Calypso Summer

by Jared Thomas

  ‘I don’t know anything about arts and craft but I do know about wine and cuisine and how to get products on tables. At first we started with a simple condiment, a quandong sauce.’

  ‘How did that go?’ Uncle Ray asked, looking real interested.

  ‘It’s still one of our bestselling products. You’ll even find it in restaurants in New York and Paris.’

  ‘We got plenty of quandong,’ Uncle Ray told him.

  ‘Really?’ James said. ‘We’re looking for more suppliers.’

  ‘How does your business pay Aboriginal people and communities?’ Uncle Ray asked, looking at James real serious way.

  ‘We only use supplies from Aboriginal people and communities. We pay thirty percent of the profit back to them. It might not sound like much but Connected Community Foods takes care of administration, advertising and distribution costs. You can check around to see if you can get a better deal but I haven’t found one.’

  ‘Well let us show you the stuff we’ve got here and maybe then we can talk about our quandongs and things,’ Uncle Ray said, picking up his bag.

  ‘Of course,’ James said rubbing his hands together. ‘I guess I better jump in the spa then.’

  ‘Here, let me get this spa sorted for you,’ said Gary, getting up from his chair, turning the pump on and checking the water temperature.

  James took off his t-shirt and shorts to reveal a pair of budgiesmugglers and Uncle Ray explained, ‘It’s proper good stuff we’ve got here. It fixes up all sorts of aches and pains.’

  ‘Really?’ Gary asked, excited.

  ‘Absolutely. It’s what our old people used.’

  ‘They’ll make you feel like a million dollars within minutes,’ I told James, quickly trying out the sales lingo I’d picked up from Gary.

  James leant back into the spa, turned on the jets and got comfy. Uncle Ray pulled three bottles of liquid out of his bag. ‘You mix these all together but I’ll pour them in one by one so that you can see what each of them is like … Now this plant oil here has a lemon fragrance. See, you take the plant and you boil it for a proper long time to get the oils and minerals from it.’ Uncle Ray rubbed some of the oil between his fingers and palm and held it under James’ nose for him to smell.

  ‘Smells great,’ James said.

  ‘Doesn’t it,’ Gary added.

  ‘Is it lemon myrtle?’ James asked.

  ‘It’s like myrtle but nah it isn’t. Can use it for lots of things though,’ Uncle Ray told him. ‘It’s good for the skin, helps you relax and opens up the sinuses … It’s an aphrodisiac too.’

  ‘Sounds like a wonder drug. I better get my wife onto it, I need all the help I can get,’ James reckoned.

  Seconds after the oil hit the water we could smell its lemony fragrance flat out. Smelled lovely! Heaps better than the crusty incense we sold. ‘Very nice,’ said James rubbing his hand across his wet arm. ‘Feels good on the skin.’

  Uncle Ray dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief and unscrewed the lid of another bottle and poured its contents into the bath. ‘This oil doesn’t have much of a smell but it is full of good salts and nutrients. The salts soak into your skin and the oils soften it up. Bit like aloe vera. But better, ’ey.’

  James closed his eyes and the spa jets shook his body. Uncle Ray, Gary and me just stood there waiting to see what James thought. ‘Our old people used this plant to treat aches and pains,’ Uncle Ray said.

  James just lay back there getting all comfy and I thought he was going to go to sleep. ‘I can feel it, it’s great. And I can smell the minerals too, all of the salts.’ Uncle Ray, Gary and I smiled at each other.

  Are you ready for the last ingredient?’ Uncle Ray asked.

  James opened his eyes and said, ‘Go for it.’

  Uncle Ray poured a good amount of the last of the oil into the spa. ‘This is the magic ingredient James. It’s effervescent and will push the other oils into your bones and make your skin tingle.’ I didn’t know what effervescent meant. Uncle Ray told me later he read the word on a bottle of soda water.

  ‘So it’s alright then, James?’ Gary asked.

  ‘It’s bloody magic,’ James said and Uncle Ray, Gary and I all looked at each other, happy … and relieved.

  ‘Can you give me a moment?’ James asked, ‘I just want to chill out in this for a while ... had a few too many last night, this is doing me the world of good.’

