Up the long gravel driveway he passed bare paddocks filled with sheep – merinos. He spotted a large water tank with chemical drums beside it past the farmhouse. He parked alongside them, dropped the tailgate on the ute and began unloading the heavy drums.
‘Need a hand there?’ A man in his fifties wearing old shearing pants, work boots and a blue cotton work shirt pulled tight over his large belly walked up to the ute. As he stepped closer, Troy noticed he walked with a slight limp.
‘G’day, I’m Ian,’ he said, holding out his hand.
‘Troy. Nice to meet you,’ Troy said as he shook the man’s hand.
‘So you’re the new bloke working for Phil. Nice to meet you, Troy. You’re the new coach, right?’
Troy scratched his head. Man, news travels fast, he thought.
‘You coach my son, Sam.’
Troy’s mind was stripping cogs trying to remember a Sam.
‘Everyone calls him Spud?’
‘Oh, yeah. Spud. Sorry, I’m still getting used to all the nicknames.’
Even with his limp, Ian climbed onto the back of the ute and helped unload the rest of the drums. Troy sat on the tailgate to catch his breath for a few minutes before the drive back into town.
‘I hope Sam’s still coming to the meeting tonight.’
Ian shrugged as he stood nearby. ‘Not sure. Hasn’t mentioned it.’
‘Well, make sure he does. Can’t be a team without all the players. I think this place has lost a bit of its . . .’ Troy couldn’t find the words. He wasn’t sure what it had lost – team spirit, community? The town seemed disjointed, as if people were too busy to get involved. Country towns weren’t like that.
‘Yeah, been this way for a few years now. We were all worried we wouldn’t have a team this year but that Indi . . .’ Ian smiled and nodded his head. ‘She’s just like her mother. Has enough spirit for all of us. Sounds like she did good finding you. Sam’s quite a good player. Well, he used to be. Bit harder now he’s carrying around the extra weight. But when he gets match fit, he’s handy. And I’m glad you and Indi are trying. The boys really need a break from the farms and without footy . . . well, there isn’t much else.’
‘Yeah, well, I want to push the boys hard this year. I understand they’ve had some bad games —’
Ian’s deep laugh cut him off. ‘Are you sugar coating it or has no one actually told you how bad it’s really been the last few years? We’ve struggled to find someone, anyone, to coach let alone finding enough players. That’s the reason the club’s about done. People stopped going to watch, what with the boys getting thrashed all the time. Once it used to be a big thing, game day.’ Ian’s eyes glossed over. Troy could tell the old farmer was reliving the glory days inside his head, like watching a great film.
Ian’s face softened and his smile grew. ‘They were good times,’ he said.
‘Well, I hope you’ll be at the first game. We need all the support we can get. It makes a big difference to the boys. Also it’s a home game against Southern Cross.’
Ian scratched at the stubble on his cheek. ‘Well,’ he drawled, ‘if I’m not on a tractor, I’ll be there. Four weeks, right?’
‘Yep, April twentieth. I’d better get back,’ said Troy, jumping off the tray and shutting the tailgate.
‘Do you wanna come down to the house for afternoon tea? Pauline’s cooking up a batch of scones.’
‘Hmm, tempting as that sounds, I’d better go and make sure I’m set for the meeting tonight. Thanks anyway.’
Ian nodded and followed Troy to the driver-side door. Troy got in and leaned his arm out the open window. ‘Tell Sam to do some extra running. We could use a good player.’ Troy grimaced. ‘See ya, Ian.’ With a quick wave Troy sped off as Ian limped slowly back towards his shed.
The trip home had him plotting his meeting. It was too hard to work out where the guys would fit when he didn’t even know how they played yet. Hopefully he’d get a better feel for their strengths soon enough. He’d have to work hard on their fitness, the rest would come with time. He’d keep an eye on Spud, push him a little and see what he could achieve.
