Long Valley Road Read online

  Long Valley Road

  Ross Richdale

  Published by Ross Richdale, 2016.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  LONG VALLEY ROAD

  First edition. September 16, 2016.

  Copyright © 2016 Ross Richdale.

  ISBN: 978-1877438592

  Written by Ross Richdale.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  LONG VALLEY ROAD

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER19

  CHAPTER 20

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  About the Author

  LONG VALLEY ROAD

  ROSS RICHDALE

  ISBN 978-877438-59-2

  *

  This fast paced novel combines human emotions of love, empathy, revenge and greed with the sheer force of Mother Nature. The inhabitants of Long Valley Road in New Zealand have their lives changed forever by the events happening around them. Join them and see, through their eyes, how one family grows and blossoms through the good times and bad. American, Julie tries to cope with a new country, Fiona discovers she is not just a mother-in-law and a young schoolteacher and lonely widower fall in love.

  But is this love strong enough to surmount the problems about to descend upon them all?

  *

  CHAPTER 1

  "If passenger, John Berg, outbound for Auckland, New Zealand is still in the terminal, will he please report to Desk 23 ..."

  Julie Berg, one of the thousands of passengers delayed at New York's J.F. Kennedy International Airport due to the biggest snowstorm through the Eastern Seaboard that January, jerked awake and frowned. She moved the sleeping head of her six-year-old sister from her lap, stared around and felt down for their hand luggage. Yes, it was tucked safely beneath their feet. Everywhere she gazed, travellers, like themselves were stranded and waiting for the snowploughs to do their job so the airport could reopen.

  "Daddy!" the twelve year old girl hissed and poked the well built man snoring in the seat next to her.” I heard your name called out."

  "What? What?" John muttered. He opened his eyes and saw Julie gazing at him with her forehead creased in a frown. "I'm sorry. I must have dropped off. What time is it Sweetheart?"

  "Two in the morning Daddy," Julie nodded at the unseen speaker above them. "Listen!"

  John yawned and smiled at his elder daughter, a tall slim girl with an easy smile and light brown hair. She seemed to be growing every day and had already reached puberty. Dressed in a new suit and with a light touch of make up she was a young woman, not a child any more. Perhaps the events of the previous few weeks had force her into maturity before her time. He sighed and turned his attention to the continuous stream of announcements until he heard his name coming through.

  "Stay here with Helen and the gear Sweetheart," he said and cranked his stiff body out of the seat. "I'll go and see what they want."

  "Can you get me a burger and coke, Daddy?" Julie asked. "I famished."

  "Sure, Sweetheart. See you soon." He grinned. Perhaps she was just a kid, after all.

  John threaded his way through the huddled mass of people until he came to the almost empty airline's desk. The attendant smiled as he approached and mentioned his name.

  "Yes, Mr. Berg," she began. "We can reroute you to Dallas/Fort Worth and onto an Air New Zealand flight leaving for New Zealand later this afternoon. Unless another storm comes through domestic flights for Dallas will leave JFK at first light."

  John smiled. "I'll take it," he replied. "That's good news. I knew we'd missed our Qantas connection at Los Angeles."

  "Great," the attendant said and tapped away at her computer. "Now, that was two adults and two children?"

  "No," John replied and was about to say there were only himself and the two kids when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

  He turned and noticed the intense hazel eyes of a slim woman in her sixties staring up at him. "Grandma!" he gasped. "What are you doing here? You should be home in your apartment in this weather. I told you it was useless coming to the airport to see us off." He frowned when he realized his mother-in-law was in the departure lounge? Only passengers were allowed this far in.

  Fiona Reynolds' eyes misted over. "There’s nobody here for me now, John, only you and the kids. I decided to follow you out. I heard your flight was delayed and managed to find you." She hesitated. "That's if you want me tagging on. If not, it is easy enough to cancel the ticket."

  John stared at the moist eyes and his heart went out. Of all the people in the world, this determined woman was the one he'd want with them. The tearful goodbye and the promises to keep in touch seemed totally inadequate after the earlier decision to continue the family's emigration to New Zealand. Anne and himself had planned it over the last two years and everything had been finalized five months before.

  "Oh Fiona," he replied and tucked his arms around the frail woman. "You know we want you but what of your apartment and the cat?"

  "Thelma, next door has adopted Patches and as for the apartment, it is only a building. One can't live on memories, you know!"

  "So my arguments did get through?" John replied.

  "A stubborn old lady takes a while to see the light," Fiona retorted. "When I saw the cab drive away I had a rethink and here I am."

  John grinned and turned to the attendant. " I was wrong. It is two adults and two children," he said.

  *

  "My God! Look at it Daddy," Helen gasped in astonishment as the city unfolded beneath their Boeing 747 thirty-six hours later. "You said hardly anybody lived here."

  Beside a muddy estuary, thousands of houses stretched away into the distance. As the aircraft dipped and circled around for its approach to the airport, high rise buildings, topped by a gigantic tower rose in front of a second harbour, this one blue and shining in the morning light.

