suspicious, Vince looked around at the small groups near The Tree. He nodded to himself as he first spotted Jenny Anderson with some friends of hers, and then Leonie Smith with what looked like a younger sister. Someone must’ve made some phone calls, and from the way Rhys greeted Lilly, Vince didn’t think he had to go far to work out who. Trying to hide his distaste at Lilly’s forwardness, he mentally crossed his fingers and hoped she wasn’t the one.

From the look that Mia gave him, Vince didn’t think he’d managed to hide his sigh of relief when Lilly walked off to talk to some other friends.

“Uh, oh. This could be trouble.”

Vince snapped his head around at Bobby’s comment.

“What wrong?” Mia asked.

“Sean Bryson and his mum.”

They all looked in the direction Bobby pointed, to see a large, barrel-chested young man accompanying Mrs. Bryson towards The Tree.

“They’re dressed more for a wedding than a fight,” Mia said.

Mrs. Bryson was wearing a yellow floral dress and a matching hat. Sean was in jeans, but with a smart, button up, short sleeve shirt and a pair of good-quality boots; not the sort of clothing for picking a fight.

“I’m looking at Sean’s face, not his clothes.”

Vince could see what Bobby meant. While Mrs. Bryson was walking along slowly, a pleasant smile on her face, Sean was scowling. His heavy steps seemed to shout out his reluctance to be there.

“At least Pat’s dad isn’t here. If he were, I’d be really worried. The cops should keep Sean on the straight and narrow,” Rhys said.

“How? They’ve never managed to do that to you.”

While Rhys turned on Mark for that snide comment, Vince glanced at Matt. He was surprised to see him staring menacingly at the newcomers.

“What is it, Matt?”

Matt shook his head and then schooled his expression back to a pleasant one.

“Sorry. I just don’t want to see Pat’s day ruined. She’s been looking forward to this for a long time.”

“As long as everyone is careful, it should be fine. Just relax.”

Matt gave a short bark of laughter.

“Well, I’m as relaxed as one can be while still recovering from the night before,” he said.

A few minutes later there was a ripple of excitement as Patricia and Colin emerged from The Cricketer’s Arms. Everyone moved to form a spontaneous human corridor that led the couple to where the celebrant was waiting. Vince scanned the crowd and found Sean Bryson and his mum near the edge, and a policeman standing innocently nearby. He kept his fingers crossed that Sean wouldn’t do anything.

“Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mary Springer. I’d like to thank you for coming to share Patricia and Colin’s special day. Both a joyous and a solemn occasion, a wedding is a time to celebrate two people declaring their love for each other and their desire to spend the rest of their lives together. It also provides lots of legal and financial benefits, but we won’t mention that.”

A chuckle ran through the crowd, led by Aunt Cynthia and Reverend Cloister. Vince smiled at the slightly irreverent tone that the celebrant was setting. It fitted Patricia’s character to have some cheekiness at her wedding.

The ceremony was not like the ones that Vince had been to previously, where Reverend Cloister had presided. Fascinated by the differences, he was startled when Matt grabbed him by the arm just after Mary Springer asked if anyone knew of a reason the marriage should not proceed.

“What’s he doing?” Matt whispered.

Vince turned to look in the direction Matt was staring. Sean Bryson was pushing his way through the crowd. The policeman standing behind and to the side of the celebrant took a couple of steps forward, ready to intervene if he was needed.

Many people in the crowd were whispering to their neighbours, but one person was following Sean: Bobby.

As Sean broke into the open space near his sister and Colin, Bobby grabbed his arm. With everyone looking on, and both Patricia and Colin appearing nervous but resolute, Bobby and Sean had a furious, but quiet, conversation. Seconds later, Bobby nodded and let go. Sean took a step forward. Colin responded by moving to place himself between Sean and Patricia. Vince couldn’t see Sean’s face, but Colin’s glare at his soon-to-be brother-in-law reflected the animosity between the two. Sean ignored him and addressed his sister.

