A Romance Flips

"Guess what's for dinner," joked Tony, and Ronni, out to impress, laughed more that politely.

They remained standing at the barrier, ignoring the milling crowd.

Tony stood aside and giving Nick and Ronni a clear view of one another.

"Hi, Ronni. Great to see you again. Marvellous, really," he said without moving.

"Come to the barrier and kiss me or I'll jump the barrier and come after you."

He had become the really tanned and rugged Australia that Ronni had dreamed of over three years apart.

He stepped forward and they hugged into a long kiss that produced approved smiles from the family.

"Omigod, what a babe. I can't wait to begin teaching you to surf," Emma cooed.

"Surf, I can't surf; I can't even swim."

The family looked at her almost in horror.

"How can you not swim. Every one swims," Tony said, looking bewildered.

"Not in England. As a child when I could have learned to swim, I was with the housekeeper or cook at home learning the table placings for all levels of dining, how to order meals and which sauces to select and what the seasonal choice of vegetables were and the order of courses and selection of desserts."

"I'll get you into an adult teach-to-swim course for foreign immigrants," said Tony. "I'll do this today. Then Emma can take you for coaching every morning. We live overlooking Manly Beach."

"Come on gang, let's move out of here, we need coffee before the wearisome drive to the North Shore," Hailey said.

Ronni wanted time alone with Nick, but knew that would not be happening any time soon.

The arrival at the Creek home was boisterous and Ronni drank lots of Australian sparkling wine and ate little food and along with long travel exhaustion he memory and then awareness began to slip from her control.

Chapter 4

Ronni was boating down the Seine drinking champagne on a beautiful day when she was jolted and heard her name being called.

She awoke with a start and said, "Oh hi, Emma. What's up? Omigod, its dawn!"

"I'm taking you to the municipal pool for private swim coaching, all paid for by dad for 10 days, starting in half an hour. The coach says half-hour lessons until she thinks you'll be good for hour lessons. Lena was one of dad's girlfriends at high school and they continue to dine out together with their spouses socially. Mum calls Lena her dynamic friend."

They grabbed a couple of breakfast grain biscuits each and spread them with butter and honey and filled their water bottles from the fridge dispenser of iced water.

"Fuck, it's only 5.20."

"Yes, Miss Groaner, and it will be 4.50 if Lena makes it an hour's one-on-one training before her standard classes begin at 6.00."

"W-why is she putting herself out for me whom she's never met?"

"Because dad requested her to do so," Emma said simply. "You'll get your work car when you roll up for work on Monday and can then drive yourself to swimming lessons. Can you bare to put your head under water?"

"Yeah, of course. I've been doing it for years when washing my hair in the bath to get the perfect rinse."

"Good and dad told Lena that you are a perky female. Lena said in that case and if you can confidently put your head under water, that she'll have you swimming adequately enough within two days in the sea wearing a life-vest until you become a strong swimmer with endurance."

"Why, the waves always come into the beach."

"Actually, it's in case you become swept out to sea by a rip or part company with your board way out when the waves are fading in strength fast due to a wind change in velocity or direction."

"Omigod, surfing sound a creepy sport."

Emma laughed and said Ronni would reverse her description of surfing as a sport once she had caught her first couple of descent rides.

"How long does it take to learn to surf?"

"Can you ride a bike?"

"Of course."

"A skateboard?"

"Of course, and I've did gymnastics for eight years."

"In that case, do exactly follows Nick instruction and he'll have you basically surfing before lunchtime on Day One but it will take as long as a piece of string to learn advanced techniques and to read the weather and the sea conditions accurately."

"In that case, I shall be swimming one hundred meters within five 30-minute lessons."

Glancing at Ronni, Emma said, "Darling I really don't think... No, correction. You probably will."

Ronni asked did the family have any books on surfing for newbies.

"I put five such books on the coffee table last night. You were bushed, dead asleep."

"Thanks darl."

"Darl, you've picked the shortened form up already?"

"Nah, I recall Nick using that form on me in England."

"But that was casually, three years ago."

"I can remember, almost vividly, my first day at kindergarten and all my teacher's names since then."

"Fantastic, darl."

