The Sunburnt Country

by Palmer, Fiona

  ‘He can’t get away from the farm cause they’re halfway through a new fence. But he’s going to try to see him tomorrow or Friday.’

  They drove in silence for a while as they headed out of town. But it didn’t last long. It never did with Renae.

  ‘So,’ she said, turning to face Jonny. ‘I hear Dan came out to the farm on Sunday.’

  Jonny frowned. ‘How did you hear that? No one left the farm except me and I never said anything.’

  Renae smiled so wide she looked like she was going to burst.

  ‘Well, Zac told me on the phone yesterday —’

  ‘Really? What did Zac want?’ she asked curiously.

  ‘Oh, he just rang to see if I was rostered on at the pub, cause he wanted to know if there were many people there and if it was worth coming in. Anyway, can I get back to my story?’

  Jonny waved Renae on as she drove along the simmering bitumen.

  ‘So, Zac told me about Sunday, said he’d had fun and that he nearly got you this time.’

  ‘I caned him,’ she protested. ‘Zac likes to exaggerate.’

  Renae nodded. ‘But he looks so cute when he gets excited.’

  ‘Oh, please. You always did like the silly little puppies.’ Jonny glanced at her friend. Something was sounding alarm bells in Jonny’s mind. She thought back to how quickly Renae gave up on Daniel. She always got the hot guys. Was she really giving Dan up because she thought Jonny wanted him, or was it something else?

  Renae ignored her comment. ‘Anyway, while I was at the shop I ran into Daniel. So I asked him how his weekend was, told him I’d heard he went out to Zac’s. Well, you should have seen his face light up! I mean, he’s good-looking, but when he really smiles, like when it goes right through him and into his eyes, he’s just gorgeous.’ Renae held her hands up in confusion. ‘What are you doing? Why haven’t you tapped that yet?’

  ‘I could say the same to you,’ Jonny said, laughing.

  ‘Okay, getting off the beaten track. So then he starts saying how amazing it was racing the cars and being with your family. That it was the most fun he’s had in a long time.’

  ‘He must live a sad life, if that’s the only fun he’s ever had,’ she replied. But really she was remembering how much fun it had been and that seeing Dan so excited by something they all loved said a lot. It just made it that much harder to keep him in the ‘don’t touch, don’t even go there’ box.

  She had figured Dan was the boring workaholic type; fun was probably not in his fancy vocabulary. But he’d proved her wrong, even if it was just this once.

  ‘And he even mentioned you.’

  Jonny flicked her gaze across the ute to Renae, hoping her interest didn’t register on her face. Renae would have a field day just knowing Jonny thought Dan was all right.

  ‘And . . .’

  ‘We-e-e-lll, he said he’d never seen anyone like you before. Said you were amazing to watch racing in your Torana. His exact words. I think he fancies you.’

  ‘Ha. Talk about jumping to conclusions.’

  ‘I’m serious.’

  ‘I doubt it. I’m always giving him grief.’ It was true. She really hadn’t gone out of her way to make him feel welcome. But there had been a connection between them, right from the start on the side of the road. And even out at the farm he’d almost seemed normal. She had to admit that Renae was right – when Dan smiled he was blindingly handsome.

  ‘Ah, here we are. Wonder how he’s going?’ Jonny said as they pulled in to Ryan’s driveway, glad of the opportunity to change the subject.

  Renae started squeezing her hands together. ‘Um, Jonny, I’m really nervous about seeing Ryan. That’s okay, right? It’s just I’m not sure how to act around him and that just feels wrong. I mean, it’s Ryan, it’s just Ryan, right?’

  Jonny turned off the ute and sighed at her friend. ‘Of course it’s just Ryan. It’s the same old Ryan. Don’t worry, Nae. I was feeling just like you, but once you see him, you’ll see that he’s still the same old doofus. It’ll be fine.’

  ‘So do we not mention anything about that day?’ Her eyes were huge with worry.

  Jonny shrugged. ‘Only if it comes up. I don’t know, just be yourself.’

  They climbed out of the ute and Ryan flung open the back door of the house before they could reach the handle.

  ‘Hi ya, ladies,’ said Ryan. He stood with a cocky grin, his hair poking up at odd angles and his shorts slung low on his hips.