“Pat, you know that both Dad and I think you’re making a mistake, but I want to say here and now, in front of these people, that we both love you and want what’s best for you. You’ve chosen Colin, and we can’t do anything about that, but don’t go away thinking you’re not loved. I just hope he makes you happy.”

Sean turned to stare at Colin, whose expression had relaxed into one of cautious neutrality.

“Colin, you’d better make sure you look after her, or you’ll have me and Dad to answer to.”

“I fully intend to. I wanted to before, but my parents and yours didn’t let me. I’ve never stopped wanting what’s best for Pat.”

Colin’s answer, while delivered in an aggressive tone, seemed to satisfy Sean. He turned and pushed his way back through the crowd to his mother. It was only then that Vince thought to see how she’d handled the confrontation. She was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, but the smile on her face showed that she was content with the outcome.

Minutes later, Patricia and Colin were married. In another surprise, Reverend Cloister and Aunt Cynthia were the witnesses in the signing of the marriage certificate.

“That’s sure to help them,” Bobby said.

“Yeah. Getting those two to support the marriage should go a long way towards cancelling any bad gossip,” Rhys said.

“Enough of the negative comments, guys. This is supposed to be a happy occasion,” Mia said, giving Rhys a playful punch on the arm.

“What happens next?” Matt asked.

Mia looked around conspiratorially. “They don’t know it, but a small reception is being thrown for Pat and Colin.”

Vince raised his eyebrows in surprise. “When did this happen?”

Mia smiled. “This morning. I made a few phone calls, and Mama Saviloni is going to put on an afternoon tea. It’s her present to them.”

“Who’s going?” Bobby asked.

“She said we can have up to twenty people. We’ll have to wait and see how many want to go.”

* * *

Rhys looked over the arrangements with a sense of satisfaction. After Pat’s bombshell that she probably wasn’t the new Heart, he’d spent the morning alerting the other three main girls on the short list. Mia had said she’d try to organise something for after the wedding, so Rhys concentrated on making sure the appropriate people would be there, giving them a chance to mix with Matt.

Mama Saviloni put on a good spread — which was not surprising to those who knew her — that drew appreciative comments from Matt, who hadn’t been there before, and Colin, who’d forgotten what it was like. It wasn’t a main meal, but with the number of canapés, anti-pastas and other snacks, no one needed to go away hungry.

Matt had been introduced to Lilly, Jenny and Leonie, under the guise that they were friends of Patricia. Rhys had spoken to Pat earlier to get her agreement to the ruse. It was up to those girls to make an impression. With the food on a long table at one end of the restaurant, and a space cleared in front of it, there was plenty of opportunity for everyone to mingle.

“I can’t believe you’ve done this for us,” Patricia said, looking around in amazement.

“A wedding isn’t a proper wedding unless there’s a good party afterwards, and you can’t have a good party without good food,” Mama Saviloni said, reaching over and patting Patricia on the hand. “Now, have fun. You only get married once, you know.”

Patricia gave the elderly Italian grandmother a hug, followed by a kiss on the cheek, before allowing her to go back to the kitchen. Colin grinned at his wife and then turned to the guests.

“Well, you heard her. Start eating, folks, and thanks for coming. It really means a lot to us.”

When Rhys made a move towards the food, Mia grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.

“Wedding couple first,” she said, glaring up at him.

Rhys grinned back. “Okay, just this once.”

After waiting his turn, Rhys stepped to the side with his plate of food and watched the other guests. He wasn’t surprised that Patricia’s mother had attended, but he was sure she was disappointed that Sean didn’t stay. Rhys had been close enough at the time to overhear Sean saying he’d wait for her at the pub.

The only thing that stopped Rhys from having a wry grin was the small meatball he’d stuck into his mouth. He could see Lilly Roundtree’s frustration as Matt had ended up between Bobby and Ian Cloister in the line. The reverend was having a lively conversation with Matt, and Lilly didn’t seem to have a chance to jump in.

