The General Store

Chapter 29: Shock

'Today I am with the beautiful Brooklyn Carmondy, the wife of our star debutant Patrick. Brooklyn welcome to The Oval.' The microphone was shoved at me.
'Well, thank you very much Mr Benaud, it's great to be here.' I smiled.
'How are you and Patrick been fitting into tour life and the rest of the team?'
'Pretty well, I think we both need to get used to jet lag and we both know we're at the bottom of the pecking order so it's just a matter of working our way up.' I replied smoothing out my dress.
'So, Patrick has done extremely well this tour do you think he can continue with the greatness he's shown?' Richie questioned, looking down at the paper in his hand.
'Yes, of course I do, Patrick is an amazing cricket player, we can all see that, Pat will be carrying his greatness through tours to come.' I stated, the pride I felt during that sentence beamed from my eyes.
'No matter what happens today, Australia will reclaim the Ashes how was Pat this morning and last night?' Richie asked with a radiating smile.
'He slept very well last night, I don't think he's got as much pressure now as he did coming into the first test here, he's been a lot calmer and a lot more like the man I married.' I chuckled at the memory of last night. Pat was dancing around the hotel room to Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs with his shirt off and sunglasses on.
'So you two have become Australia's "it" couple so to speak, how has that title changed the way you live?'
'We get stopped in the street sometimes, we both sign autographs which is odd because I haven't done anything, I think Pat really treasures changing lives and inspiring others. He loves hearing stories of how a kid has started playing cricket after watching him play or how someone has become a better player after seeing how he does it, so, it's changed our lives for the better I think.' Out of the corner of my eye I saw the final ball soar down the pitch. The POM's swarmed into a huddle, cheering and clapping knowing they'd just won the match but the Australian's bolted out onto the oval from the change rooms, jumping into each other's embrace, knowing they'd reclaimed the ashes.
'Sorry, Mr Benaud, but the girls and I have some husbands to kiss.' I shook his hand with a smile before running up the stairs to the other girls.
'They've done it Brooklyn, they've done it!' Beth threw her arms around my neck as we all applauded our boys.

'UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS I STAND, A SPRIG OF WATTLE IN MY HAND, A NATIVE OF MY NATIVE LAND, AUSTRALIA YOU FUCKING BEAUTY!' The boys cheering from the middle could be heard outside the ground. Every syllable of excitement sent chills down my spine.
-
The end of 68 and through till about the October of 69 was a time I hope I never ever have to relive. Pat was a mess, his head was somewhere else and he wasn't the man I married. He would wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares raging through his head. He could hardly hear a ball against a bat without flinching. I told him to talk to someone but a reputation is a reputation according to him. For a long time I never took my eye off him, I held his hand as much as possible and didn't even leave him in a room by himself, something very simple could tip him over and I wasn't risking it.

Then he got better. Well, I thought he'd gotten over it. I thought he was dealing with it. I thought he was ok. Oh, how wrong I was.

'Alright hun, I shouldn't be long, just gotta get a present for Penny you can grab the one for Johnno on the way home from practice tomorrow ok?' I put my arms around his waist. Pat looked down at me and nodded with a slight smile. He kissed my forehead before kissing my lips.
'I love you, drive safe.' He whispered, pulling me into a tight hug.
'I love you too, is everything ok?' I asked.
'Everything is fine my darling, just forgot how lucky I am.' He tucked a coil of my hair behind my ear.
'I'm pretty lucky to have you.' I kissed his lips and waved goodbye before stepping out the door and down to our car. I remember telling myself I was being silly at my thought of how strange he was being, but he wasn't being strange, that was what my husband was like.

I stepped back into our little house, relieving myself from the sweltering heat that seemed to have given me a thumping headache. I must have slept on my neck wrong because my neck was aching quite intensely. 8 pm was our usual dinner time as Pat didn't get back from cricket training with New South Wales until about 7:30, then we'd spend our time dancing to some sort of music, usually the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Janis Joplin often made an appearance.
That night there was no music, in fact an eery silence hung in the air.
'Patrick, I'm back!' I called out, dropping my two bags and venturing into the bedroom. Not there. I could hear the showering running so as any sane person would, I knocked on the door.
'Patrick, are you alright?' I asked. When there was no reply, I began to worry. I pushed the locked door open with all the force I could muster and there he was, a belt around his neck and feet about a foot off the ground. I didn't even scream, the nurse that was still inside me began to take control. I open the door of the shower and put my arm around his waist, I hoisted him a little higher so his airway was clearer and I undid the belt. I turned the water off and laid the blue lipped man on the floor.
'Pat, I'm right here my darling.' I whispered, pressing my cheek against his as I felt his threads pulse.
This wasn't supposed to happen.