Family Farm

by Palmer, Fiona

  Izzy could see he was struggling – he’d gone all pasty-looking – so she handed him his drink. ‘If it makes you feel any better, I think what Simone has to tell you might come as even more of a surprise.’ She knew that would make his ears prick up.

  ‘Come on, you can’t say that much and leave it.’ Blake took a gulp of wine and managed to spill a drop on his clean shirt. ‘Crap.’

  Izzy was laughing as Mickey and Simone walked into the kitchen. Izzy handed Mickey his wine and they all sat down at the table. ‘Well, dinner won’t be long. Maybe ten minutes or so.’

  ‘It smells great,’ said Simone, helping herself to a biscuit and some chilli dip. ‘While we wait, there’s something I’d really like to tell you, Blake.’ She blushed with the excitement.

  ‘What’s so important?’ asked Blake, edgy with anticipation himself.

  ‘I hope you’re not mad or anything, but it’s only just happened,’ Simone said, playing with the hem of her jumper.

  Blake frowned.

  ‘We are going out,’ she said rather quickly, then slipped her hand over Mickey’s on the table to make her point.

  Blake watched Mickey entwine his fingers with Simone’s tenderly. Blake pointed at them. ‘You two are together?’

  Cautiously, they both nodded.

  At first, there was a surprised look, then a smile followed and Blake’s eyes lit up. ‘Sweet. What a turn-up for the books. I’ve been so self-absorbed lately I hadn’t even noticed. Since when?’

  ‘Just the last couple of weeks,’ Mickey joined in.

  Izzy wished she had a few ping pong balls to throw into Mickey and Simone’s open mouths. They hadn’t expected this reaction at all. ‘I told you he’d be cool,’ Izzy said from the stove as she boiled the kettle for the gravy.

  Blake gave Izzy a curious look. ‘Did you already know about this?’

  Izzy winked at him. ‘Hell, yeah. Someone had to nudge Simone in the right direction. But she was worried about how you’d react.’

  Blake shrugged. ‘Why? I think it’s great – my best friend and my sister. It’s okay, you can relax now,’ Blake said, seeing them still looking a bit uptight.

  Taking a moment, Mickey and Blake downed half the wine in their glasses while Simone sipped a Diet Coke.

  Izzy moved over behind Blake, put her hand on his shoulder, and gave it a squeeze.

  Blake looked up into Izzy’s compassionate eyes. The blue depths of them gave him a strength he didn’t know he possessed. Her previous words sprang to mind. She’d said that if she hadn’t told her father what she really wanted in life, she never would have been truly happy. No, it might not have worked out for her, but at least her father knew where she stood. Izzy felt more at peace with herself for not hiding her feelings and not having to lie. In some respects, Blake knew she was right – he couldn’t keep this secret and expect to live a fulfilled life.

  ‘I … ah …’ began Blake slowly.

  ‘What’s up?’ Simone asked.

  ‘I have something to say too.’

  ‘Well, spit it out. It can’t be that bad,’ she said, sensing his anxiety.

  Blake looked her in the eye before he quietly whispered the words that had tortured his thoughts. ‘I’m gay.’ He watched as a smile grew on her face, while Mickey’s was dark and motionless. ‘What’s so funny?’ He was worried. Did she think he was joking?

  ‘Tell me something I didn’t know,’ she said mockingly.

  Blake’s face was pale. ‘You knew?’

  ‘Hell, I’m not stupid, Blake. I’d sort of guessed a while ago but didn’t know a hundred per cent until I heard it from your lips.’ She shrugged. ‘I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. I certainly wasn’t going to bring it up, just in case I was wrong, which I didn’t think I was, but …’ Simone got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around her brother, kissing him on his cheek. ‘I love you, and I’m glad you’ve decided to trust me with this. I guess it’s a big step for you?’

  Blake held her at arm’s length, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. ‘You’ll never know how much, sis. Thanks.’ He couldn’t believe how much time he’d spent worrying about how Simone would react. For the past few years he had pretended to be attracted to girls to keep everyone off the scent. But it was such hard work. All that time stressing and hiding, and to think Simone had known all along. He’d never felt as much love for his sister as he did now. Blood sure was thicker than water. He hoped his parents would be as understanding.