Aunt Cynthia was talking with Jenny Anderson, who was putting food on plates for both of them. Rhys nodded to himself as he watched. According to what Bobby had told him, Jenny spent a lot of time doing volunteer work. The two of them had often ended up on various projects together. She was the sort of caring person that would make a great wife for someone heavily involved in helping people.

Leonie Smith and her sister were hanging back. Leonie looked uncertain, as if she wasn’t sure what to do. Rhys made a note to himself to help introduce her to Matt, as it looked like she might be too shy to do it herself.

“Was it you or Mia who invited Lilly and the others?” Vince asked, as he moved up next to Rhys.

“Me,” Rhys said smugly.

“I hope it’s not Lilly. We’ll need to be careful, or she just might drive Matt away. I think she’s too aggressive.”

Rhys shrugged. “We’ll keep an eye on it. I was just thinking Leonie may need a bit of prompting to speak to Matt. She looks a bit shy.”

Vince turned to watch her. “You might be right. We’ve got a bit of time, so there’s no need to rush.”

Before they could say anything else, Patricia and Colin joined them.

“Thanks for everything, guys.”

Rhys leant forward and gave the bride a kiss on the cheek. “You’re welcome, Pat. Just name your first son Rhys, and I’ll be happy.”

She laughed. “Sorry, the first boy’s name is already reserved. You’re better off naming your own boy Rhys, if that’s what you want.”

“Reserved already? What cad got in first?” Rhys asked in mock outrage.

“Matt,” Colin replied, unable to hide a grin. “He asked her last week.”

“I’m going to have to have a word with him,” Rhys said, glaring at the guy in question. When Matt looked up and caught Rhys in the act, Rhys smiled and waved him over.

“What are your plans for tonight? Are you staying in town or going elsewhere?” Vince asked the newlyweds.

Patricia and Colin exchanged glances.

“We’ve booked a hotel in Dubbo, so we’ll be leaving in a couple of hours,” Patricia said. “When we arranged this we didn’t know how my parents would react, so we decided it was better to leave town immediately. We hadn’t expected this reception, so we’ll be late checking in, but it’s too late to change plans.”

“You’re going to Dubbo?” Matt asked as he joined the group.

“That’s right,” Colin said.

“Are you going to be staying there long? The three of us could go out to dinner tomorrow night, if you like. My shout.”

“We’d only planned to be there for one night, and then head home to Bathurst. I’ve just started a new job, so I have to be back at work on Monday. They let me leave soon after lunch yesterday, which is why I arrived a day early, but I don’t want to push my luck. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“I’m sure it’d be fine, since you just got married, but I understand. If I don’t get to say goodbye beforehand, have a safe trip home.”

Matt shook Colin’s hand, then gave Patricia a kiss on her cheek. She responded by putting both arms around his neck and pulling him in for a proper kiss on the lips.

“Thanks, big guy,” she said, once she’d released him. She then retrieved her plate from Colin.

“Thanks again, guys,” Colin said, as Patricia started to drag him off. “Got to go; there are a few other people Pat and I want to thank.”

Rhys was standing slack-jawed at what had been said. A sideways glance showed that either Vince hadn’t caught the reference, or he was just good at hiding his reaction to it.

“You’re heading back to Dubbo today?” Rhys asked Matt.

Vince’s startled response to the question told Rhys he hadn’t picked up on Matt’s earlier comment.

“Not today. I’m planning on going back sometime tomorrow. Pat doesn’t need me anymore, and I have to do some more Christmas shopping. I’ve done some here, but there are things I need to go back home to get.”

He laughed for a second before continuing.

“I suppose it’s strange to call my room at the uni ‘home’, rather than back at the farm, but that’s where I’ve been for the last three years, so it’s home to me. The farm is home, too, but it’s not the same.”

“Aren’t you going to the Cattlemen’s Christmas Party?” Vince asked, looking flustered.

