by Jared Thomas
‘Good shit, hey?’ Run asked.
I just nodded my head, trying to get used to the sensation again. I couldn’t get used to it. I felt really paranoid. I almost forgot what I wanted to tell Run and then he asked, ‘How’s the slave trade?’
‘Work’s deadly, Gary asked me if I could get involved with something that might bring in some more bunda.’
‘Oh yeah, what is it?’
‘He wants me to get some Aboriginal plants or medicine or things that we can put into things like bath oils that make people sleep or dream more, you know.’
‘What do you know about that kind of stuff big medicine man?’ Run laughed.
‘Gary reckons he’ll give me a bonus, a few thousand dollars, if we worked something out. He also reckons he could pay my tribesmen too if they helped me out.’
Run’s face, although he was trying to act cool, showed that he was interested in Gary’s offer. I guess like me he didn’t believe that someone would pay so much for plants you could just grab from the bush.
‘Yeah mahn, a few thousand dollars he offered.’
‘And what did you say?’
‘I said I’d ask around but I don’t know where to start.’
‘There’s plenty of people we know that could put us onto something,’ Run bragged.
‘Really?’
Mum had talked about bush medicines before, and she was always going on about how bush tucker is so healthy, especially her kangaroo-tail soup, so I wondered if Run was thinking about Mum too.
‘Maybe we should ask Mum,’ I suggested, getting in first.
‘Mum? What for?’
‘Maybe she can help us out or knows some family that can.’
‘Whose family?’
‘Our family!’
‘I don’t want anyone in our family to know that we’re trying to scrounge up ganja!’
‘Ganja!? Who said anything about ganja?’
‘Isn’t that what you’re talking about? Gary wants some stuff to help people relax, sleep and dream better unna?’
‘Gary doesn’t want ganja. He doesn’t want that type of plant. He wants Aboriginal medicines, you know from plants that grow in the bush, things our old people used to make them better, cuz.’
‘While my pot plant grows up in my room, it’s an Aboriginal plant, Calypso.’
‘Shhh,’ I said, getting paranoid, ‘I’m not talking about ganja. I thought it might be good for us to sit down with some old people and find out about this stuff.’
‘All I know is that people get stoned when they harvest big crops, Calypso, just from the ganja getting through their skin. Why wouldn’t the same thing happen if you mixed ganja with massage oils and bath water?’
I realised that Run had a point. It was just how I thought the Aboriginal plants would work, spreading through the water and bath oil to mellow people out. Still, I didn’t want Run to get stuck on the argument so I tried arguing with him from another angle.
‘Run, you’ve heard Mum talk about how good bush tucker is for you, hey?’
‘All the time.’
‘And how plants and things were used by our old people for medicine?’
‘Yeah, but people did that ages ago.’
‘But the plants gotta be there still. It would be cool if we could find out about these things, and sell them through the store.’
‘It would take us ages to learn about that stuff, I don’t even know any. Dreamtime stories bruz.’ I could tell Run was ashamed when he said this because it was how I felt too.
‘We could learn,’ I said.
‘We could,’ said Run. And I got excited until Run added, ‘but I’m going to just take your boss some ganja, rage him out and see what he thinks.’ And then he pissed himself laughing.
I was really pissed off and felt like throwing something at Run. Instead I said, ‘You’re proof that ganja just makes you fucked in the head.’
‘You’re just stressing out from wearing those fucked-up pants to work every day. Fuck having a flash job and all if you have to look like a wanker.’
‘I’ll show you Run! I’m going to find these plants and someone is going to be making some money and it won’t be you. But you better start getting some money from somewhere or else your black arse will be out on the street.’
‘Like I give a fuck,’ Run said grabbing the ganja and bong and walking into his room to smoke up.
I don’t know if Run cared about me saying I’d kick him out. I just got up and fell into my lounge chair getting paranoid with visions of him coming in to see Gary with bags of ganja. I fell asleep spinning out.