At six o’clock that evening, Troy waited outside the clubhouse. He was the first to arrive. Patrick soon turned up with the club keys. They set up the chairs in a semi-circle around the whiteboard. Jasper walked in with the Duckworth brothers, and another group joined shortly after. Troy was starting to wonder if Indi had forgotten.
‘Jasper, is Indi still coming?’ Troy asked, glancing at his watch. It was nearly ten past six. He thought she’d be the first one there, waving around the help sheets. At least the whiteboard was here.
At a quarter past all of the guys had arrived. Only Limp was missing, and he was off at an appointment in Perth.
‘Well, looks as if we’re all here.’ Except for Indi. He glanced at the glass doors. No sign of her. He picked up a marker and turned to address the team. ‘Go on, all of you, take a seat and we’ll begin.’
Troy drew a football oval and then ran through the basic rules, and because he knew there were some complete newbies to the game, he even explained the scoring. The squeak of the marker masked the footsteps approaching, so when he turned back to the team he was surprised to see Indi there. She waved a handful of sheets and mouthed the words, ‘I’m sorry.’ The gorgeous girl was hidden away again under her full-length fluoro work clothes. Good, Troy thought – he didn’t need her turning up in those tiny shorts to distract him. Her face was flushed and her eyes crystal blue.
Indi began to hand out the sheets. Troy realised he was still watching her.
‘Now, Indi is passing you some help sheets. I want you to study them, especially those who’ve never played before. When you come to training on Thursday I want to be able to give you a position and for you to understand what I mean. But for now, I’ll run you through them on the board.’
Killer and the Kiwis looked as if he’d just asked them to cut themselves with their own shearing handpieces. A groan even escaped Jaffa’s lips.
‘Don’t worry. If you’re still uncertain, just come and ask me,’ Troy said.
An hour and a half later all the faces before him were lined with frowns and the eyes were glazed.
‘Okay, that’s it for tonight.’ The room erupted with relief as bodies began to stretch and move. ‘Don’t forget to study the sheets. We can do this again for those of you who are unsure,’ Troy said, and a chorus of complaint went up.
‘I think we’ve got it,’ said Kiwi Two.
‘I’ll bloody wing it,’ said Killer. ‘How hard can it be? Kick a ball through white posts and keep the other team off, right?’
Troy rubbed his temple as the blokes filed out of the room.
‘Who’s for the pub?’ asked Lucky, which sent up a roar of excitement.
Putting the marker down, Troy began to clean the whiteboard. Behind him he could hear chairs being stacked away.
Indi and Jasper were the only ones left. ‘Thanks, guys,’ he said as he moved across to help them. Indi was stacking twice as fast as Jasper.
‘I’m sorry I was late, Troy. I got caught up. And I really have to run now: Dad’ll be wanting his dinner.’
‘And me,’ said Jasper. ‘I was thinking a roast.’
Indi turned to her brother and shot him a look. ‘Great, I’m sure you do a wonderful roast. Can’t wait to try it.’
‘Still got your manhood after a comment like that?’ Troy joked.
‘Yeah, well we would cook for ourselves but Mother Teresa here thinks she needs to look after us. I’m quite happy to live off pub food.’
‘Which would be a liquid diet of beer, no doubt,’ said Indi.
Indi brushed some loose strands off her face and held out a big basket to Troy. She offered it with a huge grin.
Indi’s smile held his attention but he forced his eyes to the basket.
‘It’s to say welcome to Hyden and thank you for coming. We’re so grateful you’ve taken on coaching the team.’
Troy stepped forward, his neck heating with a rising blush as he reached for the gift. It was filled with local products and even vouchers from some nearby small businesses, like the hardware store, restaurants and cafes. There were jars of olives, handmade soaps, fancy coffee, chocolates and more. He glanced back up at Indi. ‘Um, thanks. That’s very kind. But you know I’m happy to do the job.’ He knew they couldn’t afford to pay him but he wouldn’t have taken it anyway. This was a job of love.
‘We just wanted to show our appreciation. Also, at some stage when we’re both free, I’m taking you on a tour of Wave Rock. You’ll love it.’ She paused, her face glowing.