  Meanwhile, Izzy had been watching Mickey. She prayed she had been right about his character – that he was very loyal and never judged people. She could see he was mulling things over.

  Simone sat down next to Mickey and took hold of his hand again tightly. All eyes were on him now. The hissing of the boiled kettle echoed throughout the silent house. Breathlessly they all waited.

  ‘I … Wow – didn’t see that one coming.’ He was clearly surprised but what else was to come?

  Mickey slowly looked across to Blake and said, in an almost squeaky voice, ‘I’ve never left your side in a fight yet, mate, and I’m not about to.’ Then he shrugged. ‘Deep down, maybe I knew, but it doesn’t really matter because it doesn’t change who you are. You’ll always be my best mate.’ Mickey held out his hand and Blake shook it vigorously before pulling him into a quick, manly hug.

  ‘Cheers, Mickey. It means a bloody lot,’ Blake said, as he sat back down. He glanced up at Izzy and squeezed her hand, which had come back to rest on his shoulder.

  He rewarded Izzy with the happiest smile she had seen in a long time. It brought a lump the size of a brick to her throat. Quickly she diverted her eyes to a photo on the wall of a bogged tractor, and waited for it to subside.

  ‘Besides, it’s nothing compared to finding out you’re going to be a father,’ said Mickey, getting Blake’s attention. ‘Did I mention that you’re going to be an uncle?’

  ‘An uncle? What do you mean?’ Blake screwed up his eyes in puzzlement.

  Simone held her belly and laughed. ‘Mickey and I are having a baby.’

  ‘Holy shit!’ Blake slapped his forehead.

  ‘Tell me about it. I only just found out a few minutes ago myself. We hooked up at the bonfire, which she doesn’t even remember, or it was that bad she’s tried to forget it,’ he stirred, and Simone squeezed his hand in a death grip. ‘How romantic is that!’

  Blake wiped his hand over his face as he tried to swallow this news. ‘The bonfire night? But that was ages ago.’

  ‘Yep, so I guess I’m about eight weeks or so.’ Simone smiled, reliving the way Mickey had hugged her, felt her belly and asked, ‘Is this for real?’ She’d nodded and he’d kissed her. ‘Is this what you want? With me?’ he’d said. She’d nodded nervously again, wondering whether he felt the same, but he’d taken her in his arms and whispered, ‘It’s all going to be fine, Simone. I love you. I always have.’ Simone realised that all she’d ever wanted was right there in front of her and that living in Mullawoon on a farm with Mickey would make her deliriously happy.

  With all the commotion going on in the kitchen, Izzy headed outside to drink in the cool night air, away from the overwhelmed but ecstatic group. The moon lit up the garden and cast black shadows over the silvery ground. One of these shadows came from a huge gum tree that was filled with galahs. They were screeching away to each other as they perched there for the night.

  She could still hear the muffled voices of the others inside, speaking quickly and excitedly. They had lots to talk about, that was for sure. Izzy couldn’t help but feel sad in a way. It was times like these that she missed her family most. At least these guys had a happy ending. Well, more like a new beginning. But what was her future? Was she destined to stay on Erindale forever? She couldn’t really picture her future here. No matter how hard she tried, Izzy just couldn’t see anything but Gumlea – or maybe she didn’t want to.

  ‘A penny for your thoughts,’ said Blake, approaching from behind and wrapp
ing an arm around her shoulders.

  ‘Ha. You’ll need more than that for my thoughts.’

  They stood together quietly for a moment.

  ‘So are you okay, still happy?’ Izzy asked.

  ‘Thanks to you, everything’s cool. Man, can you believe my little sister’s gonna have a squawker, and I’ll be an uncle? It’s just unbelieveable. Simone wants to keep it quiet until she’s about three months, but they’re going to tell Mum and Dad soon. Mum’s gonna flip.’

  Izzy nodded. ‘I’m glad you’re happy.’

  ‘Well, it’s a good start anyway. And there’s no reason you can’t be happy too. Why don’t you give Will a call or your mum? Come on, you’ve made us face our fears tonight. When’s it gonna be your turn? It could work out better than you expect, you know.’