7
I went to Mum’s house the next day. She was sitting on the veranda, drinking a long glass of chilled water on her little table like she did every afternoon. People always passed by and asked, ‘How you going Aunty Audrey?’ Everyone called her Aunty Audrey, even the postman. She reckons she started having ice-cold water with a slice of lemon from a long glass every afternoon to calm her nerves when she started finding my ganja among her tomato plants.
She got up to hug me when I walked through the gate. I hadn’t seen her in a couple of weeks. The house was really quiet.
‘Where’s Evelyn and the kids?’
‘She’s at the doctor’s, bub. Coming down with something she reckons.’
Evelyn always teased me about being Mum’s favourite but Mum spoils us all. When I got my first pay I stocked every cupboard in Mum’s house with food. Not just any food but all of her favourite things. I made sure I bought some crabs, she loves ’em, used to get them all the time when she was a kid. I even bought a side of lamb and some bags of chocolate and chips for the kids. ‘This is even a bigger feed than we have at Christmas,’ Mum said and Evelyn reckoned, ‘True Calypso, you put Christmas to shame big time.’
‘Where did you get all the money to buy these things?’ Mum asked. That’s when I told them about the job. Mum thought it was the deadliest thing ever.
When I sat down Mum poured me a glass of water.
‘A nice day at work?’ Mum asked with a smile.
‘Pretty good,’ I said, keen to ask her what had been on my mind all day. As she poured me a drink I just came out with it.
‘Mum, I want to learn more about bush medicines and things.’
‘Good stuff those bush medicines. I don’t know how those old people know all that stuff you know, how to make things from an animal or plant to fix a cold and things. I guess they had plenty of time to work it out though.’
‘What do you know about it Mum?’
‘Obviously not much if your sister is off to see the doctor. I was only a little girl you know when Aunty Elsie and I was brought to the city.’
‘Well what can you remember, Mum?’
‘Just little things.’
‘Like what?’
‘Well you know I’m always telling you that kangaroo is the best meat on Earth, hardly no fat, and the biggest mobs of protein and iron. Witchetty grubs, they’re full of protein. Give you a protein overdose if you’re not used to them.’
‘Yeah, I know that, but what about plants and things?’
‘Well, eucalyptus oil, that’s proper blackfella stuff of course. Thousands of generations of blackfellas have been using it. But there are other things … wattle flowers that can take away headaches, plants for stings and leaves that keep insects away. They reckon people used to heat up water and put plants in with old fellas to take away their arthritis.’
‘Who reckons?’
‘Why you so interested anyway?’
‘It’s just that at the store people are always buying natural things for their problems and I want to know about the things that our people used.’
‘Is that so?’ Mum asked, raising an eyebrow.
‘Yeah.’
‘Well, I’ve got no more to tell you right now, my memory is pretty buggered these days. I was only a little girl when I came to the city you know.’
‘Anyone you know who could tell m
e about these things?’
‘Maybe your Aunty Janet knows something. She and her mob are still living on country there.’
‘Aunty who?’
Aunty Janet, your grandfather’s sister’s daughter … my sister, your aunty.’
‘Nah, don’t know her.’
‘When you were a little fella she used to bounce you on her knee. We used to visit her with Dad when we headed over to the west coast on his fishing trips. We haven’t seen them in years.’
‘Why not?’
‘Why you reckon, Calypso? Your Dad was swept to his damn death off them rocks fishing for salmon … and we haven’t had a car since,’ she said angrily like I was an idiot. And besides, they don’t visit us, do they?’
‘What you reckon about me visiting Aunty Janet and finding out about these plants and things?’
Mum took a long sip of water. ‘You could try.’
I tried prising more information out of Mum about bush medicine. I knew she knew more, she’d tried to tell me stuff plenty of times but I hadn’t listened. I didn’t know what was distracting her, maybe Evelyn was really crook. Mum stood from her seat, grabbed the jug and poured the last of the water on a pot plant.