“Oh, I’ll be there. I don’t intend to miss out on that, but I’ll only stay for the weekend. I’ve been here long enough, and now it’s time to be getting back to work. I’ve got a lot of studying I want to do before school starts again, as well as going home to visit the folks.”

“So, we’ll see you next weekend,” Rhys said with some relief. He still felt a lot of trepidation, though; they only had one more weekend to link Matt to the new Heart of The Tree.

“Of course!” Matt said.

“What’s this about next weekend?” Lilly asked, pushing her way forward, past Vince.

“We were talking about the Cattlemen’s party,” Matt said. “I was just saying I’ll be coming back here for it.”

Rhys could see the implications whirring through Lilly’s mind. He wasn’t surprised when she put on a big smile for Matt. She leant towards him, showing off her cleavage.

“Well, if you’re going soon, what are your plans for tonight?”

Matt took a small step back, trying to make it look natural, but Rhys could tell from his forced smile that Matt was uncomfortable. It looked like Vince had been right.

“I haven’t made any plans, but I’m hoping to go out with a few of my friends for a quiet dinner.”

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Rhys edged forward, trying to use his presence to put some space between Lilly and Matt.

“How about we give you a call if we have a spare place, Lilly? I’ve got your number, so I’ll let you know.”

“Good idea, Rhys,” Matt said, visibly relieved. “In the meantime, I want to have a word with Mia. See you all later!”

Lilly frowned at Matt’s retreating back and then turned to Rhys.

“What the fuck was that about? I thought you wanted me to chat him up!”

“Yeah, to talk to him and see if he liked you, but not to throw yourself at him like a hand grenade! I think you’ve ruined any chances you had, with that show. Couldn’t you tell he doesn’t like aggressive girls?”

She pouted. “Fine! I’ll stick around for a little while, just in case, but he can go jump as far as I’m concerned. There are plenty of other guys around who’ll want what I can offer.”

After she’d gone, Rhys drew a hand theatrically across his forehead.

“Phew! You were right, Vince. It’s definitely not Lilly.”

Two hours later, after Colin and Patricia had again thanked everyone before they headed off to Dubbo, Rhys was frowning. Jenny and Leonie had both had good chats with Matt during that time, but it had been obvious that he was just being polite. He’d shown no interest in wanting to know them better.

“You know, it still might be Pat,” Bobby said to Rhys, when the two of them were out of earshot of the others.

“But she married Colin!”

“Yeah, but Matt played a solid role in getting those two married. It’s The Heart’s marriage that is supposed to cure The Tree, and if it’s her, she’s done that.”

Rhys sighed and looked down at the floor, then lifted his head and stared intently at Bobby.

“I hope you’re right, because otherwise I have no more ideas on where to go from here.”

“We can wait. From what Aunt Cynthia told us, The Tree was sick for a few months before she got married.”

“Months? I’m not used to waiting that long!”

Bobby laughed. “Sometimes you just have to let things happen in their own time.”

Rhys watched as Matt gave Aunt Cynthia a gentle hug and a peck on the cheek. The old lady then walked out, accompanied by Reverend Cloister. Soon, Rhys and his friends were the only guests left. A couple of young girls started clearing away the dirty dishes.

“I hope she stays happy. She’s had a terrible few years.”

Rhys jumped.

“Mama Saviloni! You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that!”

She smiled. “And you should learn to wash your ears. I wasn’t trying to be quiet, but you weren’t listening.”

“Okay, Mama. I’ll plead guilty as charged. I’ll even assign my own punishment — finishing off those two plates of delicious food that are left on the table.”

She patted him on the cheek. “Good boy. It’s nice to find someone who appreciates good cooking. Now stop worrying about those two. I have a feeling they are going to have a long and very happy marriage, with lots of kids.”

Rhys grinned. “I hope you’re right. Now, if you’ll excuse me before I fade away to nothing…”

“Go!” she said, laughing and pushing him towards the food.

