The Sunburnt Country

by Palmer, Fiona

  By the time they’d all relaxed with a beer or two, Diff mentioned their worst call-out.

  ‘I mean, nothing will be worse then Rick’s crash.’ He paused. ‘But that’s because we know him – knew him,’ he corrected. ‘But if we were going on horror scale, it would have to be the one a few years back where a tourist’s car went under a truck. A whole family of four was lost in that one. Cops couldn’t figure out if the guy driving had fallen asleep or done it on purpose.’

  Judy spoke up then too. ‘They’d gone under the back trailer and the whole top of the car had been sliced off.’ She shuddered and her skin paled under the shed lights. ‘I’ve seen stuff, but I’ve never had to go look for body parts like that before.’

  ‘Really?’ Dan asked with a sick feeling churning in his belly. ‘How do you guys deal with that? How do you keep doing it?’

  Diff laughed. ‘We drink. We laugh. We go a little nutty. But we do it cause there’s no one else around and someone’s gotta be there to look out for people.’

  ‘I just can’t believe you do all this without getting paid. Talk about taking volunteering to the next level. You guys really are heroes.’ Dan raised his beer. ‘Well, here’s to you. Cheers!’ To say his eyes had been opened was an understatement. As the stories came from these ordinary individuals doing amazing things, Dan couldn’t help feeling he was among very special people.

  He’d always thought his life was great and full, yet being in Bundara and living among these people made him feel as if he was missing something. He wasn’t sure what it was. Could it be this tight-knit community? He couldn’t quite put his finger on one single thing. Maybe it was the collection of friendly people like Zac and his family making him feel welcome, or maybe it was Jonelle and the way she had control over his body. Was it helping Ryan and feeling so useful and fulfilled? Maybe it was just this barren but captivating landscape whose fine dust had somehow crept under his skin.

  Chapter 29

  IT was hot, it was hard for Jonny to see what she was doing and there were all sorts of creepy crawlies around her. ‘Dang, Coop. I can’t see shit.’ Jonny pulled her head out from underneath the truck. ‘Can you grab the torch that’s on the back of my ute in the toolbox, please?’ This was not how she wanted to spend her Sunday, but it had been over a week since the funeral and the town was operating again, even though the scars of the week before remained, and would remain for years to come.

  ‘Yep,’ said Ryan as he stepped towards her ute, which was parked out the front of the Coopers’ big farm shed.

  Jonny undid the front bolts on the truck that let down the huge bullbar. Next she went to the back, pulled a lever, and pushed up on the edge of the cab with a grunting force. It began to move, the whole cab tilting over to expose the oily motor.

  She glanced up and saw her hand was next to a big redback spider. ‘I don’t get paid enough for this crap,’ she said, using a stick from the ground to squash it.

  ‘But I’m not paying you,’ said Ryan, smirking.

  ‘My point exactly,’ she teased.

  ‘I can pay you in Star Wars re-runs, the odd free beer and the luxury of my company.’

  Jonny smiled up at Ryan, his hair in its electrofied mess, plus three-day stubble and the worst clean-but-stained-and-holey clothes that no one would be seen dead in, except for a farm boy like Ryan. His mother had patched his shirt to within an inch of its life. Waste not, want not. Jonny shook her head. ‘And you could sell bloody ice to Eskimos. All right, let’s get this show on the road.’ She took the torch from Ryan and pushed in against the big tyre.

  ‘What else do you need, Doctor Jonny?’

  She popped her head back out. ‘Well, if you want me to fix the truck in this shed, then more light for starters. I have a big twin light stand on the ute as well. Wanna set that up while I start pulling some bits off?’

  They worked side by side, Jonny calling the shots while Ryan served as her lackey. ‘This is great. I bet this is what having an apprentice would be like.’

  ‘You want one, do you?’

  ‘Yeah, I do. It’d be nice to have someone to chat to in the workshop besides my cars and Nae, who’s allergic to grease. I’d like to give something back to the community, too.’

  Ryan gave her a warm smile. ‘One day, hey?’

  ‘Yep, maybe one day.’

  Footsteps crunched on the gravel as they entered the shed. ‘How’re you two coming along?’

  Jonny glanced at Ryan’s dad. He was wearing his old blue bucket hat. ‘All right, thanks, Mr C.’

  ‘It’s you we should be thanking. Working on a Sunday and having to put up with Ryan.’