  ‘No worries,’ I said.

  ‘You fellas want a cuppa?’ Gary asked.

  Uncle Ray nodded and we walked over to the counter to take a seat. Gary went to switch on the kettle and when he came back giving him a dirty look.

  I said, ‘I guess I’m not getting that bonus you were talking about?’

  ‘I reckon you’re doing business with James now. But we’ll stock whatever you come up with.’

  ‘If we’re still in business,’ I said. I didn’t have a bloody clue what to say to James to get a deal happening. It wasn’t like I was trying to sell ganja to one of my mates.

  Gary boiled the kettle while Uncle Ray and I just sat there waiting for James to jump out of the tub. When James finally came over to the counter with a towel wrapped around his waist, Uncle Ray asked, ‘So what you reckon, we can do something?’

  ‘Absolutely, but before we do anything, we’ll need to experiment a bit, work out what it takes to get the product from the bush to the shelf.’

  I felt this really dumb-arse smile spread across my face.

  ‘We can do that,’ Uncle Ray said.

  ‘We’ll need quite a lot of the plants.’

  ‘Easy done,’ I said almost laughing.

  ‘But our lawyer is working through a few things with us first, James,’ Uncle Ray said.

  ‘Like what?’ James asked, looking surprised and a bit put out. I started to get worried.’

  ‘Our old people been using these things for thousands of years. We want help to sell it but we don’t want it taken away from us just like that. We want it patented, you know … to be protected.’

  James sucked air through his teeth and scratched his head and I thought he was just going to turn around and walk straight out the store then and there. Then he held his hands out in front of him and said, ‘I reckon we can do this, there is a precedent. We sell other products where the communities they’re from have maintained their intellectual property rights.’ I didn’t really know what James was saying but it sounded alright. I stopped shitting myself.

  ‘That’s good,’ said Uncle Ray.

  ‘And have you thought about an option?’ James asked.

  Uncle Ray and I just sat there looking at each other not knowing what James was talking about. Uncle Ray was stuck. He didn’t know what James was talking about either, but didn’t want to let on. Then James said, ‘Five thousand dollars is the usual fee.’

  ‘For how much?’ Uncle Ray asked.

  ‘Do you know what an option is, Uncle Ray?’ James asked.

  Uncle Ray shook his head.

  ‘Our company pays you a fee to develop the product through to commercial stage. It’s still a contractual arrangement, protecting your community and my company, so that you won’t take your product to another company.’

  ‘That sounds real good,’ Uncle Ray said.

  ‘Yeah, that sounds real deadly,’ I said nodding my head and smiling at Uncle Ray.

  James said, ‘I understand you will want to discuss things with your community, and your lawyer, but I really look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with you.’ The fella slapped us on the back.

  For a little while there kicking back drinking that tea I felt like I’d won the lottery … but then my heart tightened up thinking about how Clare was going.

  °°°

  ‘You bloody beauty,’ Uncle Ray said when we stepped out onto the street. ‘You did well there, neph.’

  ‘You reckon he’s alright, that James fella?’ I asked.

  ‘Yeah, he seems alright. And our lawyer will che
ck up on him to make sure. And we’ll just take it easy with him. We’ll see how we go with one thing, and then if he’s okay we might talk about another … the thing is, we might want to start making some things for ourselves.’

  ‘He loaded, that fella, saying he was going to hand over five grand like that?’ I said.

  ‘Yep. And it’s probably a good thing ’cause you’re going to need that money if you lose your job.’

  ‘I can’t take all of it,’ I said.

  ‘You’ll be able to take most of it ... Probably only fair you take at least three grand. That’s what your boss was going to pay you, wasn’t he? We’ll get things sorted our proper way later on.’

  We jumped into Uncle Ray’s car. I handed him a hundred bucks. ‘I hope you can take this for a start … to cover your petrol.’

  ‘Thanks neph … you wanna go straight home?’

  ‘Can you drop me at Clare’s?’

  ‘Yeah, no worries.’

  °°°

  When we were on the road I said to Uncle Ray, ‘Can you do me one last favour?’