Emma stayed watching the swimming lesson and knew she shouldn't be surprised if the young Englishwoman took to the pool like a duck to the water. And that thought was accurate. Within one minute, Ronni had gained the confidence of the flutter board giving her buoyance and within two minutes was on her way to kicking the full length of the pool.

Later, within two minutes, and without buoyancy apart from Lena lightly holding the back straps of Ronni's single piece swim suit, Ronni's failing of arms were settling down into genuine strokes but as yet within rhythmic breathing action of a swimmer.

At the end of the session, Lena hugged Ronni lightly and said, "Well my magnificent young student, come for an hour's session in the morning and you'll end it being an elementary swimming in breast-stroke and gaining in the art of over-arm swimming."

"Thank you, Mrs French. You transfer confidence with utmost simplicity and your instructions are so positive."

"Why thanks darl, and you certainly weren't absent when self-confidence was being handed out pre-birth. Call me Lena from now on. You'll probably need me no longer after tomorrow insofar as basic tuition is concerned but I will see you often via the Creek family."

"Emma, you have one of our outstanding British immigrants here in Ronni, Treasure her. Whoever employs her would be so lucky."

"She's to work for dad as a design engineer."

"He's a lucky man."

"May I repeat that prediction to him?"

"I don't see why not. We all should know that talk's cheap."

"Gee, what a lovely woman," Ronni said, as Emma drove to the beachfront for breakfast.

"Yeah, and a lovely family. Both of her boys held Australian swim titles in their youth and their daughter is part of a champion couple currently in some form of Latin American dancing."

Although it was only 6.15 on a Sunday morning, many of the single line metered parking space facing the beach between the beach and the road in the shopping area were taken.

"Residents and visiting surfers come here with their weekend newspapers to read, chat and eat in a choice of many cafes and restaurants along this famous beach frontage."

"Famous?" Ronni queried. "I'd never heard of Manly Beach until I knew I was coming here and looked up maps and watched videos and read articles.

"Cheeky fucking Englishwoman," grumbled Emma, smiling a little. "Well, it's famous throughout Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and it's world-famous among the surfing fraternity."

"Yeah, well that makes it famous, I guess," Ronni conceded.

"Here's a tip, darl. If you ever wish to make my brother mad, say something critical about Australian surf culture and then guard your mouth I case he swings a slap over your chops."

"What, he's likely to hit me over the mouth?"

"I'm just saying it's a risk, that's all. Keen surfers can be rather defensive. It's even said that some dry hump their beloved boards which explains why many of them are stored in bedrooms."

"You're kidding me."

"I might be, Ronni."

The surf was fairly light and Emma went out for a few fairly passive rides and she noticed Ronni on the waterline standing on a surfboard and moving about in great concentration.

When Emma came ashore, Ronni handed her a towel.

"I watched you in awe, Emma. You were as graceful as a ballerina on that board."

"Thanks. Where did you get to board from?"

"I watched you closely and some of the male surfers and decided that the main elements were balance, position and weight-distribution, all of them being flexible for control."

"Omigod, babe. You do have a brain. That disclosure is most impressive coming from a greenhorn because it's so accurate."

"Yeah, will I have been taught how to study and time and motion study was one of my favourite papers at university as was the study of physics. I went over to a guy coming out of the water with a board and asked could I borrow it to practice the moves I need to learn."

"He said no but he'd fetch me this practice board from the clubhouse."

"Oh lordy, the cheek of her. Do you know the name of the mug?"

"Ollie Churchman."

"Omigod."

"What?"

He's one of Aussie's current top surfers. His board that he came out of the water with would be more precious to him than his motor-vehicle."

"Well, so be it. He came back with this battered board and a paper cup of coffee for me and when I said I was staying with Ronni Creek and his family, he said he knew Ronni and occasionally surfed with him and often met him at parties."

"Why are you looking so surprised?"

Emma said she was in shock, that on Day One in Sydney, Ronni had half-learned to swim and had consorted with surfing royalty.

"Come off it babe, Ollie is just one of the guys."

"Just one of the guys," Ella mumbled. "Darl, just you wait to you see Ollie Churchman out there is raging surf with more punch that the kick of a draught horse. He and a few of his mates go out when mortal surfers come in to escape possible injury or even drowning."

