by Jared Thomas
Me and Clare sat up front with Uncle Ray on a long vinyl bench seat that was like a couch. Vic stretched out in the back as we coasted along the highway with a Johnny Cash tape playing quietly.
Soon we had a clear view of the sea to the left of us with plains of saltbush ahead and the hills to the right. ‘One thing you should know about this country,’ said Uncle Ray, ‘a lot of stories about it are secret and sacred … but there are also a lot of stories about this country that can be shared with most people.’
‘You still just can’t tell anyone,’ said Vic glancing sideways at me and I was reminded again of Vic not wanting me to know about bush medicines. Although I was desperate to ask some questions, I decided to just listen and enjoy the ride.
‘Yeah course Vic,’ Ray rattled before spitting out the window. He cleared his throat and then said to Vic, ‘Well tell this mob something you can tell them. What about tucker and that around here?’
‘Biggest mob of tucker ’round here,’ Vic said enthusiastically, slowly motioning his hand across the lay of the land. The sea there, course we got kuija, fish, big fish like snapper and yellow tail and then there’s yiritji, crabs, and oysters, mussels, razor fish … lovely stuff.’
‘Bruce and the girls and me caught a good feed the other week, it was too good,’ I told them.
‘Then on the plains here,’ Vic said leaning forward and placing his arm between Clare and me and motioning to the plains with his hand, ‘there’s meat and fruits and things like kangaroo and emu, quondong, yams, bush tomato, grape, and witchetty grubs on the sandy parts. Rabbits too.’
‘My dad loves all that type of food,’ said Clare. ‘He’s always trying to get his murras on it.’
‘Who recks, murras hey?’ said Vic. I was surprised, I didn’t know Clare knew any lingo. ‘Does he like yabbies?’ Vic asked.
‘Like them, he loves them,’ Clare said.
‘Well, there’s plenty of yabbies up in the creeks there. See, we’ve got the best of all worlds here, the sea, the plains and the hills and the fresh water up in there.’
Uncle Ray suddenly swerved and me and Clare rolled towards him and then bounced back upright on the springy bench seat. ‘Shit, I hit the poor little bugger,’ said Uncle Ray. Clare and I swung our heads around flat out to look back at the road.
‘What did you hit?’ Clare asked when we couldn’t see anything.
‘Didn’t you see him? Poor little ant,’ Uncle Ray said before he and Vic started laughing hard.
Vic pushed Uncle Ray in the shoulder and me and Clare cracked up too.
°°°
Uncle Ray slowed the Valiant right down to walking speed before veering off on a dirt track to the right.
‘Are we going up to those hills there?’ Clare asked pointing directly in front of her.
‘No, we’re just cutting across the paddock here and up to the hills closer to Port Augusta,’ Uncle Ray told her. ‘That country ahead of us is men’s country, real potent country there, powerful place. I can’t even take Calypso there yet. Sorry neph. But you fellas will like where we’re going.’
I wasn’t too disappointed about not being taken to the hills ahead of us but it did make me wonder what was there. I wondered what I’d have to learn before I could be taken there.
‘You fellas enjoying yourselves?’ Vic asked.
‘Yeah, it’s deadly, real deadly,’ I said and Clare turned and gave Vic a big smile.
‘That’s good then,’ said Vic as Uncle Ray reduced the car to walking speed. Clare was the first to spot the lizards walking across the road.
‘Sleepy lizard, hey?’ Clare asked Uncle Ray.
‘Yep, but we call them Gulda. And they’re special those Guldas, see they’re one of our totems. Snake is one of our totems too … we’re snake people you know … which means we can’t kill ’em or eat ’em or nothing, which kind of ain’t fair ’cause the snakes around here can bite you and kill you just like that,’ said Uncle Ray, with a click of his fingers.
‘But the Guldas keep the snakes away, see?’ said Vic.
Then I noticed that they were walking real close together and I saw another couple walking across the track in the distance doing the same thing. ‘Why they stuck together like that?’ he asked.
‘Good eyes, neph,’ said Uncle Ray flashing a smile at me. ‘That’s ’cause they’re husband and wife. Those Guldas mate together for life, real love story stuff you know?’
