by C. K. Martin
‘And you’re sure...’ she trailed off. She sounded like a prude. And a coward. Trust didn’t come easily to her. Kate had told her everything was official. It was also too late to change her mind. Kate was already through to the other side. She had no choice but to follow.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. Hayley glanced behind her when she heard the low rumble of the truck starting up again. The noise died down as it drove away, leaving them with nothing but the almost-silence of nature surrounding them. Kate walked ahead saying nothing. The path they followed was barely that. More a foot-wide gravel path that lead from where the main entrance would eventually be to the centre of the park.
Kate turned around to her and grinned.
It took Hayley’s breath away. It was as if her whole face had come to life. It made her look younger and somehow, almost impossibly, more innocent. It was such a look of unbridled joy that Hayley wasn’t sure she had ever seen anything like it before. ‘Isn’t it amazing?’
‘Um, yes?’ Hayley knew it was the right answer, but she obviously wasn’t seeing things in quite the same way as Kate. Instead, she was just seeing Kate.
Her brain overlaid a memory. A different face. A different time. A face she had never seen in real life, but had been part of her life regardless.
A face she had never seen alive.
Hayley felt her stomach roll and she clenched her fists at her side. The pain of her nails digging into her palms was enough to bring her from the memory and crash back into the real world. Kate was still smiling at her with the youthful innocence that caused Hayley so much pain.
‘Come on. I’ve been researching it. About five minutes this way and you’ll really begin to see what I mean.’
‘If you say so.’
‘I do say so.’ With that, Kate turned back around and began to walk forwards, with a definite sense of purpose.
True to her word, as they rounded a rocky outcrop, the scenery changed. It was no longer the dry scrub landscape Hayley saw on her rare drives to the city. Before them stood a hollowed crater. On the shaded side, protected from the full beating of the sun, the earth was covered with plants, all jostling for space. A kaleidoscope of greens and reds, flourishing in the protected earth.
She watched in silence as Kate took off her backpack and began to dig around inside. To Hayley’s surprise, she pulled out a camera. An actual, honest to goodness camera with an extendable lens she screwed into place. Didn’t people just use their phones these days? ‘That’s intense,’ she said as Kate supported it with both hands.
‘This?’ Kate held up the camera questioningly.
‘Yes.’
‘Oh this is nothing. You should see what some of the other professionals have. But it’s good enough for me.’
‘Other professionals? Is that what you are? A photographer?’
‘Not exactly. I enjoy taking photographs and I’m reasonably good at it, but I’m not like an actual professional.’ She shrugged self-deprecatingly and fired off a few more shots. ‘I’ve got a few programs on my laptop to do editing and effects, but the serious photographers have full editing suites and power computers to deal with it. I wouldn’t even know where to start with those. I can just do the basics.’
‘You’re not a photographer. And you’ve made it very clear that you’re not just a backpacker. So what are you?’
‘That’s why we’re here. I want to show you. Come on.’ Another flurry of shutter clicks and Kate began walking again. ‘This is my favourite thing in the whole world. I get to make money by telling people about it.’
‘I make money by giving people beer and food.’
‘Equally noble. People will always want beer and food.’
‘You sell them pictures instead? But not professional ones?’ Hayley was struggling to wrap her head around the idea that this might be an actual job.
‘Growing up, I always loved being outdoors. I know when people hear the Aussie accent and I say that, they assume I grew up in the outback. I was born and raised in Brissie. Brisbane. A typical city girl.’
‘But you loved the outdoors?’
‘I did. We’d always take trips up to Cairns. My dad loves the town for some reason, even if the people up there are madder than cut snakes. It was up there that I first went out into the rainforest. It was amazing. I can remember it so clearly. I was about ten at the time. Not much older than that for sure.’ Kate paused, her eyes fixed off into the distance as she recalled the memory. ‘There were signs up everywhere for the tourists. I know it sounds strange, but it was the first time I realised we had so many unique plants and animals. It’s what tourists from all over the world come for, to take a gander at the roos and the koalas, but when you’ve grown up with them, you don’t really think about it.’
‘But you started to be interested in it?’
‘All of it. You know what it’s like when you’re a kid. Something grabs your imagination and you just can’t let it go. So I did my ecology and environmental conservation degree at Queensland Uni. It seemed like the right thing to do.’
‘The right thing? Or the thing you wanted to do?’
‘Both. Which is lucky really. Then I graduated and didn’t know what I wanted to do next. I could get a job and settle down. Or I could study some more. Get a PhD, you know? Find somewhere in the world I was passionate about and study the hell out of it.’ Kate paused in her story to take a few more pictures. Hayley wasn’t really sure what was so fascinating about the stubbly plant, but she thought it was wise to keep her mouth shut.
‘So that’s what you decided to do?’
‘Nope.’ Kate grinned again, more devilishly this time.
‘That doesn’t sound good. You did all that studying and then changed your mind?’ Hayley had never made it to university. It had been the goal once, but then…life had happened and changed everything.