I left Mum’s place with Aunty Janet’s number scribbled on a piece of paper.
8
I was dialling Aunty when Run’s friend Robbie burst into the flat, went straight to the fridge, poured himself a glass of milk and sat on the lounge. I looked at the little fat fuck in disbelief. He just kept sculling that milk, thinking himself real deadly with his hair all teased up, his guts hanging out his t-shirt and wearing canvas slip-on shoes with white socks. He even put his feet up on the table like he owned the place.
‘Run,’ he called out from his spot right beneath the air-conditioner. Run came out of his room pulling on a t-shirt. Run and Robbie tapped their fists together and then Run just came straight out with it, ‘We’re going to be loaded bruz … Calypso’s boss is going to give us three grand if we get him some ganja to put in his bath oils and things.’
‘No way. Three thousand bucks! That’s just crazy!’
‘He’s talking shit Robbie.’
‘Bullshit, don’t listen to him, he’s just being a greedy fella, doesn’t want you in on it. You know what he’s like. Three grand unna Calypso?’
‘Gary isn’t after ganja Robbie, he wants something else. Run’s just fucking dreaming.’
‘He wants ganja Calypso.’
I felt like jumping up from my chair and flogging Run. But he can fight ’ey and I didn’t want anything in my place getting wrecked. So I took a deep breath and said, ‘Run, I told you about this thing with Gary because I want you to help me.’
‘Well I’m going to call up your boss and tell him I will help him out … my way.’
Robbie got up and took his empty glass to the kitchen, probably to get out of the way of the punches that were about to be thrown between Run and me.
‘You’re a fuckhead Run.’
‘You’re the one that’s going to kick me out if I don’t start paying rent Calypso, I can make some money with this.’
‘I won’t have to kick you out … you’ll end up in jail if you keep going the way you are.’
Run shot me a dirty look and then started laughing crazily. My adrenalin was pumping but I started to shit myself, thinking Run was about to cut sick.
Run turned to look at Robbie who was watching the two of us closely. ‘Let’s go have a smoke ’ey? Might have to make it our last for a while if we’re going to give Calypso’s boss a mother lode.’ Then Run walked into his room with Robbie towing behind him.
‘Grab your shit Run, and then fuck off,’ I called out after him. But Run just shut the door and put on some gansta music flat out. So I got up and walked out.
°°°
By the time I’d walked to the local park, I’d calmed down a bit. I sat down for a while, caught my breath and then called Aunty Janet. Just when I thought the phone was going to ring out, someone picked it up.
‘Is this Aunty Janet?’ I asked.
‘Yes, who is this?’ she asked, sounding pissed off or something.
‘Calypso, I mean Kyle,’ I answered.
‘Who Kyle?’
‘Audrey’s son Kyle.’
‘Which Audrey?’
‘Your cousin-sister Audrey.’
‘I know who you is bub. What you want?’
I kind of shit myself, how was I supposed to explain what I was after? Maybe it would be easier if I met Aunty Audrey, to tell her face-to-face. ‘Is it okay if I come visit, Aunty Janet? Mum’s always talking about the place and I haven’t been there since I was a little fella.’
‘Yes, of course dear. When can I expect you?’
I hadn’t really thought it through or how I would get there, Port Germein is a couple of hundred kilometres from Adelaide, but I said, ‘What if I come up next weekend?’
‘That’ll be good.’
I was glad Aunty Janet said I could come up so soon because Gary started giving me the shits during that week. When he wasn’t at the café or sitting at the counter reading this book he’d bought called Aboriginal people and their plants, he’d point to pictures of plants in the book and ask if my tribe knew about them or if I’d talked to anyone about things. At least I could tell him that I was going to see some of the mob on the weekend but still he wouldn’t cut it out.