  Renae almost squealed as she jumped into his arms. ‘Coop, thank God,’ she said, hugging him tightly, and then the tears came rolling down her chin.

  Ryan bent and kissed Renae’s head and whispered, ‘I know, I’m sorry.’

  Renae smiled through her tears. ‘You’re forgiven, just this once.’ She hugged him again, as if to make sure he was really there.

  ‘Can we take this inside? It’s too hot and you’re letting in the flies,’ said Jonny, who pushed between them to hug Ryan before ushering everyone inside. Jonny walked into the kitchen and found only a couple of dishes in the sink.

  ‘Wow. The place still looks good. I’m impressed.’

  ‘Big thanks to you,’ he said as he nudged her shoulder. ‘I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Jonny. Especially in the computer room.’

  ‘Well, we’ve barely started in there. We just tied up the loose ends. Next comes the hard part of figuring out where to go from here. Are you up to doing an ad for the house? We could put it in the Countryman, Elders and on the internet. I think that’ll get the ball rolling.’

  Ryan pulled out a dining chair and motioned for them to sit. ‘I reckon it’s a plan.’

  ‘This house really is a bit big and pointless,’ said Renae, plonking down next to him. ‘I mean, it was all Alana’s doing and it will be good to be rid of her.’ Renae cringed at her choice of words. ‘I mean . . .’ Her face went pale and Ryan smiled.

  ‘Yeah, just stop digging your hole, Nae,’ laughed Jonny.

  Ryan drummed his fingers on the wooden table. ‘But you’re right, Nae. The less reminders of Alana, the better.’

  ‘Yes, that’s what I meant. We can’t dwell on the past. What’s done is done. Just piss her off for good and begin a brighter future.’

  ‘You make my future sound great, Nae. But I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere close to bright.’

  Jonny put her hand on Ryan’s arm. ‘Maybe it won’t be for a while, Ryan. Yeah, there are things that need sorting, for sure, but you’re not doing it alone. And no one said you couldn’t have some fun along the way. Shall we drop the yabby nets in? Have a feast tonight?’

  ‘If we can find some. At least it won’t cost us anything,’ he smiled.

  ‘I’m in. I’ll make my mum’s special yabby sauce, too.’ Nae jumped up and checked Ryan’s fridge for ingredients.

  ‘So how’s it really going?’ Jonny asked him quietly.

  Ryan shrugged a shoulder. ‘Okay, I guess. Mum and Dad have been great through all of this. Mum’s happy to be back in her house and has been coming down to check on me, and Dad’s all keen to get back into the farm stuff. But at some stage we have to tackle the nasty bits.’

  ‘Don’t worry too much about that. I have Daniel helping and I’m positive there are ways to keep your farm. I know we can fix it.’

  ‘Such enthusiasm and faith, Jonelle Baxter. Half the time I reckon it’s you who keeps this town glued together.’

  ‘I wish. Come on. Let’s get the nets in.’

  Out in the shed, Jonny put dog kibbles into a couple of stockings while Ryan put the nets on the ute. Renae sat nearby with her pen poised, ready to draft the ad for the house.

  ‘So, how about four bedrooms, two bathrooms, transportable, for sale. You collect.’

  ‘It’s a start. But how much do we sell it for?’ Ryan asked.

  ‘Well, it’s only two years old, so it won’t be too far off the original price.’

  ‘When we get home we’ll check online to
see what’s selling, get a rough guide to what’s out there. But you’re going to have to start high and see how much interest you get. You want maximum dollars and I’m sure some city person will snap it up, or at least someone from an area not suffering from the drought.’ Renae tapped the pen against her lips in thought.

  With a clang Ryan put the last net on the tray and they all climbed in. Jonny had already claimed the driver’s seat, which meant Ryan could open his own gates.

  Both windows were wound down, and Jonny rested her elbow on the hot metal of the door as the breeze swept in.

  ‘Go to that dam, Jonny,’ Ryan directed. ‘I’ve been keeping the water in it for the last of my stud rams and to keep some yabbies. Hopefully when we get enough rain to fill my other dams, I’ll be able to restock. Not a bad little bit of pocket money selling them, especially with the overseas buyers.’

  ‘Hmm, it’s a shame you need water to keep them alive. You could have used that money now,’ said Renae.