  ‘What is it?’ he said.

  ‘Can you go see Mum and tell her that the ganja Run was arrested for wasn’t mine? I don’t even smoke no more … haven’t in ages. I just been trying to help Run out but that little prick won’t listen.’

  ‘I was going to drop in and see her anyway. And don’t worry about Run. Maybe getting arrested is just what he needs. We’ll get him home sometime and sort him out.’

  I thought it was better to try to set things straight with Clare and her parents sooner rather than later, but when Uncle Ray pulled over to the side of the road out the front of Clare’s place, I started shitting it. ‘We’ll talk soon ’ey Uncle Ray,’ I said as I opened the door to get out of the car.

  ‘Yeah, no worries, neph, you come up home soon. Bring Clare too.’

  I watched Uncle Ray’s old Valiant rattle along the street and then I noticed Clare’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Frankie and Linda’s car wasn’t there either. So I just sat out the front of their place against the fence. I had a bit of shade from one of their trees but it was way too hot to be wearing a shirt and that. I loosened my tie and undid some buttons.

  Frankie pulled up about fifteen minutes later. I opened the gate for him but he didn’t even look at me or anything. I thought about turning around and going home. But when he jumped out of the car with his paper, he said, ‘Come on bloke, it’s bloody hot out here.’

  Frankie held the door open for me and as soon as I walked into the house I said, ‘I thought I better come and see you to apologise.’

  ‘Damn right,’ he said. ‘Just go through to the back there, Calypso and I’ll be with you in a minute.’

  So I walked out to the backyard and sat at the table. It was still bloody hot and I just wanted to flake it. Frankie walked out a few minutes later with a cup of coffee. ‘So what you got to say for yourself, Calypso?

  ‘I’m real sorry, Frankie. But it wasn’t my gear, honest to god, it was Run’s.’

  ‘That doesn’t change things, Calypso. My girl was still in trouble. You and she were still arrested.’

  ‘I didn’t know the gear was in the flat. I’ve been trying to get Run to give that shit up.’

  ‘Those coppers could have done anything to Clare and you fuckin’ know it, Calypso. They could’ve fucked her up for good.’

  ‘You don’t know how cut I was seeing Clare like that …’

  ‘How do you think I felt?

  ‘I won’t let it happen again, I promise.’

  Frankie wiped the coffee from his moustache and asked, ‘How you going to do that?’

  I knew exactly what to say. I’d spent a lot of time thinking about it in the lockup. ‘I won’t mix with trouble … not even Run, I don’t care if he’s family. He’s not living with me and I’m having nothing to do with him until he gets his shit sorted.’

  ‘That would be a good start. What else you going to do?’

  I wasn’t going to shrug my shoulders but I didn’t know what else to say to Frankie.

  ‘It’s alright Calypso, I know you’ll do your best,’ he said.

  ‘I’ll try.’

  ‘Those cops were pricks, hey?’ Frankie asked and I thought he was loosening up a bit.

  ‘Yeah, they were. Did Clare tell you what they said?’

  ‘She did, and that’s why I’m right pissed off with you. See, when you’re black you can’t afford to give them any reason to pick on us. Sure we should be able to dress how we want … sure we should be able to drink where we want and that … but things aren’t like that … So we just got to keep things under wraps see … Like when I have a drink, I just have a quiet beer at home. If I’m drunk out in public … I know I’m an easy target.’

  Frankie took another sip of his coffee and started reading the paper. I just sat there looking around the garden, thinking it was a bit unfair of Frankie to talk to me about drinking when he knew I rarely drank. Then I put my hands on my head and leaned back on my chair. My dreads felt like pieces of rope. I guess he probably thought I was a dope smoker when he first saw me though, like those cops did. Can’t blame ’em really.

  ‘I can’t tell Clare who she can and can’t go with, she’s a woman, but for Christ sake, Calypso, don’t make me worry like that again,’ he said, looking up from his paper and pointing a finger.

  ‘No worries,’ I promised him.

  ‘So how did everything work out today anyway, with your work and that?’

  ‘Real good. Looks like it’s all going to go ahead.’