  ‘Whatever,’ said Ryan, pulling a face at his dad.

  ‘So do you think it’s worth getting the old girl fixed or will it just cause us more problems?’ Barry rested his three-fingered hand on the truck.

  ‘No, I think it’s a great idea. If everything was working fine until you did the clutch, then she may work hard for you for years to come. How did you find out about the job?’

  ‘Well, Morris was talking to Brady, who mentioned it to his wife, who told Deb that the shire was chasing another water truck for that new road they got the grant money for. So I got on the blower and asked if I could get the gig with our water truck. The shire boys will help mount a sprayer on the back and we’ll be in business. It’ll give this old boy something to do and then Ryan’s not the only one with an off-farm job to bring in extra money.’

  ‘The universe will provide when you really want something, right? Or just put it down to good luck. But don’t you worry. We’ll have this old girl goin’ in no time.’ Jonny paused for a second as she went back over what Barry had said, her mind processing his words. She turned to Ryan. ‘Wait, you’ve got a job already?’

  ‘Um, yeah, I was going to tell you today.’ Ryan dropped his head.

  ‘That was quick.’ She couldn’t keep the sadness from her voice.

  ‘Well, I’ll leave you two at it while I help down at the house. The shifting mob have arrived and have one part of the house split through already.’ Barry nodded and waddled back to his ute, only too aware he’d just put his foot in something.

  Jonny leaned back against the truck tyre. ‘Wow. Everything’s really happening.’

  Ryan stepped towards her, parked his butt beside hers on the tyre. ‘Yep. Dad reckons they’ll have it loaded up onto the trucks and gone by this arvo. The guy who bought it didn’t want to waste any time. Apparently he can’t move his wife out to his new land until he has a decent house there. Guess he hates living on his own.’ Ryan laughed. ‘But I can’t say I’ll be sad to see it go.’ He cleared his throat. ‘So, um, about my job. I’m actually starting in a few weeks.’

  She moved like she’d been stung. ‘What? So soon?’ Jonny felt dizzy. She knew she must have looked horrified because Ryan’s face softened and he put his arm around her shoulders.

  ‘Gee, it’s not like I’m dying.’ He felt her tense. ‘Sorry, bad choice of words. You won’t even miss me. You’ll hardly know I’m gone.’

  ‘Yeah, I will,’ she said, dropping her bottom lip like a child. ‘It just sucks, that’s all. If Mother Nature hadn’t given us these crap years . . .’

  ‘And that arsehole hadn’t ripped you off, and if Rick had stayed home and if I hadn’t married Alana —’

  Jonny held up her hand. ‘I get it, I get it. Save your breath.’

  ‘We can’t control everything, Jonny. Even you can’t bury your problems at the workshop forever. It’s not going to miraculously solve itself. Unless you win lotto.’

  ‘Ha! As if.’ She looked at Ryan, and was surprised to see the strength in his eyes. ‘I will miss you, you know.’ Jonny turned back to the motor, intent on finishing the job today. ‘So, which mine are you headed to?’

  ‘It’s one down south called Rincon. A goldmine. Apparently the gold is in a similar geological and structural setting to the Boddington goldmine up north. Sounds like there are huge d
eposits there, by all accounts. It’s only just opened up recently. They’re chasing people, so I slipped right in. I’ll be an equipment operator, mainly driving the haul truck for six hours. We do rotations so we’re not on the same piece of equipment for twelve hours. Then I might be on the grader, the dozer, or the water cart for the next six hours of the shift.’

  ‘That actually sounds cool. I’d love to get my hands on all that stuff. Sounds like a job people would kill for.’

  ‘I know. I have Sienna to thank for that. Turns out her brother is higher up in the food chain than I thought.’

  ‘So how are things going in your sessions with Sienna?’

  ‘She doesn’t want to see me.’

  ‘What? What do you mean?’

  Ryan laughed. ‘Not so regularly. I’m back to every now and then, and she’s always there if I need her.’

  Jonny smiled. ‘That’s great news, Ryan. I don’t know how much you paid her to fabricate the books, but hey,’ she said, teasing.

  ‘Smart arse.’

  ‘Nah, it’s great news, mate. She must think you’re going okay, then. I think you are.’

  ‘Thanks, Doctor Jonny, your educated opinion is always welcome,’ he teased.

