Melissa gulped, then composed herself and started to speak.

“I waited a couple of days after you left before I did anything,” she said, “I just couldn't make up my mind what to say to John. He knew that something was wrong, and eventually he sat me down and asked me to tell him what was bothering me. It was then that I told him that I'd decided to stop my transitioning and he seemed genuinely surprised.

“ 'Why-ever would you do that?' he said, and I told him it was because I knew he was not happy with it and I love him too much to risk our relationship. 'We'll go back to the way we were,' I said. 'I can still dress up any time I want to, but I will be Mark again. I know you would prefer that and so I would prefer it too.'

“'What about work?' he said and I replied that I was sure they would accept that I had given it a lot of thought and decided that becoming a woman was not for me.

I looked at Melissa as she told me this, and I knew that she was intending to make the greatest sacrifice of her life and I couldn't help thinking that it would end badly, indeed perhaps it already had. She reached out and clutched my hand.

“Then John asked me to give it a few more days before making my final decision, and he said he was sure that things would work out somehow. Oh Lesley!” she gasped, “Do you think that John has deliberately decided to disappear so that I can continue to transition?”

This was a difficult question to answer. I felt she was probably right, but how could I say that? I think Melissa read the expression on my face because she began to sob. I held her in my arms – what else could I do? Eventually her crying eased and I gave her my handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face.

“Melissa, you're exhausted,” I said, “Why don't you go and lie down for a while. There's nothing we can do now but wait.”

She nodded, so we got up and walked into the bedroom. I helped her off with her dress, and pulled back the covers. Melissa lay down and I pulled the covers over her. I was about to leave the room when she said in a small voice “Lesley, please don't leave me.”

What could I do? I was feeling a bit tired myself after the flight down to Brisbane, so I smiled at her and said “Of course not.”

I slipped off my top and pants, turned off the light and slipped under the covers. Melissa clung to me and in perhaps ten minutes I could tell from her breathing that she was asleep.

I must have dropped off to sleep myself because when I awoke it was daylight. Melissa was still sleeping but something had woken me. Then I heard it again – a rapping on the front door. I slipped out of the bed, being careful not to disturb Melissa, and putting on my pants and top I hurried to the front door. Through the frosted glass I could see two figures wearing peak caps and my heart sank.

I opened the front door and as I feared it was two policemen.

“Miss Evans?” said one.

“No, I'm Mrs Brodie, a friend,” I said.

“Can we see Miss Evans? We have news for her,” he said, and smiling he stepped aside and there was John, wrapped in a blanket and looking quite dishevelled. I hadn't heard Melissa walk up behind me wearing a robe and in bare feet until with a glad cry she dashed forward and threw herself into John's arms. The two policemen burst into broad grins.

Melissa was half laughing, half crying. “Oh thank you, thank you,” she cried.

“Glad to be of service miss,” said the spokesman. Then turning to John he said “Well, we'll leave you to get sorted out. Just call down at the local police station later sir, and write out a statement for our records, o.k.?”

“Of course,” said John, “And thanks once again for all your help.”

With that the policemen left and we went back into the flat.

“What on earth happened to you?” said Melissa as she still clung to him.

“I know this sounds silly,” said John “but I'd really like to have a shower and clean up, and then something to eat – I'm ravenous. Do you mind if I do that and then I promise I'll tell you everything that happened.”

“I think that's a very good idea,” I said. “Melissa, why don't we cook up some breakfast for all of us.”

Melissa looked like she didn't want to let John out of her sight, but she agreed to my suggestion, so John disappeared into their bedroom to have a shower, and we raided the refrigerator for eggs, bacon, sausages and tomatoes and cooked up a morning feast.

John appeared ten minutes later, looking much better after a shower and a change of clothes and his eyes widened at the food on offer. It was true about him being ravenous. We gave him twice what Melissa and I ate, and he wolfed it all down. Finally after a second cup of coffee was prepared, we went into the lounge room and Melissa and John sat close together on the sofa, with his arm around her, while I took one of the armchairs facing them.

“Thank you for being so patient,” said John, “I feel like a new man now. I presume Melissa told you about our discussion a couple of days ago Lesley?”

“Yes she did,” I replied. I was tempted to add 'and it surprised me', but decided the less I said the better.

“Well, when Melissa told me she was going to stop transitioning, I knew it was the wrong thing for her to do, and I knew that she knew it too. I could hardly believe that she would make such a massive sacrifice for me, and I knew that I could not possibly allow her to do it. I thought a lot about what I could do to persuade her to keep becoming the person she is, and I finally decided that the only way was for me to remove myself from the scene.

“My darling,” he said, turning to Melissa, “I realise now that I just wasn't thinking straight, but it really seemed the best idea at the time. Yesterday I went down to the beach with the idea that I would swim out to sea and keep swimming until I couldn't swim any more.”

“Oh John,” gasped Melissa, and she started to cry again. John hugged her tightly to him and continued his story.