She was stunning, and so full of life she could power a light bulb. He was swept away. Swallowing hard he tried to control his senses. Lucky for him she was bound to have a boyfriend. It was okay to appreciate a beautiful girl, but he would never go any further.
‘That’d be nice,’ he replied. ‘Thanks again.’
Jasper smirked as he shook his head. ‘God, you’ll wish you hadn’t. Indi is like a walking advertisement for Hyden’s tourist attractions. Good luck, buddy.’
Indi sighed. ‘Just ignore him. He doesn’t appreciate what we have here. Some of us are trying to keep this town alive and with farming the way it is, the tourism industry is the next best thing.’ Indi checked her watch. ‘I gotta go. But thank you and welcome.’ She smiled again and Troy felt himself nodding at her like a bobblehead doll. ‘You right to lock up?’ she finished.
‘Yeah, sure,’ Troy replied.
Indi’s shoulders relaxed as she smiled. ‘Thanks. That was great tonight, by the way. You were brilliant. The way you were with the guys, I mean they were really listening. You know your stuff. I knew you’d be good for us. See you later,’ she said before darting out the door. Her praise kept repeating over and over in his head as he watched her leave. Was she normally this upbeat? She really was his type.
‘Want to come for dinner, Yoda?’ Jasper’s words snapped him back.
‘What? Really?’ asked Troy.
Jasper laughed. ‘Come on. Indi loves it when I bring people for dinner without letting her know.’
Troy shook his head. ‘Thanks, but I think I’ll pass, mate. I just want to go home, crack a beer and relax.’
‘Righto, then. No dramas. Catch ya round.’
Troy finished tidying up and collected his clipboard, shoving it into the basket. The keys were still hanging in the door so he turned them, locking up. The night air was crisp and cool. Instead of heading towards his ute, Troy stepped onto the oval and sat down. He pulled out the box of chocolates and opened it, picking the peppermint cream. He was feeling content in this town, which was as close to happy as he got. He liked the guys and he liked the challenge of bringing out the best in them. Maybe he could stretch out a few years in Hyden. Something about this place seemed different to the rest. He flicked through the chocolates and picked out another. The night was quiet. Just him and the smell of cut grass in the fresh air. And maybe the faint memory of a smile from a dark-haired girl with vibrant-blue eyes. A girl who made him think of Peta.
8
INDI drove the big yellow loader through the gap in the bin doors, tipping her four-tonne bucket and emptying the load of wheat into the deep grid. The wheat then went up elevators, across conveyor belts and into the four massive overhead cells over by the railway line. Later tonight she’d be up there, pressing the lever that would let the grain down the shoot and into the train wagons. She liked being up so high, where she could see out over Hyden and all the surrounding land. A little community bordered by paddocks and native bush. Her town. She almost felt like the lord mayor standing up that high and watching over it. Protecting it.
People she’d known her whole life were up and moving to the city, and it saddened her to watch the place shrink and struggle. The decline of the footy club hurt the most. The tourism was great but tourists didn’t make a close-knit community. They couldn’t bring back the social aspect that the town was once known for – but Indi could. She had grand plans to restore the social events and the fundraisers, to revive a time when the whole town turned out for game day and stayed until late, when young and old shared stories. The world was obsessed with social networking, but it was of the wrong kind. You can’t connect with people over electrical devices – working side-by-side and building up a real relationship, a real friendship, that’s how it’s done. Her mum always said that too many people wanted to know what was happening on the other side of the world instead of focusing on what was going on right beside them. More and more people couldn’t be bothered to step outside their homes and get to know their neighbours. Instead they’d sit on the internet or watch TV. And so the spirit of Hyden was fading.
‘Real life is right outside your front door,’ Lizzy would always say, and in those final months Indi realised just how right her mum was. Lizzy made time for people, and they adored her for it. She had such passion for life and for the town. Indi just hoped she had the strength to carry on the tradition.