  "We are arriving on schedule at Auckland International Airport," announced the captain over the public address system. "As you can see, the weather is fine and sunny. It is seven a.m., local time; the temperature is sixteen degrees Celsius and is expected to rise to twenty-eight degrees this afternoon. For our American passengers, that is sixty degrees Fahrenheit rising to eighty two degrees...”

  "I know that," retorted Julie. "We aren't dumb."

  "Most of New Zealand is in the middle of a summer drought at the moment," the voice droned on, "Please have your passports and customs declarations ready for inspection. For New Zealand citizens ..." the voice continued but John had stopped listening.

  He felt a twinge of excitement as a tiny hand grasped his and Helen gazed up. "I'm glad Grandma is with us Daddy," she whispered.

  "I am too Sweetheart." John caught his younger daughter's smiling eyes and reached up for their luggage. For better or worse, they had arrived in their new homeland. The circumstances had changed so much since he had suggested to Anne they sell their Upper New York State ranch and purchase a property in New Zealand. She was gone now, but at least the family's dreams could be fulfilled.

  "Mom would have loved this view," Julie added. She tucked an arm around Helen's shoulder and used the o
ther to squeeze her father's arm.

  "Yes Sweetheart," John added. "And I know this is what she would want us to do."

  They watched as the aircraft turned onto a taxiway and made the final journey to the terminal building. Airports the world over all looked the same from this direction.

  *

  After customs and transfer to the domestic terminal the Bergs had an hour's flight in a tiny fifty-seat aircraft to the city of Palmerston North.

  They walked inside the small but modern terminal land and stood, somewhat disorientated until a young man in a crisp suit approached. "I heard your accent and assume you must be the Berg family. "He took John's nod as a signal to continue talking. "I'm Gerard Hurstworld from Taylor and Webber, the real estate agents working for you." He smiled at the girls. "You must be Julie and Helen? Welcome to New Zealand. You, too, John." He switched his eyes to Fiona and gave a tiny nod.

  "Fiona Reynolds, my mother-in-law," John introduced. "She decided to come with us."

  "Of course. Hello Fiona." Gerard shook everyone's hand before turning back to the family's leader. "May I offer my sympathy at the tragic loss of your wife, John? I spoke to Anne on the phone on one occasion a few months back. She sounded a pleasant person."

  "Thank you," John replied.” It all happened so quickly in the end." He hesitated. "After a great deal of soul searching we decided to come anyway."

  "If there is anything we can do, just ask," Gerard continued and sounded as though he meant it. "We've got the new Ford Fairmont wagon you ordered out in the parking area and the guy from the dealer, is around somewhere for you to sign along the dotted line. I think everything else is done. If you wish, I'll travel out in your car and show you where to go. My wife can follow in our car and bring me back."

  "That's awfully kind of you but are you sure?" John replied, "

  "No problem, it's about an hour and a bit to the farm. " He scratched his chin. "The last bit is pretty windy but I'm sure you'll like the place once you arrive. It was a real bargain, too, I might add, a mortgagee sale and far better than the original property you were considering."

  *

  After twenty kilometres of wide straight two lane highway through rich but parched farmland they reached rolling hills that became more windy the further they travelled. They wound down into a beautiful valley and crossed the Rangitikei River, a tumbling river that cut through a valley beneath enormous cliffs. From there they drove up through to a tiny village named Hunterville, turned along a narrow sealed road that headed through a picturesque valley between steep hills.

  John, who was still trying to cope with the steering wheel on the right and driving on the left, almost panicked when he drove around an 'S' bend to find a gigantic Mack truck filling the road in front. Instinctively he pulled the wrong way, Julie screamed but the truck stopped with a hiss of vacuum brakes. As they squeezed by the tractor unit and two trailers loaded with sheep, the grinning driver, pulled his hooter when Helen waved at him.

  "It's been so dry, many farmers are selling off stock," Gavin explained. "Your place is fine, though. The previous owner under stocked the place and the gullies have retained their moisture. When I visited last week, the stream still had quite a volume of water flowing through it." He grinned at Helen sitting, wide eyed, in the middle of the front seat. "What do you think so far, young lady?" he asked

  "It's different," The youngster replied glanced up at Gerard. "I don't like the narrow road."

  The road from that point on wasn't bad, it was diabolical! They turned off the sealed road where a faded yellow sign stated Long Valley Road, State Highway 49, 63 km.

  The gravel road was barely wider than the Fairmont and John had no idea what would happen if another auto came the other way. As they wound up a hill and through steep forest that Gerard called bush, his thoughts grew gloomy. The back tires spun on another corner and dust bellowed up in dense clouds behind them. Even with the air conditioning on, the sun blazing through the windshield soon had his shirt became soaked in perspiration. The shady sections became welcome but the dry waist high grass and thistles covered in brown dust further added to his depression. What had he committed his family too?