‘I decided to buy myself some time to work out which option was best. I decided to take a gap year. Go travelling. I was sure there was a big world out there that I needed to see before I could make up my mind.’
‘And here you are.’
‘Yep. I left Brisbane for a year. I’ve never been back.’
‘Not even to see your family?’
‘No.’ For the first time, Kate sounded curt about the topic. Hayley was tempted to push, but out here in the middle of nowhere wasn’t a good place to have an argument.
‘So you’ll just travel forever instead?’ It didn’t sound like a viable option to Hayley. She knew how hard it was to make money appear. She wasn’t driven by it, but she knew there wasn’t a magic pot of it for most people. The bar had seen its share of tough times and that was with actual people buying actual things.
‘If that’s what makes me happy, then that’s what I’ll do. I started a little blog when I first left Australia. Mostly it was to let my friends and family know what I was up to. Gloat a little. I’ve always wanted to be one of those people who kept a journal, but I just never had the discipline. So it was good for that too.’
‘Then what happened?’
‘Most of the other blogs out there focus on the fun stuff. Nothing too serious. The best traveller party spots et cetera. How to survive your first full moon party. I didn’t care about that kind of stuff. I wanted to write about all these amazing places off the beaten track. Especially the ones in danger of disappearing. Either the plants or the animals being wiped out for agriculture, or logging or just for city building. Once you start looking, it’s scary how quickly we’re destroying the planet. It was one thing to study it, but another to see it in person. So I started writing about it.’
‘Let me guess. People started reading it?’ Things were starting to make a bit more sense.
‘You got it. It became quite popular. I was featured a couple of times on some global cultural websites. That really sent traffic through the roof. Now I get paid to write about new places all the time. More and more people want to have experiences that don’t damage the
environment. They want to see animals but want to know about any hidden cruelty.’
‘Ethical tourism? There are parts of the coast not far from us that are protected reserves.’
‘Exactly that. So when I left, I didn’t know whether to get a job or study more. I chose a third option. The education part is now one hundred per cent self-taught, but it’s the perfect combination of the two.’
‘So that’s how you heard about the park.’
‘Part of what I need to do is stay ahead of the trends. Bring new places and experiences to people before anyone else does. When I heard about the status change of the Parque, I knew I had to come and see it for myself. I contacted the guys in charge and set it all up. They want people through the gates when it opens. The preservation costs are huge. They need to be offset by tourism somehow.’
‘You know a lot about this stuff.’
‘I love it. That always helps with any job. You must feel the same way about the bar?’
‘I did.’ Hayley paused. It had been so long since she thought about it. Like a comfy pair of shoes, she’d grown into it. Life just happened and you didn’t notice. Especially when things were going well. People like her, they didn’t look too hard when that happened. They didn’t want to jinx it. She certainly didn’t.
Nevertheless, it was a fair question. As they paused for another gulp of water, she realised Kate was still waiting for an answer. ‘I do love it. I just haven’t thought about it in those terms for years. It’s become normal. Just my life. But it still makes me happy, getting up every day and knowing that the place is mine. That between January and March I have some regular snowbirds come down from England and Scandinavia to escape the winter and recover from Christmas. Once the sunshine becomes guaranteed, I get the same people who come back every year for their holiday whilst they count down the final years towards retirement. So I love the variety and I still have familiar faces who make it feel like home.’
‘It sounds nice.’
‘It is. For me, at least. It can’t compete with all those spectacular places on the planet for you. There’s nothing much to see here.’
‘There is now.’ Kate waved her arms in a wide circle. ‘Do you know why the park has been given its special status?’
‘Not a clue. Sorry. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t really pay any attention to the news.’ That was an understatement.
‘Three new species of plant were found here. Three. That’s pretty impressive, given how much the world has been explored. There’s still so much to see out there and there is a chance we’ll destroy it before we discover it.’
‘You are passionate aren’t you?’ Hayley couldn’t help but laugh. Kate was so earnest and intense. A little furrow had appeared between her eyebrows as she talked. It was so different from the casual demeanour that had caused Hayley to mistake her for nothing but a good-time backpacker when they first met.
‘Yes.’ Kate put her hands on her hips in defiance. Hayley realised she’d offended her by not taking this seriously enough.
‘I’m sorry. It’s just I’ve never seen someone care about a new cactus before.’
‘Three new. That’s triple the caring.’
‘I suppose. And I am interested, I promise. Please, don’t let me stop you. What else is there?’
‘I can’t believe that three new species isn’t enough for you.’ Kate picked up her bag again and continued walking. ‘In addition, there are plants living here that have never been known to co-exist before. The animal life is the same old, same old, so there’s nothing to surprise you with there.’
‘It would have been more exciting to find a dinosaur still living in our midst, right?’
‘That would have been the event of my life. But not likely.’ Kate turned around and pointed the camera. Instinctively, Hayley dived out of the way. ‘Stand still. I’m not good at action shots.’
‘I don’t want to be in any of your photos.’ Her voice was high and tight. Fear shot through her as she ducked like a wounded animal.
‘Don’t worry, I won’t use them on the site without your permission.’