  Izzy had been trying to tell herself this, but fear stopped her from taking any action. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. I might after the ram sale,’ she said, fobbing him off.

  Blake sighed. ‘Now you’re just making excuses.’

  ‘I don’t like being disappointed. And I hate that Dad has this thing over me. He’s still controlling my life because he has the thing I want the most, and he’s never let me near it.’ Izzy gave Blake a weak smile. ‘Feel like a game of pool? We could go doubles against the other two.’

  Taking a deep breath, he sighed. ‘You really are good at avoiding the issue. All right. I’ll let it pass, this time. Next time you won’t get away with it so easily.’ Izzy headed back inside, pretending not to understand, but he knew she was still listening. ‘Better enjoy yourself while you can. Tomorrow we start gearing up for the sale next week and I know Wally can’t wait for you to look after him.’

  Izzy rolled her eyes but was pleased by the change of subject. Wally was one of the best rams they had and Blake’s favourite. He had very good balls on him that were gonna make him rich, Blake would always joke. She had to admit she was looking forward to the excitement of the auction and seeing the interested farmers. She’d picked up quite a bit from Blake recently but she still wanted to learn as much as she could in case anyone asked for information on the SAMM stud.

  Walking in on Mickey and Simone having a kiss in the kitchen, she soon forgot about Wally and the stud, and instead felt the excitement of new love.

  Izzy waved her hand at them. ‘Don’t stop on my account. It’s nice to see a bit of love floating around.’

  Mickey and Simone grinned back like silly teenagers before following her into the lounge room with their drinks.

  ‘Come on, you two lovebirds,’ she said, picking up a pool cue. ‘Let’s see what kind of team you really make. Dinner can wait a bit longer.’

  42

  WILL was so keen to finish making the trailer that he skipped breakfast and began welding straightaway. His father walked over to the shed in the warm sun around lunchtime, carrying a cuppa and a toastie and placed them on the wheel arch of the trailer. Will put down the welder and took off his protective helmet. ‘Morning, Dad.’

  ‘Hey, mate. Thought you might be hungry.’

  ‘I am a bit. Thanks.’

  ‘It looks finished,’ said Brian, running a hand over the trailer. ‘I’m impressed. You’ve been working hard on it.’

  ‘Yeah, I wanted to get it done so I could get over to Bill’s place and check out his gear before the next rain. He’s due back in Lake Grace tomorrow.’

  ‘So, how is he?’

  ‘He’s up to coming home – well, nearly home – but he still can’t talk properly. The right side of his body and the left side of his face are still not back to normal. It’s affected his speech and language, and Jean said he has a bit of memory loss as well. She can’t move him around by herself so he’ll be in Lake Grace where they can keep an eye on him, until he’s up to coming home. He’s improving all the time. But it means I’ll be over at Gumlea a bit.’

  ‘Yeah, sure. They’re lucky to have you, you know. You’ve done a lot for that family.’ Will could hear the pride in his dad’s voice. He shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘Let me know if you need any help at the Simpson place, but I won’t be around tomorrow. There’s a stud sale in Brookton I’m interested in. Think I’ll go take a look.’

  Will stopped chewing. Hot spaghetti fell to the concrete floor. Something ticked over in his mind.

  ‘That’s it!’

  ‘What’s it, son?’

  ‘Dad, where’s the latest Elders?’

  ‘I don’t know. Try the loo. What’s up?’

  Brian didn’t get an answer. Will ran out of the shed into the cool midday air, leaving behind his cuppa and half a toastie, and headed straight for the toilet. Opening the door, he spotted the Elders lying on the floor. He scooped it up and went into the office. Sitting down at the desk, he began flicking frantically through the pages. Halfway in he found what he was searching for. He picked up a marker, circled all the phone numbers, then lifted up the phone and started dialling.

  ‘Hello. I saw your stud auction ad and I was wondering whether you had a new farmhand working for you called Izzy Simpson?’

  The day of the sale had come around fast. They’d been flat out setting up. Even Simone was getting in on the act. The change in her was amazing. The interest she now took in the farm had shocked her whole family. She had just needed a reason to be interested, and Mickey was a good one.