* * *

“I’m not a great one for long goodbyes, so I’m going to go now,” Matt said, as they stood in a rough circle under a streetlight after finishing a leisurely dinner, Matt the centre of attention. The moonlight softened the harsh shadows from the lights above, providing a melancholy feel to the warm night.

Mia slipped up to Matt, reached up to put her arms around his neck, and pulled him down for a kiss.

“Take care, Matt. I’ll miss you.”

He laughed. “I’ll be back next weekend. It’s not like you’ll never see me again.”

“But you’ve fitted in so quickly, it’s strange to have you leaving,” Rhys said, as Mia released Matt and stepped back.

Rhys paused and only half took in Matt’s reply as he caught Mark’s expression. It was only for a second, and it could’ve been a trick of the light, but Rhys was sure Mark had snarled in Matt’s direction.

“I’ve given Vince my details, so if you’re in Dubbo, give me a call. I expect to see some of you in a few weeks, anyway, as you get ready to start uni. I’ll be happy to help you out during O-week, if you want.”

“And for those of us who won’t be going there, it’s been good to have met you,” Bobby said, holding out his hand, which Matt quickly accepted.

“I have to admit that I feel the same. It’s not often I meet such a great group of people. I’m going to have to try to keep in touch with you and the others who aren’t coming to Dubbo.”

“If you do, I’d like that, but if you don’t, don’t worry about it. Just getting to know you has been a real pleasure. If this is the end, then I’ll be happy with the memories,” Padma said, as she stepped up to give Matt a light kiss on his lips.

“Now you’re making me feel guilty, and I haven’t even started to forget to keep in touch, yet!”

Padma laughed at him as she took a step away.

Karen stepped forward stiffly to give Matt a kiss on the cheek. She moved back without saying anything, but she did give him a wry smile for a second.

“Good luck in Sydney, Karen.”

Matt looked around and then stepped up to Mark to shake his hand.

“Thanks for everything, Mark. I’ve really enjoyed your company.”

“You’re welcome,” Mark said.

To Rhys, it sounded a bit forced. There was something going on there, but he didn’t know what. He shrugged, thinking it wasn’t that important.

“It’s a pity you didn’t give us advance notice that you were leaving. We could’ve organised things a bit better if we’d known,” Rhys said.

“I’m glad you didn’t, then. Last night and tonight have been great. It’s enough for me as I don’t like being the centre of attention. I was only really staying until Pat got married, but I couldn’t say that.”

Matt looked around the circle again and gave a heavy sigh.

“Time to go. See you all next weekend! Come on, Vince, it’s time I took you home. I want to say goodbye to your parents before I go.”

“Bye, guys,” Vince said, as he followed Matt down the street.

Rhys and his friends watched until Matt disappeared around the street corner.

“Now what?” Rhys asked.

“We just have to hope that Pat’s the new Heart, and that everything is okay again,” Bobby said.

“We have to have faith that if she’s not the right one, someone else will show up next weekend to meet Matt,” Padma said.

“The whole thing is a load of rubbish, so I don’t know why you’re all concerned. The Tree being sick has nothing to do with Matt or some missing person,” Karen said.

“Yes, Karen,” Mia said, rolling her eyes and then smiling. “But that doesn’t stop the rest of us from wondering. You don’t have to believe what we believe.”

“How about we wait until we know if The Tree is getting better? Once we know it’s not, we can sit down and try to work out our next step. Until then, there’s no point in worrying about it,” Mark said.

“Good idea, but how will we know?” Mia said.

“That’s easy. If another branch falls from The Tree, then it’s still sick,” Bobby said. He smiled as he looked around the group. “Why don’t we wander down and have a look?”

It was quickly agreed, and the six of them strolled towards the park.

“Does anyone know how often branches have been falling?” Rhys asked. “How long do we need to wait before we know if it’s Pat?”

“There’s been a minor branch fall off The Tree every one or two days. The maximum time between falls has been thirty-four hours, to date,” Karen answered immediately.