‘Damn right you won’t.’ Hayley bristled, one eye firmly on the camera direction. She wasn’t going to be caught out by that cute smile.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘Nothing. I know you’re part of the selfie generation but I’m not, okay? I don’t like photos.’
‘Not even for-’
‘No.’ It came out too quickly; too harshly. Kate took a step back. There was hurt and genuine confusion in her eyes. Hayley knew she wouldn’t be able to explain.
Some things couldn’t be explained away with only half the story.
‘I didn’t mean to-’ Kate tried to restart the conversation, but Hayley knew it was better just to end it there. Years of creating diversionary tactics wouldn’t let her down now. She held her hand up.
‘I’m self-conscious about it okay? Can we just leave it at that? Take the photos of your cactus and your craters, but please don’t try to put me in any of them. Come on, I’m sure there is more of this park for you to show me. I promise that I’ll listen better this time.’
With that, she gestured that the two of them should begin walking forward again. Kate looked, briefly, as if she was going to continue the discussion, but she acquiesced. She turned around and began along the path again, Hayley following just behind her. After a few minutes, Kate pointed at something and the silence that had hung between them was broken.
Hayley breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t care what Kate was saying, despite her promises to pay more attention. Instead, she was listening to the thud of her heartbeat in her ears as it steadied and dropped to a slow, dull thud rather than the staccato rhythm of fear.
#
‘Don’t we need to think about heading back?’ Hayley asked. She’d finally been won over to the park and its secret spaces. She suspected that the sheer enthusiasm of Kate’s delivery during the show and tell was a large part of that. She’d allowed herself to become distracted. She checked her watch and realised that sunset wouldn’t be far away.
‘We haven’t eaten yet.’
‘I assumed we’d grab a bite to eat in the car before we headed back.’
‘No way,’ Kate turned around and laughed. ‘We’re going to eat in about five minutes. We just need to get to the perfect spot first.’
‘But it will be dark soon.’
‘That’s kind of the point.’
‘What?’
‘You really have to trust me. We’re heading to there.’ Kate pointed at the rocky outcrop above them. They had been moving in a steady incline but only now, when she looked behind her, did Hayley realise how high they’d climbed. ‘We’ve been circling back round. The entrance is only a forty-five minute walk from here when we go down the other side.’
Hayley dutifully followed. The last bit was steep and she could feel the burn in her thighs. She was fit and the bar kept her strong, but it had been a long time since she had done anything even remotely resembling a hike.
Kate reached down and offered her hand. Without thinking, Hayley reached up and took it. The soft sensation of flesh on flesh reminded her of how much she wanted Kate. How much she couldn’t have her. Then a gentle tug from the helping hand and she was up. As she surveyed the horizon, all thoughts of Kate temporarily left her mind. ‘Wow.’
‘Exactly what I was thinking.’ Kate snapped more pictures, the clicker of the shutter filling the air with rapid-fire noise. ‘It’s as perfect as I imagined it would be. Can you believe we have this entire place to ourselves?’
‘No. It’s amazing. Thank you for bringing me with you.’ It was like being on top of the world.
‘Thank you for coming. I wasn’t sure if you would. But I knew this would be an amazing chance to see it before everyone else fills the place up. It will be different once it’s open to the public. For now, it feels like it’s meant to feel.’
‘I would never have come if it
wasn’t for you. Not even when it opened to everyone. I don’t really do the tourist stuff.’
‘I guess when it’s your home, then the touristy stuff doesn’t have the same appeal. Even if it meant you would see some amazing things. Come on, let’s sit and eat. I’ve made you walk enough and listen to me ramble about plants all day. Now we can eat and watch the sun set.’
Between them, they laid out the blanket on the ground. Hayley pulled the food she had prepared from the bag. She’d watched Kate when she’d been at the bar the other day. She’d eaten the full selection of tapas, but she’d clearly liked some more than others. That much had been obvious from the look on her face. Hayley didn’t know why it felt important to she make sure they were included in the selection, but she had. Kate’s face lit up as she pulled out the tubs of food and poured them both a drink.
They sat in silence for the first few mouthfuls. Kate stared contentedly at the horizon and Hayley realised the walking had left her ravenous. During her pacing earlier that morning, she’d been convinced that she’d over prepared. That she’d packed far too much and it would look like she was trying too hard. Now she was convinced she could eat the entire picnic herself without any additional help from Kate.
The sun hung low in the sky, changing it from the deep blue of the day to softer pastel shades of lilac and dusty pink. The few wisps of cloud caught the light, like cotton candy brush strokes on a canvas. Hayley tried to remember when she had stopped looking at sunsets. The bar was usually busy by then. She would be frantically making sure that they were ready for the evening. She never took a moment just to look outside anymore.
That needed to change. Kate was right. The world was a beautiful place. It had been her habit to not notice the good, her one eye always on the lookout for something else.
‘God these Empanadillas are amazing.’ Kate dipped one into a sticky homemade salsa Hayley had included with their food. She popped another morsel into her mouth and chewed happily. ‘I could eat them all night.’