Vic tapped Clare on the shoulder and said to her, ‘That’s why a woman can never insult a Nukunu fella by calling him a lizard if you got the shits with him see … that would mean he’s a proper good fella, faithful and that.’
Clare gave my thigh a squeeze.
‘If you fellas are staying at Aunty Janet’s tonight you won’t be as cozy as them Guldas though, inny Dad?’
‘We won’t be able to sleep together?’ I asked.
Uncle Ray and Vic laughed. ‘Sleep together,’ Uncle Ray said, ‘you fellas will be lucky to sleep in the same postcode. Aunty Janet is stricter than the Pope when it comes to that stuff …’
‘I’m cool with that,’ I said but secretly I was pissed off. Clare gave me a playful nudge in the ribs with her elbow.
°°°
Uncle Ray weaved through a winding gorge full of gum trees, red slate cliff face and rocky riverbeds and then ducked back behind the hills where the sun lit up the plains like gold. He pulled up at the base of a large peak shaped hill and said, ‘Alright you fellas, we’ve got a bit of a walk now. You gunna be right in those thongs love?’ he asked Clare, looking at her feet.
Clare looked at the hill and said, ‘Yeah, no worries, I’d do that barefoot.’
‘Proper little black woman,’ said Vic.
I was a bit worried about Uncle Ray huffing and puffing up the steep and narrow track with sharp rocks jutting out everywhere but he cruised around like a mountain goat.
Occasionally we stopped for a quick rest. From only halfway up the peak, I could tell that the view at the top was going to be amazing, especially with the sun setting. I kind of wished I was just there with Clare but knew the day was all about learning from Uncle Ray and Vic.
We didn’t speak to each other for a while when we reached the top, not even after we’d caught our breath. The scene before us was just too deadly. The sunset in the distance lit up the land and the hills and plains spreading out before us all pink, orange and purple. We could see Port Augusta, and the top of the Spencer Gulf seemed to trickle into the earth like a slither of molten lava.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ I said, ‘It’s just too deadly!’
‘Just take it all in neph,’ Uncle Ray said. He turned to Vic, ‘Look at Clare there, that’s freaky ’ey?’ She was standing near a ledge with her arms outstretched like a bird.
‘What?’ asked Clare, unwinding from her pose.
‘Just you looking like a Wirltu,’ said Vic.
‘What’s that?’ I asked.
‘It’s the eaglehawk,’ said Uncle Ray, ‘the number one boss of these skies here.’
‘This is his place,’ said Vic. ‘See, look this peak is shaped like his head. There’s his eye there.’
I could see it … and I was suddenly struck with a chill even though it must have still been about thirty degrees. Nothing more was said for a little while as we all took in the scene again, Vic sitting on a rock, and Clare leaning against me with her arm resting on my shoulder.
‘I wish I brought my camera,’ Clare whispered.
‘I wanted to bring you up here so that you could get a good look at country, neph. It looks beautiful from up here but you’ve always got to remember that it’s beautiful when you’re down there too.’ He took off his hat and used it to point to the plains. ‘Nukunu believe this is the oldest place in the world, and this country has looked after us from the beginning of time. We need to look after the country, especially with so many people wanting to dig it up and stuff these days.’
‘Yura Muda,’ I said
almost whispering.
‘What you say cuz?’ Vic asked.
‘Yura Muda,’ I said clearly.
‘Who recks, Calypso,’ said Vic, ‘Your mum teach you that?’
I didn’t get the chance to answer because Uncle Ray said, ‘Yep, Yura Muda, people looking after country … country looking after people.’
‘Some people call it Jukurrpa, hey?’ Clare asked.
‘Yep,’ said Uncle Ray. ‘Different languages, same thing, the same Lore ties us all together.’
‘Look there! There’s Wirltu now,’ Vic said pointing to the sky.
‘Oh man, look at how huge he is,’ I said looking in amazement at the eaglehawk soaring towards us.
‘Yep,’ said Uncle Ray, ‘he’s a big one for sure. And you know what? His granddaddy might have been watching your granddaddy the first time he came up here too.’
My mind turned to Run as I watched the eaglehawk and saw the first faint star in the sky. I couldn’t help but think about all that Run was missing out on.