Everyone stopped to stare at her. Rhys wondered how someone who was completely disinterested in the search for the new Heart could recite that sort of figures off the top of her head. Karen took a couple of steps before she realised everyone had stopped. She turned to look at them, and then crossed her arms defensively.

“What’s wrong? Just because I know it’s all bollocks, doesn’t mean I haven’t been keeping an eye on things. I don’t want The Tree to die anymore than you guys, but I expect it to be saved scientifically, not mystically.”

“No one said anything, Karen,” Mia said.

“No, but you were all thinking it. Now come on.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s been over twenty hours since the last branch fell.”

They resumed their steady pace. Rhys and Bobby started moving ahead, not wanting to be restricted to the slower speed of the following group. The two guys reached the fence surrounding The Tree well ahead of the others.

“You go left and I’ll go right. Let’s see if we can spot anything,” Bobby said.

Rhys nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. Superstitiously, he crossed fingers on both hands as he started to circle around, peering into the darkness under the canopy for any signs of a fallen branch. He felt a surge of excitement as he reached the far side and found Bobby waiting for him.

Rhys had seen nothing to indicate a problem. “It’s looking good,” he said.

Bobby shook his head and pointed. Rhys’s shoulders slumped as he saw that Bobby was pointing at a new branch on the ground.

They were both still standing there, lost in their own thoughts, when the others joined them. Mia took one look and sighed.

“Now what do we do?”

“I don’t know,” Rhys said, shaking his head slowly. “I just don’t know.”

* * *

“Mum? Dad?”

“We’re in the living room, hon!”

Vince grinned at Matt and nodded his head for him to go first. They found Vince’s parents watching TV. Both looked up as the boys entered. Kirstie Aster gave them broad smiles, while Tony just nodded his head to acknowledge their presence before turning his attention back to the show they were watching.

“Mr. and Mrs. Aster, I want to thank you for all your kind help for the last week and a bit. It’s been really appreciated, especially by a complete stranger like me.”

“And they don’t come much stranger than you,” Vince whispered in an aside.

The corner of Matt’s mouth twitched at the joke, but he kept his face serious.

“It’s been our pleasure, Matt. And if you want to add up points about help, you were a godsend with the way you helped us with that cow and calf,” Kirstie said.

Matt grinned sheepishly. “That’s okay. It was a real experience for me.”

Vince could see that Matt was having trouble saying what he really want to say, so he thought he’d step in and do it for him.

“Matt’s heading home tomorrow.”

Tony turned, stared for a moment with a guarded expression, and then stood up and extended a hand.

“I’ll be sorry to see you go, Matt. I’ve been just getting used to having you around all the time and now you’re going.”

Matt chuckled. “Well, if it’s all right with you, may I come back next weekend? I need a place to stay, since I’ve gotten a ticket to the Cattlemen’s party.”

“Of course, honey!” Kirstie said, as she stepped forward to give him a gentle hug. None of the guys had noticed her getting up after Vince’s statement. “What do you want for breakfast, then? I’ll cook up something special.”

“I was intending to go straight home from my camping site.”

“Nonsense! You’ll need a good breakfast, and buying rubbish to eat on the way doesn’t count,” she said. “No arguments!” she added when Matt opened his mouth to respond.

“Thanks, Mrs. Aster. You’re too kind,” Matt said, giving her a grin of appreciation.

“Also too bossy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Tony said, smiling at his wife. “You’ll learn what I mean, one day.”

Matt laughed and hugged Kirstie again. “Never too bossy. She’s a mum — she’s always exactly right.”

“And don’t you forget it!”

* * *

“Matt doesn’t like girls who are too pushy. I think that’s obvious. Maybe we made a mistake telling everyone about the legend, and whoever she is got so desperate she tried too hard and scared him off?”

Bobby thought about Padma’s suggestion. It was possible, but he thought it was unlikely. From what they knew, the legend was supposed to be about bringing two soul mates together. One of them being too aggressive was unlikely to destroy any chance of a relationship, if that was the case.

