The Outback (6 page)

The ground had become
baked solid by the heat, but it still had to yield to the overpowering weight
of the tractor as it carved deep trenches into the soil with its relentless
progress along the field. This made walking a tricky affair, somewhat similar
to spending hours on a stepper in the gym. Matt had on more than one occasion
come perilously close to losing his footing, and as such became more and more
distracted by where he placed his feet. It was whilst his attention was thusly
diverted that he failed to see the foot long, three inch thick log that was
headed directly for the back of his head. He did feel it though. Boy, did he
feel it.

Chapter 5

The pain gnawed at the
inside of his head like a rat trying to tunnel its way out of a hollowed out
pumpkin. If he closed his eyes and allowed all thoughts to be discarded from
his mind, it helped. It did not help much, but it was the difference between
tolerance and giving in to the desire to try and beat the pain out of his head
on the dashboard.

He was brought back to
reality by the sound of an engine pulling up alongside. Joe had finally arrived
with the backpackers. Half of them were fresh from the cities or whatever
tourist Hell-holes that these foreign kids were despoiling these days. This
meant that they were untested and would possibly not be able to take the strain
of doing the job. He hoped for their sake that if they were too weak that they
would quit after this first day. The pom would probably even offer to drive
them back to the city. They would get no such molly codling on his watch.

‘This is Rhett,’ said
Joe. ‘He will be managing things here for the next few months, as I have to
attend to business out of town.’

‘Managing,’ now that was
a word that he liked to hear; it was about time that people had cause to show
him some respect in this town. He watched them as they gathered around the
tractor. Straight away he could tell which were going to present the most
problems. The three that weren’t native English speakers were an obvious cause
for concern. If they could not understand the orders that were given how could
they be expected to follow them? At least the three girls provided some much
needed eye candy.

Once the tractor was
underway, it was time for him to go over the plans for the coming weeks with
Joe. There were four fields that needed clearing and timing was imperative if
all were to be completed on time. If they weren’t, he would miss out on a
healthy bonus payment at the end of the contract. Joe pulled out a large map,
which he unfolded and placed onto the bonnet of Rhett’s ute. It had the four
fields clearly marked, but this being the outback the scale was vast. Three of
them were within one hour’s drive from the town. The other was twice that
distance away.

‘This last one is going
to be a tough one to complete,’ said Joe. ‘We lose an extra two hours each day
to travelling, so you’re going to have to allow for maybe just four and a half
to five lengths in a day.’

‘Why?’ Rhett asked.
‘We’ll just get home a little later than usual. An extra couple of hours at the
end of the day is no real hardship. Probably do those layabouts some good too,
as it would eat into their drinking time.’

It was obvious that Joe
had already made up his mind and would not be budged, but that never stopped
Rhett. Arguments were not about winning or losing. To him the outcome was
always secondary to the fun of the fight involved in getting there.

‘Their day begins at
half past five,’ said Joe. ‘If we keep them out until seven, then by the time
they have showered and had dinner they’ll have to go straight to bed. You have
to give them time to recharge or they’ll all be burnt out long before the job’s
finished. They are only kids after all.’

‘You’re the boss,’
conceded Rhett.

In twenty four hours the
Englishman would be gone so his opinion did not matter so much anyway. Rhett
looked out to the field where Sam was shamefully over compensating for the
slowness of the rookies. They really were clueless. The pommie one was the
worst of the bunch. He kept looking over his shoulder to see what those two
posh slags were doing instead of keeping his eye on what was happening ahead of
him. It could only be a matter of time before the Jap hit him with a mistimed
throw. It would certainly make Rhett’s day to see that happen and he mentally
tracked the trajectory of each wayward throw, hoping that it would be the one
to cause the damage.

He found it a welcome
relief when morning smoko finally arrived, as he badly needed a break from
Joe’s fussing over every minor detail. All that was required of him was to
babysit a bunch of kids picking up sticks and give them a kick up the arse if
they got complacent. How difficult could that be?