  Jonny asked Ryan to get another ring spanner and when he returned she asked about Sienna again. ‘So, are you and Sienna going to stay in touch outside of counselling? She’s really cute, you know.’

  Ryan sighed. ‘You know, that’s why most mechanics are men, so when they come and fix shit they don’t ask millions of questions.’

  ‘Bulldust! I know you love to gossip.’

  She glanced away from the motor in time to see a smile plastered on his face. It was good to see him so carefree.

  ‘Nah, she’s a good chick. Really helped me out and I’ll always be grateful. But I won’t go there. It just wouldn’t be right and I don’t see her like that.’

  ‘Just friends?’ Jonny finished pulling out the old clutch and handed the parts to Ryan. There was a lot of that going on lately.

  ‘Yep. That’s how I like my women. Anything else is just too risky.’

  ‘Ha. I reckon the same about men.’

  ‘We’re a good pair then, hey,’ he said.

  Jonny stood up, greasy hands clutching spare parts, and smiled. ‘Sure are. Now hold this.’

  By late afternoon Jonny had fitted the new clutch, so they climbed into the truck to take it for a test run. Inside the cab smelt like mice and she had to break away the cobwebs to sit down. After they got the air up in the truck, Ryan drove it out of the shed.

  ‘Woo hoo. It works,’ he said, as he changed gears heading down the driveway.

  Jonny shot him a murderous look.

  ‘Oh, I knew it would,’ said Ryan, backtracking quickly. ‘Holy shit. Check it out,’ he said, pointing to where his house had once stood. All that remained were bits of fence, the side shed and a bare patch of earth. Ryan stopped the truck so they could take in the sight.

  ‘It’s like magic. Here one minute, gone the next. It’s weird,’ said Jonny.

  ‘It’s good. The last bit of Alana gone.’ Ryan shook away a deep frown and a new grin transformed his face. ‘This is cause for celebration. Wanna stay for dinner? I’ll ring up Nae and Zac and the four of us can run amok.’

  ‘Sounds like a plan.’ Jonny stuck her arm out the open window and let her hand glide through the wind as Ryan drove the truck. The air rushed inside the cab, cooling her hot sweaty skin. The afternoon light cast shadows and shapes all over the land and it gave Jonny a warm fuzzy feeling. Simple moments like these were what she treasured.

  An hour later, the repaired truck sat tucked back inside its shed and Renae and Zac had arrived.

  All four of them sat out the back of Ryan’s old house to watch the setting sun with beers in hand.

  ‘We should have invited Dan along,’ said Zac. Jonny rolled her eyes at him. ‘No, really. He’s good value. And he’s got a tough week coming up.’

  ‘What d’ya mean?’ asked Renae.

  ‘He’s off to Jarring on Tuesday for a farm auction. He’s having to finish what Greg started. What a mess. No wonder Greg took off, but now Dan has to see it through.’

  Renae tilted her head to the side. ‘Is he expecting trouble?’

  Zac nodded. ‘Who knows? They’re third-generation farmers so you can imagine they haven’t wanted to go without a fight, but they owe so much money. If it wasn’t the bank, then it would probably be someone else chasing them.’

  ‘Man, that could have been me,’ said Ryan.

  ‘No,’ Jonny said. She glared at Ryan for even thinking it.

  Renae jumped up, scaring them all. ‘Oh crap. The pizzas!’ She ran into the house and Ryan followed to help.

  Jonny shifted along the concrete step to sit next to Zac. ‘Hey, bro.’

  ‘Sis. So how ya been? No more nightmares?’ She shook her hand to say ‘sort of’.

  ‘Getting better, though?’ Zac asked.

  ‘Uh-huh. The get-together we had last weekend really helped.’ And imagining Dan holding her tight before going to sleep helped too.

  ‘That’s good. I know it helped Dan.’

  She gazed at her brother. The fiery yellow of the sun danced across his eyes and made his hair glow orange. ‘You really like Dan, don’t you?’

  Zac didn’t blink, keeping her gaze. ‘Yep, but so do you, don’t you?’ he asked straight back.

  ‘And you like Renae,’ she whispered, not letting him get one up on her.

  ‘What? Where’d you get that harebrained idea? Geez, Jonny.’

  ‘It’s written all over your face.’

  ‘What? Does Renae know? Who else knows?’ His body tensed, his face taut with fear.