"Aren't all champions like that? I use to train in cycling when wind blasts were blowing titles off house roofs. The tougher the conditions the greater the benefit of training in them, baring inescapable accidents."

"You completed in road cycling?"

"Yes, from the age of twelve until my second year of architectural studies when I needed to devote more time to swotting on architectural history and trends."'

"Did you win races. Yes."

"Many?"

"Probably a couple of dozen."

"And?"

"Four age-group female championships, two of those all-of-England championships when I was seventeen and twenty. Why are you so interested?

"Besides surfing, I ride in cycling club road races regularly."

"Ah, I see. Well, I no longer even had a bike when I first met Nick and all my certificates and shields were up in the loft, along with a couple of cartons of cups and bowls. I saw no need to talk to him about cycling, believing the only sport he involved in was chasing the ladies and playing the occasional game of social soccer."

"Yeah, well right. That's my brother and now I'm beginning to understand why you are his exception. You know some nights when we continued with the red wine after dinner and mum and dad eventually would go to bed, he'd whine to me about you being the only decent female he'd ever associated with apart from me and mum and he was missing you."

"Wow, he must have been drunk."

"Not so, babe. I now know it was true. You may choose to ignore it, Ronni, but you are impressive in a number of ways, and knowledge about that is already emerging. Mum has really taken to you, and that's real confirmation of what I just expressed."

"Okay, I hear you but please Emma, don't make me out to be what I'm not. Just keep in mind that I'm the young woman who came to Australia unable to swim."

"Well, that cannot be ignored. Um, it appears you have a double degree?

"Actually, separate degrees in architecture and engineering structural design. And Emma, you are about to say something like I have the steady temperament to suit both professions?"

"Yes, the same steady and intelligent temperament fitting for both fields of practical creativity."

"Wow, what a mouthful, darl. With that lot, it's a wonder there was room for your splendid teeth."

They laughed and hugged.

Ollie came over to retrieve the board.

"Thanks Ollie, this is my first friend in Australia who is Nick Creek's adorable sister, the lovely Emma. She alleged to me that you really can surf."

"There's no harm in making reasonable allegations, um Ronni. I guess it's Ronni is without the E?"

"Correct."

"Hi, Emma. I've seen you around from time to time and with Nick who's a great guy. I'll take the board back now Ronni as I'm off, but ask me to give you tips whenever you wish. You sound as if you have arrived recently from England."

"Too right, cobber," Ronni said emphasising her accent.

"Ha, very recently methinks," the guy in his mid-thirties laughed.

As they watched Ollie bandy-legged walk away, Emma muttered, "You have fantastic interpersonal relationship skills. Ollie must be wondering why you were talking to him so naturally instead of respecting him as one of our surfing kings."

"I guess it's because I grew up with a mother who extravagantly regards herself as royalty, although in lower line-up order. To me, she's always been mum."

They arrived home and found Hailey and the two men on lounging chairs beside the pool sharing Sunday newspapers amid breakfast leftovers.

They trio looked up muttering good morning and returned to reading and Emma announced theatrically, Ronni can half-swim already and Lena says she'll be swimming as a credible learner by the end of tomorrow's lesson. Dad, Lena said you have secured a treasure in recruiting Ronni to work for you and Nick, Lena said take Ronni out in the morning on her first surfing lesson and she'd be surfing reasonably well by lunchtime. Oh, she got Ollie Churchman to fetch her a board to practice getting her balance on the sand and she speaks to him as if he were the guy living next door."

"That's all good and congratulations, Ronni," Hailey said expansively, while the two guys muttered great.

Hailey added, "I can't understand why you regard Ollie with such reverence, Emma. He's just a guy who happens to be good at something."

"He became my pin-up boy when I began surfing in earnest," Emma said quietly and Ronni pressed her new friend's arm as if communicating she now understood why Emma held the top surfer in such high respect.

"Fetch us another round of coffee girls and then we'll pile into the wagon and take Ronni on a tour of notable beaches and grab lunch while doing the rounds," Tony said, not taking his eyes of the share market roundup stats for the week at Friday's end of trading.

That night, Ronni slipped into Nick's room.

"I had to come, I want to come, I must come," she said as rehearsed.