He rolled a cigarette
and placed it into his mouth.

Where had he put his
lighter?

He patted down the
pockets of his overalls before eventually finding it. He was always losing
them, which was a continual pain. The baccy that he rolled never stayed lit for
long and he was always having to fidget about to get it relit. He would, of
course, have preferred to have something a bit stronger in there, but never in
front of the boss.

After the break, Joe
moved on to giving endless instructions regarding the caravan park. He talked
and talked about how it was important to give the kids their space. Space for
what exactly? Drinking and screwing was all they were likely to get up to.
Rhett planned on paying as few visits to that place as was absolutely
necessary.

The day finally picked
up following lunch. The soppy English kid, who had spent the entire morning
trying to impress one of the skinny girls, took a hefty whack to the back of
his head from one of the Jap’s wayward throws. The ferocity of the impact had
Rhett hoping it had been a deliberate act, but that was unlikely with a bunch
as soft as this lot.

As soon as everyone
became aware of what had happened the tractor came to a halt and they all used
it as an excuse to shy off from doing work. Joe looked to be concerned as he
jogged out to the field to investigate. He had good cause to be worried given
the lack of work being done, but no doubt the fool just wanted to check up on
the kid to see if he was okay.

Rhett walked out to the
scene of the commotion with less urgency. This gave him time for another smoke
and a chance to survey what work, if any, had actually been achieved. He could
not believe the amount of wood that was being left on the ground as he followed
the freshly laid tractor tracks. Why Joe insisted on hiring these outsiders was
a mystery given the wealth of cheap labour in the town.

The two Irish boys, who
Joe said were part of the original crew, caught up to him as he walked. They
had been stoking a bonfire and therefore had completely missed what happened.

‘What’s going on?’ asked
the taller of the two.

‘Nothing that needs to
concern you; one of the new starters got a bit clumsy, that’s all,’ replied
Rhett.

‘Is it Matt? What
happened - is he alright like?’

Here was yet more
slacking off. He was tempted to take them by scruff of their necks and force
them into getting back to work, but it would pay to keep these two onside; for
the time being at least.

‘He’s still on his feet
so it can’t have been serious,’ he told them.

‘Maybe one of us should
switch with him for the rest of the day. It’s not as hectic what we’re doing.’

Rhett was surprised to
hear such a common sense idea from a backpacker. This one clearly had
leadership potential. Well, to lead this ramshackle group at least. Once Joe
was out of the way he would approach this one with his proposition. For now
though, he just needed to keep him on side.

‘That’s a good idea. Why
don’t you run up and swap with him now,’ he said. Then turning to the other
Irishman; ‘you can get back to work now. The imbecile will come and help you
when he’s ready.’

The two exchanged a look
of uncertainty before splitting up and jogging off their separate ways. It really
was pathetic how they could not so much as wipe their own backsides without
seeking one another’s approval. Rhett met Joe and the injured boy halfway
between the tractor and the edge of the field. The latter had a slight cut to
the back of his head, but the bleeding had already stopped so it could hardly
have been serious.

‘I’ll take him down to
the bus to put a plaster and some antiseptic on it,’ said Joe. ‘You keep an eye
on the others to make sure that there are no more mishaps.’

The Australian offered a
shrug of acceptance. When he caught up to the tractor he climbed up onto the
back of it where he had a good vantage point to see everything around him. Two
of the girls started gabbing about what just happened, but he found that a
long, cold stare soon shut them up. Once his authority was established he
placed a roll-up in his mouth and surveyed his new kingdom. Things were
definitely looking up. He not only had a job, but it came with underlings too.
It was like he had inherited a readymade supply chain. If all went to plan this
was going to be his most profitable venture yet.

Chapter 6

Matt’s body felt like
crumpled steel by the time that he got back to the caravan after work. Eight
hours of constant bending left him wanting nothing more than to just collapse
onto his bed and remain there until it was time to repeat the whole process
again in the morning. Of course, for him to hope for a moment to himself in
such a close knit environment was pure whimsy.

