‘Whatever,’ said Sophie as she pressed herself against him and started to kiss him greedily.
Out of the lift, they ran along the hall to Finn’s apartment. Once inside, he offered Sophie water, which she accepted as she walked off to find the bathroom. Three minutes later she came out to find Finn asleep on the couch.
Taking his hands, she tried to heave him to his feet. But he was way too heavy and too far gone to be woken. Giving up, she went to the bedroom, undressed and got into bed, the room spinning slightly but not enough to stop her from slipping into a deep alcohol-induced sleep.
The light from the uncovered windows woke Finn in the morning. Feeling like death, fully clothed, head pounding, and mouth dry and acidic, he felt the come-down from the night before acutely. Slowly, he pulled himself off the couch and stumbled into the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth. Walking out of the bathroom and into his bedroom he saw a shape under the covers of his duvet and unfamiliar clothes on the floor.
‘Oh shit,’ he whispered, as shards of memories from last night came back.
Dropping his towel, he slid into bed beside her. The bed was warm, her tangled dark hair a mess on the pillow. She was lying on her side facing away from him and he moved in to envelop her warm, beautiful body. Putting an arm around her, he felt her shuffle slightly.
‘Good morning, soldier,’ she said in a huskier tone than Finn remembered.
‘Good morning, sexy,’ he replied, with a smile on his face.
‘I don’t mean to be rude,’ said Sophie, turning to face him, ‘but I feel terrible’. She put a hand to her temple.
‘Oh God, same, I can’t believe you made us drink those tequilas. It’s definitely your fault.’ Finn said, squeezing her playfully.
‘My fault?’ replied Sophie. ‘You got me drunk with military precision,’ she said, rolling over and giving Finn a playful whack on the arm. ‘Besides, you’re the one who passed out on your couch.’
They lay in bed all morning, lazily and sensually discovering each other’s bodies. After the second round, they finally got up to face the day at about 1 pm. Finn walked her to the lift. ‘Thanks for an amazing night, and even more amazing morning,’ he said with an easy grin.
‘Thank you, soldier,’ replied Sophie. ‘So will I see you before you head off?’
‘I’m not sure. I have to get out of here today and I’ll be up at my parents’ until I go to the training camp.’
‘Okay, I understand,’ she smiled, squeezing his hand. ‘Well send me an IT to let me know how you’re getting on.’
‘You bet,’ he replied as the lift doors opened. Bringing her in closer he gave her a last kiss. ‘See you gorgeous,’ he called after her as she got into the lift.
‘Bye,’ was all she said, smoothing down her hair as the doors closed.
Finn walked back to the apartment to finish packing before his parents arrived. ‘Why is it that these things only happen when you’re about to go away?’ he asked himself. Maybe his dad was right. Maybe he had way too much to lose here. But there was no going back now.
Sonia arrived just after 4 pm to help him with his things. The apartment looked bare and depressing now that all his belongings were removed. Finn took one last look and closed the door on his way out. Driving down Hall Street, leaving Bondi behind, Finn passed the café where Sophie worked. What the hell am I doing? he thought to himself as he watched the life he had built recede in the rear-view mirror.
Chapter 7
The following Monday, Sonia and Finn packed up his basic kit and readied themselves for the drive to the Woodford Army Base. Standing in his room, Sonia gripped Finn’s arm and gently said, ‘You should go say goodbye to your dad.’
The previous night, as with every night lately, they’d had a fight. Tom had said he refused to come with them to drop Finn off, saying he couldn’t drive his own son to his death. Finn had no doubt that the old man was still furious with him. He hesitantly walked into his dad’s home office. He studied the room, walls lined with plaques, awards and photos from Tom’s CEO years. Finn had always admired that office, had thought that was the kind of success he’d wanted to aim for. Tom had encouraged that in him as well. Now Finn was saying goodbye to all that. Tom was sitting at his desk, flicking through news feeds on his screen. He clearly wasn’t reading anything, though, just flicking to occupy his mind.
‘Dad? We’re leaving,’ Finn said, as gently as he could.
Tom didn’t look up or at his son. He pretended he hadn’t heard him. Finn, eyes stinging with tears, backed out of the room.
The moment the door clicked shut, sobs started to rack Tom’s body. He bent his head down and wept, alone.
Finn was silent virtually the whole way to the training base. He felt scared.
‘Fuck, fuck, fuck. Get your head straight you tosser, time to man up, time to do something real with your worthless life,’ he repeated to himself.
Pulling up to the gate, they were met by a sign proclaiming: ‘No cars beyond this point’. This suited Finn: he didn’t want to be the one who gets dropped off on day one by his tearful mum. Kissing and hugging each other, they exchanged the ritual I-love-yous. Finn couldn’t wait to get away — it was hard enough without his mother getting all emotional on him. He was trying desperately to keep his cool, and keep the tears at bay. Again he chastised himself. ‘Toughen the fuck up,’ he willed himself as he walked to the guard post.
‘Finn Hunt. I’m reporting for training,’ he said to the soldier behind the counter.
The corporal searched down his sheet of paper. ‘Hunt, Hunt, Hunt. Ah yes, here you are. You’ve done time with the reserve it says here.’
‘Yes, two years.’
‘All right then. You’re to report to bunker 12 to get processed. There you will be issued your instructions. Check the map on the wall to locate bunker 12.’
‘Thank you,’ said Finn, already feeling out of his depth.
Walking over to the map he was confronted with what seemed like a city, mapped out with hundreds of buildings.
‘Fuck me,’ he muttered to himself, not noticing the two others who had moved up behind him to read the map as well.
‘Where you supposed to be?’ asked one of them, surprising Finn.
‘Ah, bunker 12, wherever the hell that is,’ replied Finn, turning to look at his companions. They looked young, and rough as guts. They looked exactly like Tom’s idea of a soldier, dumb shits who had no other options.
‘Hey, same. I guess all the newbies are sent to bunker 12,’ said the other guy, staring blankly at the map.
‘Yeah, guess so,’ said Finn. Without waiting to find bunker 12 on the map, Finn picked up his bag and walked out of the guardhouse. Looking around the camp, it didn’t seem as big as what the map had made it look like — but then again, he could only see the first few rows of buildings before the ground sloped off down a hill. Starting to walk, he noticed signs pointing out directions for the different numbered bunkers and buildings. Following the signs, he walked along trying to take it all in. There was a great deal of activity along the tar-sealed roads and grassed areas. Groups of soldiers running in formation, some doing push-ups, other groups just standing at attention. It felt like something out of a movie.
Walking up to bunker 12, Finn pulled open the flimsy plywood door. The whole camp had a pop-up feel to it, as if it could be disassembled in less than a day. Stepping into the bunker, Finn was greeted by a burly-looking corporal seated at a small desk that only accentuated his size.
‘Soldier! Over here,’ said the corporal, gesturing for Finn to approach him.