"It had to be you who made the move to come," he said. "Mom made me promise on the eve of your arrival that it would have to be you who made the first move as you should not be placed under pressure after a long and exhausting flight."

Ronni dropped on to the bed beside him, kissed him heavily and reached for his dick to find that it didn't require assistance to firm up for the tasks ahead.

"You have no idea what its like being without being dicked," she sighed.

"I trust I never will be in the position to find out," he laughed.

She said mortified, "What!"

Only then did she comprehend her comment was a double entendre. They folded some of the sheet over their mouths to muffle their mirth.

"Where do you want it," said her deeply aroused lover.

"Over my tits; that will produce the quickest release for your benefit."

"Omigod, comment like that makes you sound like the perfect fuck, and yet my memory of you from England was coming close to being compatible with the phrase, 'What a dirty slut."

"Omigod, the Australia bullshit is rolling out already!"

Nick's sister woke them in the morning with coffee.

"I saw your bed hadn't been slept in Ronni and guessed you'd be either with mum and dad, unlikely, or here," Emma said, producing groans from her two targets. "Mum said last night if I found evidence that you two have been together carnally, that I was to tell you to move into the guest room today. Judging by the stink in this room, I am over-run by the evidence. May I join you?"

"Fuck off you typical over-sexed young Australian. After coffee, you have to take me to my swimming lesson and I have to go with you to the beach for breakfast and call Ollie Churchman over to talk to us to give you the chance to hit on him."

"But Ollie lives with Sarah Skinner."

"Darling, leave it to Ollie to make the choice, should he or should he not."

"Fuck, Ronni, after a couple of years of busy hands-on experience, you should apply to the Faculty of Engineering at Sydney University for a lecturing job. You can be so persuasive and so hugely logical."

There was silence, broken by Ronni who said, "You know Nick, that's the first fucking sensible thing you've ever said to me."

Brother and sister groaned, turning that into a nonsensical comment.

Ronni completed her second and final swimming lesson that morning before 7.10 am breakfast at the beach, by swimming the four widths continuously, albeit slowly, of the Olympic size pool. She then chatted enthusiastically to Lena about the beaches that she'd seen the previous day, saying she was blown away by the huge crowd at Bondi Beach and although the surf was puny, she caught the atmosphere and could see why it had a huge international reputation.

There was no sign of Ollie and only piddly surf so Ronni and Emma were home early.

At 8.15 Tony left with Ronni in his LandCruiser 300 for the factory to start her career in engineering design. Nick, who was the company's director of new business, had gone off on his usually 7 am start. Emma was a high school teacher teach/coach of drama.

"I guess I should explain, Ronni, although you have been designated as the company's first specific design engineer, you may be assigned other areas of responsibility from time to time."

"So long as I'm not assign to managed morning and afternoon tea for executives and managers, I'm not likely to revolt over anything else."

The expression on Tony's face indicated that response was not appreciated, making her think had Hailey refused to roll over for him at dawn, or was he one of those mood-swingers when under pressure in working mode.

After 5.00, Ronni and Hailey were having coffee and Hailey said, "I guess it was back to reality for you today?"

"Yes, that statement was rather accurate. For me it was like picking up the shovel after the enormous adventure of journeying to the bold new frontier and finding it a little scary."

"Scary?"

"Yes, the factory-based business was rather unlike any of the engineering-based works that I accumulated several months of field experience during my degree studies. But that's all I should say at present because a 'first look' at anything does not necessary give an accurate picture."

"Okay, let's leave it for now," Hailey said brightly, "I wouldn't have helped by flinging Tony into a bad mood this morning at dawn by telling him I want him to buy me the latest model of Mercedes I drive. He's always brought our cars on some sort of fleet deal through the company. I found that he's returned to reviewing his long-held desire to upgrade aspects of the various company departments while attempting to do it principally out of cash flow, but each year he's delayed doing anything, inflation has pushed up the cost by several notches."

"Hmm, I guess that suggests the company is under-capitalised and that's a common problem for companies that have continued to expand over the years but this is none of my business unless I push for it to be."

"I agree. Tony might regard that as unnecessary interference, like that expressed by children when they say defensively, 'You're not going to play with my toys'."