‘I wouldn’t get too
comfortable if I were you,’ warned Colin, as he took off his mud caked boots.
‘The guys are meeting for a few after work drinks and I’ll be damned if you
think you’re getting out of having a few beers with us.’

‘What do you need me
for?’ asked Matt. ‘Between Rose and your little smoking circle I’m sure you
have more than enough to keep you entertained.’

‘Jenny’s going to be
there and so is Jonas,’ said Colin, knowing exactly which buttons to press.

‘I’m sure they’ll make a
wonderful couple,’ Matt replied, whilst raising himself up on the bed.

‘Come on,’ urged Colin.
‘That was a nasty whack you took to the head today. If you’re suffering from
concussion the worst thing you can do is sleep.’

‘Whereas drinking will
do me the world of good, I suppose.’

He rotated his body and
placed his feet on the floor, ready to get up.

‘Best cure there is,’
said Colin.

Despite the
protestations of his body, Matt followed the Irishman outside to where a
gathering had once more formed around the freshly lit campfire, with only Hiro
and Celeste missing from the group. Alcohol was not the focal point this time,
as the drinks were merely an aid to relaxation rather than a means of
intoxication. Matt promised himself that the minute anybody brought up the
subject of sticks he would leave.

‘How’s the head?’ asked
Niall.

Matt rubbed a hand over
the plastered cut. The swelling had died down considerably, leaving only a
minor bump and a hint of residual pain.

‘I’ll live,’ he told
them. ‘Where’s Hiro; he isn’t missing because of me, is he? I wanted to talk to
him about it on the bus, but I could hardly keep my eyes open.’

Colin started to laugh.

‘He’s in his van right
now committing Hare-Kari. He told us that he couldn’t live with the dishonour
he’d brought upon himself.’

‘Very funny,’ replied
Matt. ‘Seriously though, where is he?’

‘Don’t worry,’ said
Rose. ‘He’s just having a shower. There’s always a big queue for them at this
time as hot water is a luxury that runs out quickly in this place.’

‘Just as long as he
knows there are no hard feelings,’ said Matt.

‘I’m sure he’ll buy you
a beer later,’ she reassured him.

The door to the female
shower opened and Celeste stepped out. She was barely covered by the flimsy
towel that she had wrapped around her and all of the guys secretly hoped it
would slip as she walked past. They had no such luck, but the thought alone was
a small reward in itself. The Canadian girl had a body that could look good in
anything, but would always look better in nothing.

‘I think I’m gonna go
and have a quick nap before dinner,’ said Stephen, rising from his log seat
ready to leave.

A cheeky smile was
exchanged between Rose and Niall.

‘You must be feeling
really stiff after working so hard,’ said Niall.

‘I bet you cannot wait
to get into bed,’ added Rose, before they both saw him off with an
‘Au revoir
.’

He held his middle
finger aloft as he walked away, showing them exactly what he thought of their
teasing.

‘Am I missing something
here?’ asked Matt, who was finding the pair’s behaviour a little strange to say
the least.

‘Let’s just say that our
Irish friend is somewhat of a dark horse,’ Rose answered, rather coyly.

‘I must have hit my head
harder than I thought,’ said Matt. ‘Nobody seems to make any sense anymore.’

‘We live in a desert and
we spend our days picking up sticks. It would take a brave man to try and make
any sense of that,’ said Rose. ‘I fear that the answer would lead only to
insanity.’

Matt let out a deep
sigh, before throwing his arms into the air.

‘See what you’ve done
now,’ he said. ‘You’ve only gone and mentioned the “s” word. I promised myself
that the moment anybody brought that up, I would leave.’

‘Insanity?’ she queried.

‘That doesn’t begin with
an “s”. I’m talking about sticks. If I have to spend all day bending down and
picking them up, they’re the last thing I want to talk about when I get back
here.’

‘What else is there to
talk about? Sticks are what we live for.’