Stopping the loader at the grid, Indi realised she was almost done. A few more loads should do it. She clicked the loader into reverse and backed into the bin with practised ease, then spun around and headed back to the massive stack of wheat. She’d been at this repetitive task for the past eight hours, but she loved working with machinery. It came from growing up with a dad who had trucks, loaders and utes for work. This was a job she enjoyed doing, where she only had to worry about herself and not what the rest of the crew were doing. Hopefully they were still cleaning up the open bulkhead. On second thoughts they had probably knocked off and were just waiting for the train to arrive. She wasn’t looking forward to it: the train was due in at eight and it was already running late. But on the upside, if she got this last cell full, then she’d have time to duck down to footy training while she waited for the train to arrive.
After a few more loads, the red light stayed on and her job was done. She parked the loader inside the huge bin and quickly filled in the logbook. She climbed out and paused as she admired the inside of the huge bin. It was massive – large concrete walls and a high pointed tin roof. It could hold forty-six thousand tonnes of grain. Just below the point of the roof was a walkway and the large conveyor belt, which fed the grain into the bin at harvest time. Being up there wasn’t a job for the vertically challenged. Indi loved it, besides the dust. The grain, especially bullock barley and oats, spread its itch dust everywhere; it coated your lungs and the inside of your nose.
Working casually for Co-operative Bulk Handling had been the first paying job she’d found after coming back to Hyden when her mum was sick. Now, as a permanent, well, she actually enjoyed it and the pay was good, although the hours weren’t. Midnight trains were never fun, especially in the middle of winter.
Indi shut the massive white doors and locked the chain. Glancing at her watch again, she swore and jogged to her ute. She’d be late for training. Not that she had to be there, but it was good to show the boys she was dedicated. Hopefully it would rub off on them.
Okay, so maybe she also liked the excuse to see Troy. She couldn’t deny that. Indi hadn’t had a proper boyfriend since she’d left uni – well over three years ago. That was some dry spell. Indi didn’t want to think about it too much. She’d even heard of rumours around town that she was gay. But what could she do? The years had just rolled by so quickly. There was no one around town who interested her, she couldn’t be bothered with the tourist blow-ins, and she didn’t have the time to go looking elsewhere.
But Troy, well, he was a different story. All week she’d been plagued with memories of him commanding that room full of footy blokes.
Jumping into her ute, she checked her face in the rear-view mirror. Crap – her hair was a dusty mess. She got out, undid her ponytail and flicked her head forward, shaking her hair before whipping it back and retying her ponytail. That would have to do.
The lights were on at the oval. She could se
e them as she drove there. She parked her ute next to Jasper’s and headed to the lone handsome figure with the whistle. Now, she just needed to stay cool.
‘Hey, how’s it going? Any improvements?’ She tried to flash her best smile.
Troy turned briefly, as if to check it was her. ‘Well, Kiwi One, Lucky and Spud were heaving after the runs I got them to do, Brick almost knocked Limp out, and then Killer copped an elbow to the eye. And this was in the first ten minutes.’
‘Oh, great to see I haven’t missed much, then,’ she said.
Troy laughed but then fell silent. Indi tried to think of something to say, wanting to know a bit more about Troy, but not knowing how to approach it. ‘Sorry I was late. Bloody work,’ she said, waving a hand.
‘You don’t have to be here, Indi. I can cope on my own,’ he said.
Indi didn’t let the tone of his voice upset her. She had two brothers, after all. ‘I know, but I really want to be a part of the team. This club is my life, seriously. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t think it was worth saving,’ she said, with another smile. She’d been told that her smile was her best asset.
He crossed his arms and glanced at her, hardly moving his head.
‘Look, I’m not just some dumb chick who doesn’t know a thing about football. I used to pull on the yellow shorts and play myself in the reserve team, and I beat both my brothers in AFL Fantasy Dream Team last year. I’d love to be a coach but don’t think the guys would take me seriously. So helping you is the next best thing.’
Outback Heart Page 5
