Redstone Station

by Therese Creed

  ‘Hold it right there – did you just call me intelligent or was I hearing voices?’

  ‘You’ve completely missed my point. If you’re rude or inappropriate to Bonnie in any way during her stay, you’ll have me to answer to.’ Alice glared at him fiercely.

  ‘Oooh!’ Jeremy leaned in towards her, grinning and raising his eyebrows infuriatingly. ‘I reckon I might like that!’

  Alice shook her head in disgust and returned her attention to the track.

  He went on cheekily, ‘Anyway, I guess I gotta allow for a chance that your red-headed mate could’ve improved with age. Might’ve grown into her shoulders a bit by now. I’m not one to judge before I’ve even eyeballed a lady.’ To his disappointment, Alice maintained a dignified silence.

  A few moments later, they both spotted a large form lying in the grass about two hundred metres away. ‘That’ll be old AWOL,’ Jeremy said.

  But as they came closer, they saw that it was only a cow. Alice parked the ute and they walked over. At first the animal appeared unharmed but the stench of rotting flesh told them otherwise. The cow was still alive, but very weak. On closer inspection they discovered she’d been attacked by dingoes. The only part of her body that had been bitten was her udder, which had been almost completely torn away.

  Alice was so overcome with pity for the cow that she failed to notice Jeremy, whose face had turned distinctly green. She looked up to see him striding a short distance away, retching violently and finally vomiting. She hurried to join him. ‘Jeremy, are you alright? I’ll get you some water.’

  ‘Bastards.’ Jeremy spat some saliva into the grass. ‘The least they could do is finish her off and eat her. Must’ve just been pups playing, to maul her like that and go away.’ He took out his checked hanky and wiped his mouth. Alice handed him the water bottle and looked at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be so affected by something of this sort.

  Without further delay, they got the rifle from the ute and shot the cow. Then Jeremy, breathing through his mouth, used his large hunting knife to cut off some slabs of meat for the dogs.

  They climbed back into the ute and continued on their way through the large paddock. Just as they were about to call off the search, Alice spotted the bull standing in among some prickly currant bushes down in a gully. He was all on his own. As they drove down towards him, Jeremy groaned. The bull’s rear end was a mass of black blowflies. The infection had obviously taken hold and crows had cruelly pecked his wound and enlarged it beyond repair. Alice climbed out and hurried over. The bull let her come quite close and she spoke to him soothingly, her eyes filled with tears. Jeremy came over with the rifle and shot the unfortunate creature between the eyes. They stood looking down at the enormous body of the bull, limply distorted in death.

  Alice sighed, relieved that the bull was out of its misery. ‘He was a good bull, that one,’ she said. ‘Nice quiet temperament. We’ve only had him for a couple of seasons.’

  ‘Better cut some meat off him then, too,’ Jeremy suggested. ‘Might seem less of a waste to the old bloke if the dogs get some burger meat out of him.’ Alice watched Jeremy work. She had seen a new, more compassionate side to him today.

  As Bonnie’s visit approached, Alice was filled with a growing excitement. Over the last few years she’d sorely missed spending time with her best friend. Bonnie had always been such a source of strength for Alice. The night before Bonnie’s arrival, she lay awake thinking back to her schooldays with the enthusiastic red-head. It was only when Bonnie had arrived on the scene that boarding-school life had become bearable for Alice.

  Following that nightmarish first term in Brisbane, thirteen-year-old Alice had found it very difficult to go back after the short Easter respite at Redstone. Her grandfather had driven her to meet the bus at Emerald, his own heart bleeding at the sight of her serious, resigned face and dejected posture as she walked towards the waiting coach. If only Alice had known at that moment in time that she was about to meet Bonnie.

  Bonnie was the new girl, a little newer than all the rest. She arrived on the first day of term two, amid rumours that she’d already been expelled from another reputable private school. Their form mistress stood with her at the front of the class and introduced her as Bonita Russell. She was tall and squarely built with frizzy ginger hair and a laughing open face that flushed red at the slightest provocation. Standing there before all those staring faces Bonita had looked around defiantly, as if challenging anyone to disapprove of her. Finally her green eyes met Alice’s brown ones and Alice gave a quick reassuring smile. The affinity between them was forged instantly.