On Wednesday morning Gary asked me if anyone of my tribesmen had been in contact and thank god this woman came in when she did or I reckon I would have told him to get fucked. I refused to move from sitting on the crate stacking vitamins or to speak to the woman, not just because I was pissed off but to see if Gary would notice.
The woman was pretty stylish, wearing loose white pants and a shirt with red beads and earrings. She had some deadly kind of haircut, short around the back and sides with long bits on top and streaks of blonde through it. Then I watched Gary look at me, expecting me to bend over backwards. I just pointed my chin at the shelf and packets I was stocking.
Gary got up from behind the counter, sighed and walked towards the woman who put on a pair of glasses to read the labels on powders.
‘How may I help you today?’ Gary asked.
‘I’m looking for something with a bit of a kick I guess,’ said the woman.
‘For you?’
‘Oh, kind of for my husband.’
‘Is he feeling a bit flat?’
‘You could say that.’
‘Ah, I think we have just the thing,’ said Gary with a smile of the Cheshire cat as he looked at me and winked.
‘Just wait a sec,’ he said as he walked over to grab his corn cob that was now old and withered from behind the counter. He went back to the woman and directed her to the shelf of corn concentrate in the centre of the store. ‘You see,’ he said pointing his finger to all the shelves in the store, ‘there are many pills and powders that we have that can provide energy but at the end of the day, nature, in its pure form, always provides the best results.’ He held the shabby piece of corncob in front of the woman.
The woman was interested and held one of her gold rings between her thumb and index finger while asking, ‘Corn makes you energetic?’
‘Absolutely,’ Gary said. ‘But it is best to eat it raw or dried and then ground to a powder. You can mix it with solids or liquid, lots of it.’
‘How much exactly?’
‘A packet a day will certainly give you a spark.’
‘Does it take more for men?’
Gary let the piece of corn dangle between his thumb and index finger. ‘Yes, it takes a bit more for men because we’re generally bigger and therefore need to pump more blood through our veins to our appendages.’ Gary slowly swivelled the piece of corn so that it pointed vertically to the roof.
‘Do you have many customers buying it?’
‘Yeah, especially this one bloke. He had quite the paunch when he first came in.’
‘He was fat?’<
br />
‘Yes, huge. The bloke wanted a boost to help him stay on track with his exercise program.’
‘Did it work?’
‘Every time he comes back into the shop he brags about how many more push-ups he can do.’
‘Really?’
‘He’s bloody fit these days I tell ya.’
‘I’ll take a dozen packets,’ said the woman without hesitation.
Gary walked over to the counter with a dozen packets of the ground corn, winking at me again.
‘You know, I just work down the street, I own the hair salon.’
‘Oh yeah, I know it. What’s it called again?’
‘Cleopatra’s Mirror and I’m Steph,’ the woman said holding out her hand for Gary to shake.
‘Nice to meet you,’ Gary said as he shook her hand with a nod of his head and a smile on his face. ‘I’m Gary and this is Calypso.’ I gave Steph a little wave.
‘When the corn works, make sure to come back again and tell your friends about our store’.
9
I jumped on the Greyhound bus at seven o’clock on Saturday morning to get to Aunty Janet’s place. I didn’t take much with me, just a small bag with a few bananas, a bottle of water, some garbage bags for collecting the herbs, a jumper and a sleeping bag, just in case. I threw in some shorts too.
Watching everything whiz by as I cruised through the suburbs on that bus was pretty deadly. All the secondhand car lots along Main North Road got me thinking about saving up for a car. If I got Run to move out and someone else to move in I could afford it. If things with Gary paid off, I could do it easily.
When I reached the fringes of the city, there were small market gardens everywhere and the greenhouses made me think about Run. People reckon market gardeners grow ganja too but I wondered about that because why would you risk a steady profit for a quick buck? Then again, there were some pretty flash houses among all the fields.
The horses and sheep in the paddocks reminded me of travelling out of town as a little fella. I wished I’d jumped on a bus and headed out bush earlier. The last time was on a year ten school trip.