  Jonny wanted to laugh but the poor boy was so distressed she put him out of his misery. ‘Don’t stress. No one knows anything. I was actually kinda guessing.’

  ‘Oh crap.’ Zac hung his head in his hands.

  ‘Are you going to do anything about it?’ she asked.

  ‘No. Why ruin a good thing?’

  ‘Zachary David Baxter. You wowser.’ But she shot him a sympathetic look. ‘Teasing aside, I think you’d make it work. And you have my blessing. And if you ask me, I think she might like you back.’

  Now she had his attention. ‘You think so?’ It was said with so much hope it swelled Jonny’s heart to the size of an overinflated tyre tube.

  ‘How could she not?’ she said throwing her arm around him. Was it possible to love him any more than she loved him right now?

  Zac snorted. ‘Thanks, sis.’ He dragged her across his lap and tickled her.

  She squirmed and squealed before begging him to let her up.

  ‘Yo, guys. Pizza’s up.’ Renae handed Zac a plate loaded with slices while Ryan brought out Jonny’s.

  ‘Thanks, Nae. You’re a legend,’ smiled Zac. It wasn’t his normal smile; this one was laced with flirting. Renae tucked her hair behind her ear.

  Jonny wished they would just take a leap of faith and go for it. Not that it worked in all cases. Take her and Dan. No jumping going on there, thank goodness. That was a doomed relationship, one even Ryan could see, but Zac and Renae, well, they lived in the same town for a start. She couldn’t ask Dan to stay, could she?

  She sat back, beer in one hand, slice of pizza in the other, her best mates beside her and the best fireball sunset disappearing below the horizon. Life just didn’t get much better.

  Chapter 30

  DAN was at Gabby’s shop when he heard the news that had the whole town talking.

  He’d walked down for the Monday paper and an iced coffee, the morning a perfect twenty-eight degrees. He ended up queuing behind the lady who ran the small hairdressing shop opposite the butcher’s. Her hair was jet black, flat and shiny.

  ‘I heard there was an accident. Who was rostered on?’ the lady asked Gabby. Dan’s ears twitched. So this is how stuff spread through town, he thought. He had to smile at himself for being just as e
ager to hear more. If it was an accident, maybe Jonelle had been called out.

  ‘Judy and Chris were. It was Jonny who rang the ambo, but I don’t think it was a good idea for her to go out. What if it’s something serious, like when Ken went to Rick’s accident?’

  Jonny? Now his ears strained to hear every word. What would Jonny be doing calling in the accident? Was she hurt too? Instantly visions ran through his mind of Gemma in Rick’s ute with her mobile on her lap.

  ‘Why not?’ said the lady. If she’d waited a second longer, Dan would have beaten her to it. His fingers clenched around the paper.

  ‘Didn’t you hear? The accident was on the Baxter farm.’

  Shit.

  ‘Oh my God,’ said the lady, her hand going to her mouth.

  ‘Who was hurt?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  Dan didn’t hang around to hear more. He left his paper and drink on the counter and ran straight back to his car, his mind whirling with thoughts of Jonelle the whole time. Her words kept spinning through his mind. I’m scared that one day it will be my family. Her biggest fear.

  As he climbed in his car another thought crossed his mind. Could it be Zac? So many thoughts – who was hurt? How badly? How would Jonelle cope? Should he be rushing off to find out? His hand paused at the ignition, unsure. Hell, one thing was for sure, he couldn’t hang about waiting to find out. Without a second thought he started the car.

  His mind didn’t rest as he drove out to the farm as fast as he dared on the gravel. He’d been in such a state to get there, and with his thoughts in chaos, he overshot their driveway.

  ‘Shit on it!’

  He turned back and made his way down their driveway, spotting the ambulance immediately.

  He pulled up at the side of the shed, a sweat breaking out on his skin and the nausea rising in his stomach. He couldn’t understand his feelings, this sudden worry and need to be with this family he’d befriended. Zac had just climbed into the back of the ambulance, his focus on the person inside as the doors were shut behind him. Dan wasn’t able to see who was in there with Zac. The ambulance officer didn’t waste any time getting inside and speeding off. This was serious. At least it wasn’t Zac, he thought with some relief. Then he spotted Jonelle. She had just got into her ute, not even seeing or acknowledging him, and tore off, following the ambulance and its unknown patient.