  Their first class together was English, and Bonnie plonked herself down next to Alice saying, ‘I hear you’ve got brains. Maybe I can copy your work?’

  They both laughed and Alice felt a stirring of warmth in her frozen little heart. But the happy moment was interrupted when in walked Jacinta Foster and her entourage.

  ‘Well, look what we have here. Bouncing Bonita is hoping to catch some of little Brownie’s tan. You want a bit of colour on your pasty freckled face?’ Jacinta grinned around at the others.

  In one fluid motion, Bonnie stood up and swung a punch. Jacinta found herself on the floor with blood streaming from her nose.

  ‘Nice to meet you too,’ was Bonnie’s cheery reply as she sat back down. ‘Have some colour for your face.’

  Bianca fussed over her friend, pressing a clump of tissues onto Jacinta’s nose and inadvertently muffling her cries of ‘Assault!’ and ‘I’m suing!’ Jacinta quickly pushed away the tissues and shrilled, ‘I want something done about this! My dad will make sure that you’re expelled!’

  ‘I didn’t see what happened, did you?’ said one of the other students, a girl called Melody. (Alice had helped Melody with her homework on more than one occasion.)

  ‘No, neither did I,’ piped up Gabby, seated at the back of the class.

  ‘Me either,’ called Chloe, beside her.

  Jacinta’s face screwed up in fury as she felt the tide turning against her. She stamped her foot and glared around angrily from behind her tissues. She looked so comical that Alice had to stifle a laugh. This didn’t escape Jacinta’s notice and her face turned pale with rage. She dropped her tissues and flew at Alice, kicking the front of the old-fashioned desk where she sat. It went crashing over onto Alice’s thighs, the heavy steel edge cutting into her muscle.

  ‘Black bitch!’ Jacinta screeched, and fresh blood began to flow from her nose. Bonnie leapt out of her seat to confront Jacinta again.

  ‘No, Bonnie!’ Alice grabbed her friend’s arm.

  ‘It’s not worth getting expelled over,’ Melody warned quietly.

  Nearly blind with rage, Jacinta glared around the room. Bianca hurriedly began shepherding her towards the door. ‘I’m going to sue!’ the furious girl was still sobbing as she disappeared from view, her face a mess of congealing blood. Strangely, though, the incident passed with no consequence more serious than a severe lecture for both girls in the principal’s office.

  Over time, Bonnie’s antics gained her the admiration of all. She was hot-tempered but courageous, fair and loyal. She liked and was liked by almost everyone, regardless of their standing in the ruthless social hierarchy of the all-girls school.

  When Bonnie came to Redstone for holidays she was like a whirlwind rushing through the quiet establishment. She relished Olive’s shocked looks and horrified exclamations and only bear-hugged her in response. She exchanged good-natured winks with Sam and told him wild, far-fetched yarns about the city. She was always inflicting congratulatory slaps on the sinewy backs of the stockmen and telling them how clever they were.

  Early in their friendship, Bonnie had revealed to Alice the details of her upbringing. She’d been the unwanted result of a short-lived marriage, and her mother had gone on to have two more children with her second, more suitable, husband. ‘My mum doesn’t like me all that much,’ Bonnie had confessed to Alice during their second lu
nch break together. ‘Can’t say I blame her. I’m an absolute cow to her and that anal-retentive husband of hers. That’s why I’m boarding even though they live just around the corner.’

  Alice was listening sympathetically, aware of the parallels between their situations.

  ‘Even if I was a goody-goody she’d still hate me, though,’ Bonnie continued. ‘She says I look exactly like my dad. Probably act like him too, judging by her description. Can’t say I’ve ever met the man.’

  Bonnie’s openness was refreshing for Alice, and the opposite of her own guarded reserve. As time went on, they began to influence one another: Alice found that she was able to steady Bonnie when her temper threatened to erupt. And Alice’s personality, withdrawn since coming to Brisbane, began to unfold again under the influence of this vibrant, encouraging friend. With Bonnie by her side, she found new courage to face the daily trials of boarding-school life.

  At times Alice wondered whether the special connection she felt with Bonnie also came from the similarities in their family backgrounds. Bonnie, too, had a father who apparently didn’t want to know her, as well as a mother who had subsequently married, had more children and would rather she’d not been born. The day that Alice had enlightened the other girl about her own family situation, Bonnie had suggested joyfully, ‘Hey, Alice, our mums should meet. I reckon they’d hit it off!’