  *

  In the back seat, Julie had similar feelings but was encouraged by her grandmother who sat with an almost satisfied smirk on her face.

  "It'll be fine, Julie," Fiona said with her usual confidence. "Your daddy knows what he is doing. You just wait and see."

  "I hope so, Grandma." The twelve year old gulped as thoughts went back to Davidson Junior High School at home and all her friends. A pang of homesickness activated by motion sickness jerked through her body.

  As Fiona had predicted, the windy bends did stop and the road opened out into a wide valley, the bush retreated and farms appeared.

  "Three more kilometres," Gerard said, "We're in the valley proper now. There's no more windy road and that's Mount Ruapehu in front."

  Ahead, rising up above steep hills, a wide twin peaked mountain with snow still on the summit, filled the northern horizon in front of a cloudless sky.

  "It's beautiful," gasped Fiona. She glanced over at a white faced Julie who managed a weak smile. “I heard the ski fields there are some of the best in the North Island."

  They passed a farmhouse on the left and, a few moments later, another to the right. Two more slipped by before Gerard instructed John to slow down at a wooden sign carved into a split log that stated Top Oasis Farm.

  They had arrived!

  The driveway led up a steep gradient before it levelled out. They came to an expanse of green lawn fronting a modern house built of cream bricks. Four huge bay windows were along the front of the house. Two attic windows poked out from a steep tiled roof. Ornamental shrubs, a tennis court and, even better for the girls, a kidney shaped swimming pool beneath overhanging fern trees appeared, adjacent to a large car garage. Flower gardens circled between the drive and bush area while, to the right, farm buildings could be seen behind a white painted fence.

  The whole grounds were spacious and in immaculate condition.

  "Welcome to your new home," Gerard announced as he stopped the car under an archway built out from a double glass door of the house's side entrance.

  "Oh Daddy!" Julie’s eyes twinkled ”It's more modern and bigger than our house back in The States.

  Helen, though, saw something else. She gave a squeak of delight when a massive ginger cat strolled around the corner and stared disdainfully at them as if he was the owner of the property.

  "You have a choice about Ginger," Gerard said. "We've had a manager here over the last couple of months since the original owner shifted out and he fed the cat. If you don't want it, I promised him to my wife."

  "We'll keep him," Fiona retorted before anyone could say a word. "I love cats."

  The new immigrants clamoured out of their vehicle and the girls waited impatiently as Gerard unlocked the door and they walked through a carpeted entranceway to a wide polished door. Beyond this was the kitchen and open spaced living area together with another surprise. The furniture was familiar.

  "Yes.” Gerard grinned. "Your container arrived two weeks back and the moving firm unpacked everything. You may not like where we placed everything but at least it is all out and we have disposed of a ton of boxes"

  "We?" queried John.

  "Well, you were such good clients, my firm decided to tidy up after the packers left. Not many New Zealanders can afford to pay cash for a property like this.”

  Julie followed her father through the spacious interior and saw everything they'd packed up three months earlier. Her room even had their teddy bears propped up on beds and clothes placed neatly in the en suit closets.

  "We never expected this," John gasped and reached out to pump Gerard's hand. "Thank you!"

  "The farm gear you brought is out in the implement shed," Gerard added. "I guess you'd call it a barn. The large wooden building further out is the wool shed."

  There was
a cough and everyone turned as a chubby woman walked in and Gerard introduced her as his wife, Claire.

  "There was so much dust on the road I had to drop back so I wouldn't be suffocated," she said after all the introductions were made.

  "And I bet you helped arrange everything, Claire," Fiona said. "My, even our curtains have been altered to fit the windows."

  "Gavin and I did spend a couple of weekends here," the New Zealander admitted.

  "I knew it," Fiona laughed. "I could see the woman's touch as soon as we walked in."

  "Daddy," Julie tugged on her father's sleeve. "Can we go for a swim? I'm all sweaty.’

  “Please Daddy.” Helen jumped up and down in excitement.

  “How about a bite to eat first?” John asked but knew he was fighting a loosing battle.

  *

  Mere moments later the Berg girls, having already picked up and cuddled the cat, were screaming and splashing in the swimming pool while the adults brought out food and set out a picnic lunch on a large wooden table in the patio. John had to smile when Claire produced a large hamper she called a chilly bin filled with sandwiches, a salad and other summer food.

  'It's really Gerard's day off," Claire admitted. "We decided to make a picnic of your arrival. I hope you don't mind."

  John just stared with a grin transfixed across his face. "Nobody has ever done this for us before," he replied. "I don't know how to begin to thank you."

  "It's no problem," Claire chuckled. "Gerard and I love it out here."

  John laughed. "Then come back any time."

  He grinned as Claire unscrewed a large thermos and poured some coffee into four cups brought out from the kitchen. "I know Americans always like coffee," she said. "It's only instant, I'm afraid. There are some cans of soft drink for the girls. I wasn't sure what they'd like."

  "They drink anything that's bad for them," John laughed. "A soda will be grand."