Matt placed his hands
over his ears.

‘I’m not listening to
you.’

‘Sticks, sticks, sticks
and sticks,’ she replied, leaning in to face him nose to nose.

‘Do you want me to
leave, because if you do, you should just say so?’

‘Don’t be silly; of
course I don’t want you to leave. I’d much prefer it if you were to stick
around.’

‘That’s it, one more
time and I’m going.’

‘Sticks; now fuck off,’
interjected Colin, waving his arm dismissively.

‘Well, if that’s your
attitude, I’ll stay just to piss you off,’ said Matt.

The boys could have kept
this childish behaviour up all night, but the girls were already beginning to
tire of it. As if to prove this point, Jenny got up to leave.

‘I’m going for a
shower,’ she said. ‘I’ll catch up with you all after dinner. Hopefully, the
pair of you will have grown up a bit by then.’

‘I’ll join you,’ said
Jonas.

‘I beg your pardon,’
said Jenny.

The girl’s shock was
matched only by Matt, but Colin and Rose found the German’s apparent
proposition hilarious.

‘I will shower too,’ he
said. ‘By the time I get ready, Hiro will be finished.’

‘Oh right,’ said Jenny.

She turned to Matt and
let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. He took this as a positive sign. Once
Jenny was out of earshot the remaining three rounded on him. He had been
starting to sense a spark of chemistry between himself and Jenny and did not
expect it to have gone unnoticed by the others.

‘So when are you going
to ask my little sister out?’ asked Rose.

The question seemed an
immature one. This was the way relationships were made on the school
playground, with friends scheming behind one another’s backs. Surely they were
above that kind of thing.

‘Ask her out; like on a
date?’

‘What else do you think
I could mean?’

‘Well, this isn’t
exactly Paris. The local bar is like a cowboy saloon from what I’ve heard, the
nearest cinema is five hundred miles away and the only restaurant is the one
that we eat in every night. This place isn’t exactly conducive to building a
romance.’

Matt may have been
talking to Rose, but he soon realised that he should have chosen his words more
carefully given the other ears privy to their conversation.

‘Romance? Listen to
Casanova here,’ said Colin. ‘You’re not taking Cinderella to the ball, you
know. All you have to do is show a girl a bit of fun and I’m pretty sure you’re
equipped for what that requires.’

Rose turned and
presented the Irishman with an open jawed look of disgust.

‘That is my little
sister you are talking about.’

‘That’s my point. If she
takes after you he would do well to use a more direct approach.’

Colin’s proclamation was
met by Rose with a delicate slap across his arm.

‘How dare you!’

Colin placed his hand on
her thigh.

‘Oh, I dare alright,’ he
said.

She motioned to give him
a second slap, but he caught her hand in mid swing. They then started to play
wrestle, which made the other two feel uncomfortable.

‘Shall we leave these
two lovebirds to it?’ suggested Niall.

The Irishman stood with
Matt, ready to leave.

‘Wait just a minute,’
said Rose, struggling to push Colin away so that she could address Matt
directly. ‘I haven’t finished grooming Matt yet.’

‘I’m not sure that I
need grooming,’ he said. ‘I do have experience with women, you know; just not
in such unpromising surroundings.’

‘That is where you are
wrong,’ said Rose. ‘To Jenny this place is the most romantic on Earth. All you
have to do is take her for a walk under the stars. She loves it here.’

‘I did already get that
impression.’

Despite the
encouragement, Matt was not wholly comfortable with his love life being turned
into public property in this way. It only served to place undue pressure on
him, which he could most definitely do without. The problem was that in such a
secluded locale, he could not be sure if it was even feasible to experience
anything without it soon becoming public knowledge.

He went back to his
caravan where he had the solitude to think things over. It had been a long day
for him and the thought of keeping that pace for the next three months was not
a prospect that he relished. Of course, if Rose was correct and her sister did
reciprocate the growing desire he felt for her, those three months would not
appear quite so daunting at all.