  Ryan chuckled before it turned into a full laugh. ‘Oh, Nae, that wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to get me out of the shit.’

  ‘Oh. What about selling your house, will that be enough?’

  ‘Well, if we can get near two hundred thousand for it, it’ll certainly go a long way to keeping the farm going. I can’t afford more sheep but the money could help get next year’s crop in. That’d be a start.’

  ‘You need another source of income,’ Jonny added.

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Ryan said. ‘I’ve heard of fellas starting crutching cradles as a side business, or going shearing, but not many sheep left around these parts so kinda rules those options out.’

  In silence, they drove back towards the sheds, passing Debbie in the garden of Ryan’s old house. ‘What’s your mum up to in this heat?’

  ‘Well, I mentioned your idea of selling the house and they’ve taken it upon themselves to get the old one ready for me to move back into. I told them I’d just move back in with them, but Mum said that’s no good for a single bloke my age. And with their house just behind it, she reckons she’s close enough to keep an eye or two on me.’ Ryan rolled his eyes. ‘Besides, I still think she’s hoping I’ll find another wife and have some kids.’

  ‘Hey, it’s early days. You’re not over the hill just yet,’ Renae said, smiling. ‘And she’s right, the perfect woman for you is still out there somewhere. Just you wait and see. If not, we’ll put you on Farmer Wants a Wife,’ she said, with a cackle.

  ‘Thanks, Nae.’

  Jonny turned around and went back to the old house. ‘Let’s give ya mum a hand. We have time to kill before pulling in the nets.’

  Renae was keen but Ryan looked less than impressed. Three hours later, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, they sat around with Ryan’s parents in the fire hazard garden they’d all just tidied. Barry was watching over the cooking yabbies, adding extra garlic to the water as they boiled over on the portable gas burner. The rest of them sat on plastic chairs breaking apart the yabbies and peeling out the fleshy tails. Renae was chatting to Debbie about plants for the garden that would be cost-effective and hardy.

  ‘I can get heaps of cuttings off the school garden plants and with a bit of TLC they’ll look great.’

  Jonny dipped the meat from the tail into the container of water, cleaning it before dunking it into Renae’s sauce. She glanced at Ryan, who was using his teeth to crack through the hard shell of a claw. He winked at her before sucking the meat out.

  It was moments like these that Jonny lived for, sitting with friends enjoying the good life. She had never once thought of leaving Bundara. It had been hard enough leaving when she was doing her apprenticeship at TAFE, but now there was no reason for her to ever leave again and that’s the way she liked it. Everything she needed was here. Jonny watched the last of the sun disappear, its bright rays hitting a wisp of cloud and lighting it up like the sun did the moon. If only that cloud could multiply into a thousand black ones heavily loaded with rain that would spill their large bellies onto the dry earth. One day soon, the drought had to break.

  Chapter 18

  ‘PLEASE, Daniel. My husband is unwell. He’s really stressed and I’m worried that this will send him over the edge.’

  Dan squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to Mrs Haniker’s plea. This was the worst part of his job. The day had started out fine. He’d got up and gone for a morning jog, had his toast, got ready for work and then he’d had to make a call to Mr and Mrs Haniker about their business loan. That’s when it had turned into a nightmare.

  ‘I can reschedule the meeting, Mrs Haniker, but we need to have a chat at some stage. You can’t avoid it, and the longer we wait, the worse it’ll be. I’m just doing my job and I have to follow up on these things.’

  ‘But it’s not our fault we can’t get enough business. It’s the drought. People are leaving town, not spending money on new furniture. When we bought this place we didn’t know we were going to have a run of bad years.’

  ‘I do understand, Mrs Haniker, and I’m sorry, but the terms of the agreement aren’t being met. If we had a meeting, then maybe we could work something out?’ Dan had heard it all before. The drought had caused financial difficulty for most of the people of Bundara. He found himself wishing he hadn’t taken this posting, but then again, if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have met Jonelle. She seemed to make it all worthwhile. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow night when they were going out to Ryan’s. Hopefully they could brainstorm a way out of his financial mess. And at the same time, he’d have another opportunity to study Jonelle’s big Julia Roberts smile.

  ‘What about next week?’ said Mrs Haniker, bringing Dan back to the present.

  ‘Yes, that would be fine. How about ten-thirty on Wednesday?’

  She mumbled in agreement.