“I think it’s more likely that some of them just want the prestige of being The Heart of The Tree, and their interference is ruining it for the real Heart,” Vince said from the side of the room where he was sitting on the edge of a table.

Bobby looked around the room from his position, sitting on a wooden crate in the corner. Karen was there under sufferance, as she’d made her opinion of the legend quite plain. The rest really wanted to work out who was The Heart of The Tree. With the fallen-branch evidence from the night before that Patricia wasn’t the one, they’d agreed to meet after lunch to try to work out what to do next. It’d been hoped that with a good night’s sleep, inspiration would hit one of them. Mia had passed on the invite to Vince to make sure no one was missed. Bobby couldn’t help thinking that what they really needed was an invite for inspiration. No one had arrived with any concrete ideas.

They’d been in the back room at The Treasure Chest for over twenty minutes, but hadn’t gotten anywhere. Aunt Cynthia had left them a couple of times to attend to customers, but she hadn’t missed anything during her absences. Every suggestion put forward had been shot down.

“Karen, I know you don’t believe in any of this, but do you have any feelings at all for Matt?” Rhys asked. Bobby could tell he was trying to be optimistic, but his heart wasn’t really in it.

Karen glared at Rhys from the side of the room where she’d stationed herself. “Yeah, I do. He’s a nice guy who’ll make someone very happy one day, but it won’t be me.”

Rhys winced at the scorn that Karen put into her reply. Bobby knew who Karen really wanted, but who she couldn’t have. Until she was over that, she wouldn’t consider anyone else. He was hoping that being in Sydney for a few years would break her infatuation.

“What about you, Mia? You were sitting in one of those chairs, too,” Rhys said.

Bobby switched his attention to Mark. The possibility of Mia being the new Heart was one that disturbed Mark, and Bobby understood why. He kept hoping that Mark would say something about his feelings, but he never did. Mark stiffened in his chair and stared across the room, but Bobby could see his eyes flicking back to Mia every few seconds, as if he was afraid of what she was about to say.

Mia glanced down before returning Rhys’s stare. “And I’m sitting in one now, and it’s not breaking. I think Matt is a great guy, but there’s no spark there. He’s like the big brother I’ve never had. He’s kind, considerate, and always paying attention, but he’s just not interested in me in any way except as a friend. I feel the same about him.”

Bobby saw Mark relax, and smiled to himself. There was still hope for those two. He didn’t know if Mia would return Mark’s feelings, but he thought there was a chance.

Rhys suddenly sat upright. “Holy shit. That’s it!” he whispered.

“What is it, Rhys?” Padma asked.

Rhys acted as if he hadn’t heard. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. It’s so obvious.”

He shook himself out of his daze and stared across at Aunt Cynthia. He was wide-eyed with astonishment.

“You told me The Heart of The Tree needed saving, but I didn’t understand. Well, I’ve just worked out who it is, and I’m afraid you’re right. I can’t believe I never saw it.”

“Well, who is it?” Mark asked, his impatient tone reflected by his raised hands, which were ready to throttle the information out of Rhys, if necessary.

Bobby sensed that part of Mark’s abruptness was in relief at Mia’s statement about Matt only being a friend, but his own attention was on Rhys.

Rhys ignored Mark. “Aunt Cynthia, tell me that it’ll all be worth it; that they’ll be happy together. I don’t think I could stand it if there wasn’t hope.”

Everyone looked at them. There was something going on between Rhys and Aunt Cynthia that the rest were not a party to.

“I can’t promise,” the old woman replied, with a pain in her voice that was frightening to hear, “but Andrew and I were happy. He saved me. All I can do is pray that Matt will save her.”

Rhys looked down at the ground. There was silence for several seconds.

“Come on, Rhys. Tell us who it is!” Mark said.

Rhys stared at him, his face an uncertain mask, and then cast his gaze slowly across everyone present. He dropped his eyes before he spoke.

“I hope I’m doing the right thing. I almost think it’s better for me to keep quiet.”

“What do you mean?” Mia asked. “Why don’t you think you can tell us?”