“Well, I stripped down to my swimming togs and entered the water and started to swim out. AlI I was thinking about was you, and suddenly I started thinking about how much I would miss you, and the effect my disappearance would have on you, and I guess you could say I came to my senses and thought 'What on earth are you doing John?'. I decided to swim back to the beach, but it was then that I suddenly realised that I was caught in a rip and was being swept out to sea. I must say the irony of the situation wasn't lost on me. Now I didn't want to drown, but the decision might not be mine any more.

“I'm a good swimmer but I'd never been in this position before. I remembered reading that when you are caught in a rip you don't try to swim against it, but swim at right angles until you come out of the rip. However I was getting very tired and I'd swallowed some sea water. Every so often I caught a glimpse of the beach but it was empty and seemed even further away, so I was on my own. Just when I thought I was going to drown through sheer exhaustion I realised that I was no longer being swept out to sea. I had finally swum out of the rip, so I turned and started to head for the beach. I made very slow progress because I was so tired, but eventually I felt sand under my feet and I can tell you it felt so good.

“I'd been swept quite a long way along the beach and where I came ashore there are sand dunes. I felt sure there must be a road beyond them, so I started to make my way over one, but there was another one before me and at that point I think I must have collapsed from exhaustion because when I woke up it was dark. I was shivering with the cold, but keeping the sound of the sea behind me, I made my way over another sand dune, hoping to see some lights but there was nothing. I finally decided the only thing to do was to wait until it got light so I could see where I was, and all the time I was thinking of you my darling and cursing myself for being such a fool.

“I lay down in the lee of the dune so I was a little bit warmer, and waited for dawn. When it got light, I looked around but there was no-one in sight, so I crossed another dune and there was a road after all. I walked down to it and waited for someone to come past, and it was after about fifteen minutes that those two policemen drove down the road so I flagged them down. I can tell you they looked at me strangely when they pulled up, but when I explained that I'd gone for a swim and got caught in a rip, they said they would drive me home, and so here I am.

Turning to Melissa John said “My darling, can you ever forgive me?”

Melissa gazed into his eyes and said “So long as you promise to never do anything like that again.”

'Good for you, girl', I thought, 'Don't let him off too lightly after all he put you through.'

“I realise now that you are a woman and always have been, and you are the person I want to be with for the rest of my life. Promise me you will continue with your transitioning, because I know it's what you want more than anything else in the world, and I want it too.”

“There is something I want more,” said Melissa and she blushed.

“I think I can guess what it is,” said John, and he smiled for the first time. “When it's legally possible, will you marry me?”

Melissa threw her arms around him and cried “Of course I will!”

I thought for a moment they had forgotten I was there, but then John turned to me and said “Lesley, thank you so much for looking after Melissa. What a good thing you were in Brisbane.”

I didn't want to embarrass him further and was about to nod agreement when Melissa said “But she wasn't in Brisbane, John. When I phoned her yesterday and told her you were missing she flew all the way from her property to be with me.”

John looked very embarrassed at that and mumbled “Thank you so much Lesley, I owe you more than I can ever repay. You are the best friend we have."

“That's what friends are for,” I replied, “But I agree with Melissa, I hope you never do anything like that again.”

“It's a promise,” said John.

I felt that my presence was no longer required and got up to leave but John had not finished.

"There's something I've wanted to say to you Lesley for some time. I don't believe that your husband John was my father. Am I right?”

I hesitated for a second and then decided that honesty was the best policy. “No John, he wasn't your father. John couldn't have children, but if he could have, I'm sure he would have been proud to have you as a son.”

“Thank you for that Lesley,” said John, “so it means my mother was seeing another man at the same time.”

“That's why I didn't want to say anything,” I said, “I thought it was better for you to believe that John was your father, and I'm sure your mother thought he was; she even named you after him. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before; honesty is always the best policy.”

“I hope we will still be friends,” said Melissa.

"I would be proud to be friends with you both, always,” I said, “It's often said that you can't chose your family but you can chose your friends.”

Both John and Melissa then stood up and hugged me, and I confess that the tears started to flow.

After that I really did feel I had to leave and let Melissa and John spend time together. They insisted on driving me out to the airfield. When we reached the hanger where the Cessna had been brought out onto the apron, Norm was there again.

“Did you have a good trip Mrs Brodie?” he asked.

“A very good trip, thank you Norm,” I replied.

Before climbing into the cockpit, I hugged Melissa and John once more. “You must come out to the station soon and see where I live. Make it a long weekend and I'll fly down and pick you up, o.k.?”

“Yes, we'd love to,” said John.

I went through my usual pre-flight drill and then taxied onto the runway and was given permission to take off. Once I was airborne I circled the airfield and saw the tiny figures of Melissa and John still waving. I dipped my wings in acknowledgment and set a course for home.

As I flew home I thought about the last twenty-four hours. 'All's Well that Ends Well' I thought to myself, but it could so easily have turned out differently. I'm sure now that Melissa will complete her transition and that she and John will get married one day. Maybe I will get to be Matron of Honour. As for me, my only true love sleeps beneath a red river gum in the Hey cemetery. I can't imagine finding anyone to replace him, but I suppose we should never say 'never'.

To be continued.

Image credit: Australian cattle station by Harris Walker reproduced under Creative Commons licence with attribution.