  ‘Good. In the meantime, make sure Larry takes it easy.’

  Her voice sounded tired and Dan really felt for her. It was all right when you were on the other side of the fence. Dan was financially secure – his father had made sure of that by guiding him with investments. He had some great investment properties and a good nest egg of shares that were all quietly earning in the background for him. He’d never known real struggle, or how these people felt being so close to losing the things they lived for and loved. Dan realised just how much he hated this part of his job.

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Haniker. I’ll talk to you next week.’

  Dan hung up and leaned back in his chair. He’d been into Mrs Haniker’s shop and bought a stool for his breakfast bar. Mrs Haniker was a well-dressed woman with purple-rinsed curly hair, who had chatted to him like he was a local. And now he had to deal with her on a personal financial matter. It was difficult.

  Checking his watch, he decided to break for an early lunch. He needed it.

  ‘Gemma, I’m just ducking out,’ he said. She smiled, her face still so fresh, sprinkled with freckles, and her eyes enhanced with dark eyeliner.

  ‘Okay.’

  She was so shy, especially to start with, and quiet, but after nearly three weeks she was starting to warm to him. Luckily, she was wonderful with the clients, probably because she knew them all.

  Dan shut the door and involuntarily threw a glance down the street in the direction of Jonelle’s workshop. He wondered what she’d be up to. Wearing those overalls and covered with grease, no doubt. The image warmed his lower belly and brought a smile to his lips. From where he stood he could just see the blue shed and a whole heap of cars parked out the front.

  Dan walked into the local shop, his curiosity niggling at him. He grabbed a salad roll and an iced tea from the fridge, and wondered if he should go for a wander down her street. At the counter Gabby scanned his items while he tried looking through the front door towards Jonelle’s shed. He was sure he could hear the screech of metal coming from her workshop.

  ‘It’s a VFRS meeting,’ said Gabby. ‘That’ll be six dollars fifty, thanks.’

  ‘Pardon?’ he s
aid, taking a ten-dollar note from his wallet.

  ‘Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service. They’re playing with the jaws-of-life on some wrecks out the back of the workshop.’

  ‘Fire and Rescue?’

  Gabby laughed. ‘Yes. All those cars belong to locals, including Carlos. They all volunteer to fight fires and rescue people from accidents.’

  ‘Jonelle does this? Really?’ he said. Another thing about Jonelle that amazed him. ‘Are there many accidents?’ he asked.

  ‘Yeah. Actually, a lot of tourists crash on the gravel roads because they aren’t used to them.’ Gabby tucked a heap of curls behind her ear. ‘This one time Carlos got a call-out for a crash because some tourist had swerved off the road to miss a crocodile, and then when Carlos got there, the tourists wouldn’t get out of their car.’

  ‘A crocodile?’

  ‘Yep, so they thought. It was the funniest thing. It was actually a racehorse goanna, but they thought it was a croc. Took Carlos a while to figure out what the hell they were going on about,’ said Gabby, laughing. ‘You should go down and have a look. They won’t mind.’

  ‘Thanks. I might take a wander. See ya.’

  Dan left the shop, realising he had never known the name of the lady who served him at his local deli back in the city. She wore a name badge but he’d never made a point of remembering or saying her name. Yet he chatted to Gabby every time. Word would soon get around if he didn’t – he’d be an outcast, a snob. It was something he’d never had to worry about in Perth.

  He had already crossed the road, taking him closer to Jonelle, before he’d even consciously decided to go there. When he reached her workshop, he navigated his way through all the cars and followed the noise of crushing metal. It led him to a large yard out the back, full of car bodies and old speedway wrecks. Car doors sat lined up against a ute shell and there were tyre rims everywhere. A heap of men were huddled around the source of the noise. Dan couldn’t see anything over all the men. He stepped up on a nearby metal box and then he could see Jonelle. She captivated the audience as she handled a giant claw of machinery that was squeezing the life out of a car frame. Even wearing a hard hat with a safety visor, she was attractive. She had high-vis fire pants on with her singlet. He could see the muscles in her arms as she gripped and manoeuvred the heavy power tool. Dan opened up the plastic wrap on his lunch and started eating while his eyes remained fixed on Jonelle. He didn’t look away even as the sun reflected off all the metal in the yard, stinging his eyes.