°°°
Uncle Ray and Vic were right. That night Aunty Janet showed me my bed, a mattress on the dirt in the shed, out in the backyard. Clare had a bed in one of the rooms of the house. Before I made my way to the mattress, Clare came out to the veranda with me for a while.
‘Thanks Calypso,’ she said as she held my hand. ‘Today was awesome.’
‘I’m glad you had a good time.’
‘I love this place, your family … all of it.’ She looked up to the sky. ‘I wish I could be sleeping under these stars with you.’
‘Yeah, they’re amazing. At least that’s one good thing about sleeping out here while you’re in there,’ I said pointing my chin toward the house.
‘It sucks I know but, don’t worry about it … there’s plenty of time.’
‘At least Aunty Janet will be happy,’ I said peering toward her kitchen window to see her spying back at me.
‘Calypso, why didn’t you ask Uncle Ray and Vic about the stuff you’re after?’ Clare asked.
‘I was gunna but the last time I asked them Vic got pissed off and anyway, my cousin Bruce said he’d talk with everyone about it.’
‘Reckon they’ll tell you?’
‘Maybe … all the mob is thinking about what to do with the land they own. If there’s anything that can grow there that makes the type of money Gary has talked about, I’m hoping they go for it.’
‘Well they’re telling you some things and showing you around so that’s a start.’
I knew what Clare meant, and yeah, I was learning heaps. ‘Well we better get some sleep, hey, I guess tomorrow’s another big day.’
Clare leaned into me and we started kissing like it was nobody’s business and I pulled her in towards me … except Aunty Janet thought it was her business and we broke apart when we heard her banging around inside.
‘Goodnight,’ Clare said, ‘Sweet dreams.’ She went into the house and I shuffled toward my mattress in the shed. There’s no way I was getting to sleep with Clare just there, inside the house. I could still taste her and I was thinking about the way her body felt pressed up against me. After laying there for ages I thought about sneaking into the house and jumping in her bed. But just as I had that thought I heard a dog howling its ring off in the distance and thought about Aunty Janet going crazy if she caught me. I dragged the mattress out from the shed and into the open.
°°°
I woke up sweating like crazy with flies buzzing around my head and crows squawking in the gum tree out the front yard. I tried shielding my eyes with the covers. I heard feet shuffling in the dirt, and then loud and close to my ear someone started yelling ‘Waaaarkala, waaaarkala,’ mimicking the crows. I sprung upright to see Vic cracking up knowing that he’d scared the shit out of me.
‘Sorry cuz,’ Vic said, ‘But everyone’s up and you’ll start to fry out here in this sun.’
‘What time is it?’ I asked rubbing my eyes.
‘Don’t know, maybe seven or something. Gotta get up anyway, we’ll go into Port Germein for a bit, have a swim and that.’
‘Alright then, bloody hot isn’t?’
‘Before we head off though,’ Vic said, ‘I’ve got something for you, something to try out in the bath,’ he said quietly. ‘Don’t tell Dad and that I gave it to you though.’ Vic handed me a plastic shopping bag with about ten pod things inside. I went to open the bag but Vic said, ‘Uh uh, not now. Just put them in your bag and when you get home, run a warm bath and put one in with you, only one, Calypso,’ he warned. ‘That’s real powerful stuff there. Then chuck yourself in with it.’
‘Thanks Vic,’ I said, surprised that he’d come around.
My cousin Mel was sitting at the kitchen table with Clare, Aunty Janet and Uncle Ray when I walked into the house. Mel was wearing a cotton skirt over a pair of bright coloured bathers. I could see that Clare was wearing bathers too, beneath a baggy white t-shirt and denim shorts.
‘Sleep well neph?’ Uncle Ray asked.
‘Not too bad,’ I said although I felt like shit. My mouth was dry and my back was all kinked.
‘Well have some breakfast, dear, cereal there and coffee and things,’ Aunty Janet said, ‘and then this mob will take you down the beach.’
As soon I’d eaten and put on some shorts, Mel drove Clare, Vic and me down to the Port Germein beach. The tide was full but we had to walk for miles along the jetty until we reached deep water. The water was so crystal clear that I could see ripples in the sand metres below the surface. It was cool checking out the ranges from the jetty too. You could see them stretching the whole way along. You don’t get to see the hills like that in Adelaide, all of the buildings block out the view.