  But over the years that followed, an important difference in their circumstances became apparent: at holidays, Bonnie had to return to a home which held no warmth for her, while through her grandparents, Alice always experienced stability and love.

  Now, as a young woman taking on the responsibility of the family property, Alice was beginning to realise just how much she continued to rely on this love and support. And recognising the fact that her grandparents were getting old had only made her cherish them all the more.

  Chapter 17

  ‘So you’re the great Bonnie.’ Jeremy was the first to encounter Alice’s best friend, as she stepped out of her little green car. She’d pulled into the Redstone shed and parked next to the tractor he was servicing. To Jeremy, the tiny, flimsy-looking car seemed strangely inadequate to contain the life force of the unruly-haired creature that had just emerged from it. He held out his grease-covered hand in greeting.

  Bonnie took it without hesitation and shook enthusiastically. ‘Yes I am. But there’s no need to throw my size up in my face!’ They both laughed and Bonnie went on, ‘And you must be Mr Solve-Every-Problem Jeremy.’

  The two studied each other with the particular curiosity of people who know a great deal about one another, but only through the accounts of a common third party.

  ‘Is that what Alice’s said about me, then?’ Jeremy asked, intrigued at the thought of Alice talking about him.

  ‘Oh yes, she’s always singing your praises. She never told me you were so hunky though.’

  Jeremy, although well aware of his good looks, was a little taken aback.

  Bonnie saved him from having to reply by rattling on, ‘Then again, we all know looks never rate a mention with Al. Seems you’ve brightened her up a bit. She can be such a serious, dedicated little thing. Needs someone to loosen her up, teach her to enjoy herself. I’ve been so worried about her, ’cause that was always my job and I haven’t been round much in recent years.’

  ‘Alice does have plenty of fun in her own way, I reckon,’ he said, strangely compelled to defend her against the slight note of criticism he thought he detected in Bonnie’s comment. ‘It’s just that her idea of a good time is a bit different from most people’s. And she doesn’t always let on when she’s having a laugh.’

  Bonnie regarded Jeremy with interest. ‘Hey, don’t get me wrong – Alice’s the only reason I’ll ever amount to anything. And Mr and Mrs Day, of course.’

  ‘Yeah, they seem to have that effect on people,’ Jeremy said quietly, more to himself than to Bonnie.

  They were interrupted by the sound of thudding hooves, and a moment later an elated Alice was hugging her friend. Both girls were teary and babbling and Jeremy felt as though he’d suddenly become non-existent. Without paying him any further attention, the two girls left the shed and he returned resignedly to his machine.

  As it turned out, Bonnie and Jeremy got along like a house on fire. They egged each other on, taking the Redstone mealtime conversations to formerly unknown levels of outrageousness. Olive became thoroughly worn out with trying to maintain some level of decorum. During her ten-day stay, Bonnie was a constant, exuberant presence at every job they undertook, keen to pitch in and get her hands dirty, but not always using the caution required.

  When the weekend arrived, Jeremy invited Bonnie to drive him into town in his ute for some Saturday night action. He was still disqualified from driving, so his motives were a little selfish, and he also faintly hoped to induce a trace of jealousy in Alice by taking Bonnie out on the town. To his disappointment, Alice seemed to entirely approve of his offer to provide some evening amusement for her friend. She waved them off happily, wishing them a wonderful time.

  Once in town, he took her to the usual destination. The Swiss cowbell tinkled as usual when Jeremy opened the pub door for Bonnie and ushered her into the din. It was a smoky, merry rabble that met their eyes. Behind the bar, Hammerhead looked up and gave Jeremy a nodding grin. Brandi, Melissa and Veronica stood up in greeting, and Brandi trotted to meet them, taking Jeremy’s arm.

  Wombat yelled hospitably for two rums, and Spook clapped Jeremy on the back as he pulled up chairs for himself and Bonnie. Brandi promptly perched herself on Jeremy’s knee.

  ‘Aren’t you going to introduce your friend?’ she asked, looking sideways at Bonnie. The group eased their chatter and looked on expectantly.