Rhys looked up. He seemed shaken.

“I never realised how much pain The Heart of The Tree is going through. I do now, and I’m probably going to add to it. Like Aunt Cynthia, I’m just praying that it will all work out in the end.”

No one moved when he paused. It was as if they were all holding their breath. He stood up and started to pace.

“You all know how practically every eligible girl has been introduced to Matt, and he hasn’t taken a shine to any of them. Pat was the only one, but that turned out to just be something to put her parents off the scent.”

There were nods all around the room.

“Padma’s been saying that we might be pushing things, and we’re scaring Matt off. She could be right, but there is another possibility that I’ve just thought of — one that answers all of the questions. Mia’s comment about Matt being just a friend was what triggered it off.

“What if the real reason is that Matt’s gay?”

That question sparked off a mini riot. Almost everyone tried speaking at the same time. Bobby stayed quiet. Rhys’s question had started his mind moving in odd directions, but nothing was clear. Some semblance of order returned when Mia asked the obvious question.

“How can he be gay? He can’t fall in love with The Heart of The Tree if he’s gay!”

Rhys took a couple of steps and looked down at her. Silence spread as they waited for his response.

“Unless The Heart of The Tree is also a gay guy,” Rhys replied, quietly but firmly.

Bobby stiffened as he realised what Rhys was leading up to. His eyes flicked around the room before returning to Rhys. Like Rhys, he was hoping that this wasn’t going to be a big mistake.

Rhys started pacing again. Mark opened his mouth to say something, but Rhys got in first.

“We’ve been looking in the wrong place,” Rhys said, pleading with each person as he made eye contact one-by-one around the room.

“Aunt Cynthia said that The Heart of The Tree would be dying inside. Well, what could kill a gay guy more than being in a parochial, small, country town, where all he hears about gays is jokes? Where his friends tell jokes that indicate how gays are lower than trash. Where even I tell him to his face that I wouldn’t be seen dead around a gay guy. How is he ever going to find someone to love with all of that going on?

“So along comes Matt, but we’ve been so focused on setting him up with a girl that we’ve not noticed he isn’t interested; Matt’s not here for them. He’s here for a guy who doesn’t see a future for himself.”

“But how are we going to find him?” Mia asked. “I’ve got no idea on how to work out who in town might be gay, and it’s not something we can just go up and ask!”

Rhys smiled. He was still apprehensive, but his confidence was increasing the longer he spoke.

“We don’t have to. It’s already been done. Matt and The Heart of The Tree have been bonding already.”

“Well, stop beating around the bush. Who is it?” Mark asked.

“If The Heart of The Tree is a gay guy, then it has to be one who’s deep in the closet. It also has to be someone who doesn’t have any real chance of getting out of Mourton and off to somewhere he can be himself,” Rhys said as he paced slowly around the room.

“As I’ve just now been trying to work out who it is, I’ve suddenly realised that despite all we’ve done, there is one other person that Matt has taken to. Someone who he spent more time with than anyone else.”

Rhys stopped in front of Vince. The look he gave him was one of deep compassion.

“The person who handled Aunt Cynthia’s chair that fell apart. The person who made sure Matt would stick around after Susie almost drove him away. The person whose family commitments are going to mean he won’t be able to go to university and get out of Mourton.

“Vince, you’re The Heart of The Tree, and you’re gay.

“And I’m so, so sorry for everything I’ve ever said or done to hurt you. I hope you’ll forgive me for telling everyone,” Rhys finished, pain and guilt blending with empathy.

Mia covered her mouth with her hands as her eyes went wide. Bobby just nodded his head, accepting what he’d heard. Padma stared at Vince and Rhys. Mark was shaking his head in disbelief.

Vince sat there, gazing up at Rhys, the blood draining from his face. He raised a hand, as if in protest, but let it fall when it started shaking. He stared down at his hands and a shiver ran through his body.

“Bloody, hell,” he whispered, “I’ve been outed by a tree!”

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