When we were near some stairs, Vic ripped off his shirt and threw himself off the jetty without warning, sending a huge splash of water into the air. ‘Come on Calypso, show us your best bomb,’ he challenged.
I’ll show you, I thought. I kicked off my thongs and yanked off my t-shirt, positioned myself on the edge of the jetty and then launched into a backflip. I landed it with a bomb that I knew would have sent up a huge splash. Vic was crazy challenging me. All I ever used to do was spend the day doing bombs off the Semaphore jetty.
‘Who recks, Calypso,’ Vic said when I emerged flicking my dreads and salt water out of my eyes.
‘Show off,’ Clare said but I could tell that she was actually impressed.
Then Clare and Mel started walking toward the jetty stairs. It was the first time that I’d seen Clare in bathers and man I liked what I saw. I just sunk beneath the water after seeing her lovely brown legs and toned stomach.
When Mel reached the bottom of the stairs she immediately began breast stroking into open water before she turned and floated on her back. Clare hesitated. She stood on a step with the water up to her knees. ‘Any sharks?’ she asked.
‘Don’t worry, they’ll bite Mel’s big murntu first,’ Vic joked, ‘but don’t worry, I’ve never known of a shark taking anyone here before.’
‘Always a first time though,’ Clare said.
‘It’s lovely in here,’ I said.
Clare took a breath and then dived beneath the water, coming up just in front of me. ‘It’s nice, hey,’ she said before moving in close to let me cradle her in the buoyant ocean, a few metres away from the jetty pylons encrusted with mussels and barnacles. Her skin felt wicked pressing up against mine.
‘So, are you sticking around for the meeting later today, Calypso, or what?’ Mel asked me, her wet black hair slicked back.
‘What meeting?’ I asked, catching a glimpse of Vic signalling with his eyes for Mel not to tell me anything.
‘Jingies Mel,’ Vic said. ‘You don’t know how to keep your mouth shut do you? Calypso wasn’t supposed to know anything yet, don’t want him to get his hopes up.’
‘Hopes about what?’ Clare asked.
‘Oh Jesus, a few of us are getting together to talk about Calypso’s herb thing. Bruce told us a
bit about it. Your boss offering you some bunda for that stuff inny?’
‘Yep,’ I said. ‘But if it works out, you know I want to share the money around. I didn’t want to cause any trouble.’
‘It might be a good thing,’ Mel said as she lied back to float, ‘Fuck-all else is happening’.
‘Yeah, we just need to talk about it,’ said Vic. ‘You know when so many things have been taken from us mob a fella can’t help but get paranoid.’
‘True,’ Mel said shaking her head while wading in the water. ‘We’ll have a yarn, give people time to think and then you’ll hear from us.’
Clare dunked me beneath the water and when I came back up she kissed me on my salty smiling face.
°°°
We took off from Aunty Janet’s after lunch even though we would have liked to stay there all afternoon. Like Mel had said, it was best to give people time to talk and think. Clare had made plans to go to dinner with her parents, Stephanie and her husband. Clare wanted me to go to dinner with her but I told her I had to do some odd jobs for Mum. I was keen to try out the stuff that Vic had given me.
Because the West Indies were so far in the lead against Australia, we listened to Clare’s iPod, mostly old school hip-hop tracks, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, instead of the cricket.
When Clare dropped me off she leaned over and gave me a big kiss. ‘Thanks, Calypso, I had an awesome time.’
‘It was alright, hey?’
‘Don’t forget to call me as soon as you hear anything from your family about the plants. It’s really exciting.’
‘Yeah, it is, and I will.’ I was already thinking about running a warm bath and trying out the stuff Vic gave me.
‘Sure you won’t come to dinner with us?’
‘Would love to but I have to give Mum a hand you know.’
I felt pretty shit watching Clare pull out of my driveway but the anticipation was too much. It was probably a good thing to give her a bit of space. I didn’t want her to think I was coming on too strong anyway. I bounced up the stairs and ran a warm bath, even though it was as hot as hell inside the flat. I ripped off my clothes and pulled the plastic bag Vic had given me from my backpack. I tipped a few of the pod things into the water and tied my dreads back.