  ‘Everyone, this is Bonnie. Alice’s best mate, up from Brisbane.’

  Bonnie waved. ‘Hi, everyone.’

  The hum started up again as they quietly discussed the newcomer. Nev quizzed her on how she liked Redstone.

  A few minutes later, Max sauntered over, his dark eyes curious and a half-smile on his angular face. Jeremy looked up suspiciously.

  ‘Bonnie, I’m Max.’ He held out his hand.

  She shook it. ‘G’day.’

  ‘You don’t sound much like a city chick.’ He smirked around at the others.

  Bonnie jumped to her feet and held her body in an exaggerated posh lady stance. ‘You soooo need to clarify that comment!’ She was speaking in a fast, slightly American, clipped, inner city, career woman accent. ‘I think we need to touch base and have some dialogue on this? I can see you have issues. Let me know when is good for you. You can page me 24/7.’

  The onlookers whooped and applauded appreciatively, Jeremy loudest of all. Bonnie curtseyed and sat back down. She looked up at Max, who was still standing there, the mirth gone from his expression.

  ‘Come to Brissy sometime, pal. I’d be happy to show a baffled bush boy some back streets.’

  ‘That’s the best offer you’ve had in a while, Max,’ sniggered Glen.

  ‘Yeah, thanks, don’t hold your breath.’ Max wandered away.

  A few more people had pulled up chairs and were soon enjoying the lively banter with Bonnie and Jed at the centre. Jeremy thought they made a great team, spurring each other on. The wit was flowing freely. Hammerhead threw in his two cents’ worth every now and then. The pub was alive and the old barman was in high spirits.

  They fell quiet at last and sipped their drinks. Brandi spoke up. ‘So you’re Alice’s best friend?’

  ‘Love her to death. Went to school together. Only passed my exams thanks to Al,’ Bonnie gushed.

  ‘Really? I never knew she was smart.’ Brandi’s voice was sweetly innocent. Jeremy shifted uncomfortably under Brandi’s weight, tipping her off his knee.

  Then Glen commented, ‘Not many of ’em are smart. Only just bright enough to find their way to the grog shop or the servo for some petrol sniffing.’ A few people laughed obligingly. Jeremy noticed t
hat Bonnie had started to change colour.

  Then Veronica spoke up honourably. ‘Glen, not all Murris are like that. I’m sure Alice’s no different to us.’

  ‘Oh, she’s different to you lot, I can assure you of that!’ exploded Bonnie.

  ‘Anyway,’ Melissa said, ‘why didn’t she come with you two? We aren’t racist or anything. Blacks are allowed in here if they’re not too feral.’

  ‘Yeah, ’specially the girls. The pretty ones anyway.’ This time it was Wombat’s attempt at humour. He was rewarded with some hearty guffaws.

  Bonnie put her hands on the table and stood up slowly. She looked around at the smiling faces. At the sight of her, some of the closest conversations ceased.

  ‘Is this pub called Redneckville or what?’ she blurted. ‘Exactly which century are we living in here?’ Then she turned and looked at Jeremy, saying clearly, ‘You know, Jeremy, I’ve noticed it’s always the scum of the earth who feel the need to really bag the blackfellas. It’s the only way they can fool themselves that there might be someone even more pathetic than themselves.’ She paused for effect and waved her hand around. ‘Look at these useless bits of debris here that you call friends – perfect example. They think they can slam someone like Alice. It’s hilarious. One day when it’s full, someone should roll a grenade into this hole you call a pub, do the world a huge favour.’

  ‘Are you hearing this, Jed?’ Nev asked incredulously.

  Jeremy felt everyone’s eyes on him. He swallowed. ‘Yeah, mate, and I reckon Bonnie’s about spot on.’ He pushed his chair back and stood up beside her. ‘Only wish it could’ve been me that said it.’

  There was a stunned silence while the gang processed what had just happened. Jeremy suspected they were more shocked by his single comment than by anything Bonnie had said. But he didn’t regret it one bit. Instead he felt a huge sense of relief.

  The silence was soon followed by an angry mutter rising to a loud babble as comprehension dawned. Beside him Jeremy felt Bonnie bracing herself to face the angry mob and their flying insults. He could see she was prepared to take them all on single-handedly, and her bravery humbled him.