  Frankie slapped me on the back and said, ‘That’s too deadly, Calypso. So what you going to do when you start making big money?’

  ‘I don’t know if we’ll make money, Frankie. Maybe some of the mob will just get some work out of it, you know.’

  ‘Ever thought of going back to school, university or something?’

  ‘What? You reckon I could get in?’ I asked, real surprised.

  ‘Yeah, of course, there’s a whole lot of programs and things for young fellas like you. You could use the money from your job and the business to set yourself up.’

  ‘I guess I need to do something, it looks like my boss might need to shut up shop.’

  ‘Yeah, Clare told us, and Jamie reckons he could give you a bit of work, see how you like it or you could just do it until you get back on your feet. Hard work, but if you’re working a week on, week off, gives you time to do other things.’

  ‘Oh man, that would be the best,’ I said, happy as. And then I heard Clare’s car pull into the drive.

  ‘Well, I guess you’ve got some things to sort out with Clare. You want a coffee or something?’ Frankie asked as he stood to go inside. I just shook my head.

  I watched the clouds drifting and thought about what it’d be like on a fishing boat with Jamie. Then I heard Clare throw her car keys on the kitchen table and walk down the hallway.

  ‘Those arseholes didn’t bash you up or anything?’ Clare asked when she stepped out the back door. She walked over and held my face, checking for bruises or something. She kissed me once she knew I was okay.

  ‘Nah, nothing happened. They arrested Run, but.’

  ‘Serves him right.’

  ‘I’m really sorry, you know,’ I told her.

  ‘You just had the worst luck ever, Calypso.’

  ‘Bad luck alright …’

  ‘So how did it go with Gary?’

  I held my fists above my head and shook them. ‘The bloke we met, James, he was really good and yeah, he’s going to go for it. There’s a few things to work out but it’s all good ’ey’.

  ‘Whoo hoo,’ Clare screamed out and then gave me a high five. ‘That’s too deadly. Hey you want a drink or something to celebrate? I’m going to have a drink … didn’t have one last night, being locked up and worried about you and all.’

  ‘You go ahead, but I want to do something else to … celebrate ... I guess,’ I said, gathering up my dr
eads. ‘These have got to go.’

  Clare looked at me like I’d lost my mind. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yeah, I’m sure. They’re not worth the trouble.’

  Clare went inside and came back with her scissors, electric clippers and glass of wine. I watched the sun glint off the silver blades and took a deep breath.

  Watching my dreads fall to the ground I thought about all the shit that had happened to me that summer. I couldn’t have predicted any of it and it wasn’t worth trying to predict what would happen next. Maybe I’d keep working with Gary, maybe I’d be fishing with Jamie, and maybe the business would work out with the mob. The one thing I was sure about was that I was going to make the most of whatever came my way and be prepared. I was going to find out about a course, maybe something in retail, maybe something to do with business.

  As my very last dread fell at my feet I pulled Clare to me and was happy that I was in her hands, even if she was holding a pair of scissors. And I felt good knowing that before too long I’d be on country, with my mob again.

  Jared Thomas

  Dr Jared Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges and Arts Development Officer at Arts South Australia. After almost a decade of lecturing in Communication, he continues to play an important role at the University of South Australia. Jared’s play Flash Red Ford toured Uganda and Kenya in 1999 and his play Love, Land and Money featured during the 2002 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Jared’s young adult novel Sweet Guy was shortlisted for the South Australian Premier’s Award for Literature, the South Australian People’s Choice Award for Literature and the Deadly Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature. His children’s novel Dallas Davis, the Scientist and the City Kids is published within the Oxford University Press Yarning Strong series. Jared’s writing for young adults explores the power of belonging and culture. Jared was inspired to write after watching the play Funerals and Circuses by Aboriginal playwright Roger Bennett. He lives in Willunga with his partner and two daughters. Calypso Summer is his third novel.

  Acknowledgements

  Ruth - thank you for your love, encouragement, belief, patience and kindness as I worked through this one. Tilly Tjala and Delilah Purtli, you are my greatest source of inspiration and I hope this work brings pleasure. Mum, Dad and Megan for your love and support.