  It had been an early-morning start, covering the floor of the display shed with fresh straw and then bringing in the sheep and penning them up. Izzy had been firing questions at Blake and Alan all morning, seeing what needed doing and trying to learn as much as she could.

  After they finished, she sat on an old tyre outside and watched the prospective buyers arriving. Half of them were probably only here to look. But hopefully there were some eager buyers out there. Alan had sixty rams on offer. He would be rapt if they all went for a good price.

  Izzy smiled as she looked over the land. She had been here a while now and knew it pretty well. Mullawoon had its low rolling hills, creek valleys and rocky ridges and its red sandy loam soils. But at Gumlea she could drive to all the paddocks blindfolded, and then tell you the exact soil type under her feet without having to dig. The areas where the salmon gums grew were good indicators of nice heavy soil. Likewise the mallee trees, with their many underground stems and branched trunks that liked the sandy loam. Just thinking about it made her smile again.

  Shaking her head, she tried to throw the thoughts from her mind. It didn’t do her any good to dwell on the farm. It only made her more homesick. Annoyed for tormenting herself yet again, she decided to head inside and see whether she could be of any help.

  The huge shed had been purpose-built for farm auctions. This would be Erindale Prime SAMM stud’s third year. The smell of straw and sheep hung in the warm air and the hum of voices bounced off the metal walls and ceiling. Izzy noticed a couple of men standing by the yard of one of their best rams.

  ‘G’day, fellas. You interested in our mate, Wally, here? He is one of the stud’s best.’ Both men nodded. They looked like serious bidders.

  ‘What’s the ram’s EMD?’ asked the taller of the two. He was older, maybe in his sixties, and Izzy got the distinct feeling he was testing her.

  ‘His eye muscle depth is forty-two millimetres and he was a hundred and twenty kilograms at last weigh,’ she said while holding Wally’s head for them to study.

  They raised their eyebrows and nodded, impressed with the figures. She could see they wanted to talk further so she gave them some privacy and turned to leave.

  ‘Thanks, love,’ the older man called out.

  She waved her hand in reply and headed towards another pen. Mickey and Simone were at this one with another couple. She could hear Mickey doing his sales pitch.

  ‘I’ve come to buy,’ said Mickey. ‘I’ve slowly introduced them to my merino flock, but I’ve now decided to convert the entire lot, as we’re aiming to boost the meat aspect. With their growth rates, we can get the la
mbs off the farm heaps quicker.’

  The young couple looked fascinated by what Mickey had to say. ‘It sure does sound great. My wife and I have been interested in the SAMMs for a while.’

  Izzy was feeling redundant. She gave Simone a nod and decided to grab a drink. Too many people in the shed made the temperature rise and the air stuffy. The straw scuffed under her boots as she headed down the side of the pens.

  Suddenly she stopped.

  Will Timmins was heading towards her. At least, she thought it looked like him. Was the heat making her see things? As the bloke walked closer, she expected his face to merge into someone else’s, but it didn’t. Will stopped in front of her and reached out to hold her arms, as if forcing her to realise she wasn’t hallucinating. His blue eyes, bright and electrifying, delved into her soul. Oh, she’d missed them and his strong handsome face.

  ‘Hi, Izzy,’ he said in a voice that sent shivers up her spine.

  ‘Will? Fancy seeing you here. I … ah … didn’t know you were interested in SAMMs. Do you want me to show you around?’ What were the chances of him coming to this auction? she thought.

  ‘Izzy, I’m not here to buy a bloody ram,’ said Will, shaking her slightly.

  She raised an eyebrow curiously. ‘You’re not? Then … why are you here?’

  ‘For you, of course.’

  ‘Oh …’ Izzy thought for a moment, but seemed stunned. ‘But how did you know I was here?’ She was trying hard not to get lost in his eyes.

  ‘You mentioned the ram sale when we bumped into each other in Perth, so I just rang all the coming stud sales and asked if you worked there. After a handful, I eventually rang Erindale and found out where you’ve been hiding. Didn’t realise you were this far north.’

  ‘Oh.’ Izzy didn’t know what to say.

  ‘Alan told me that you worked for him but I asked him not to say anything until I could come and talk to you myself,’ Will explained.