by S R Silcox
“What’s he revealing?” I ask. I lift the top of my burger, pick off the lettuce and drop it on my plate. There’s no nutritional value in it so I really have no idea why they still insist on putting it on anything, let alone a burger.
“The final plans for his camping development on the island.”
I drop the bun back onto my burger and look up. “He’s developing the island?”
“He hasn’t told you?”
I shake my head. The island had always been this wild, untamed place that Brooks and I would paddle across to on kayaks and explore. From what I remember, it was owned by some old family who don’t live in the area anymore and the only thing on it was an old tin shed that a birdwatching group from Townsville used to use.
Julie puts down her fork. “Oh,” she says. “Your dad’s building an upmarket camping ground over there. Trying to bring in a higher level of tourists.”
“Don’t people camp at the caravan park?”
Julie shrugs. “Not much anymore. It’s a bit run down since Pete left.” She sips on her water.
“So, why is Dad building a camp ground on the island then? If no-one’s camping here much anymore, I mean.”
Julie puts down her fork, takes a deep breath and says, “Well”, and as soon as she says ‘well’ I know I’m in for a long-winded explanation. I’m not disappointed. “I don’t know if you know this, but Roper’s has been getting fewer and fewer tourists every year. The council has always had this thing about wanting to keep it as pristine as possible, right?” She pauses and I feel like she thinks I know what she’s talking about so I nod as I take a bite of my burger. Apparently satisfied with my response, Julie continues. “Which meant that your father couldn’t build anything over two stories high and no units on the beach front and a whole heap of other rules.” She shakes her head. “So anyway, they did that big upgrade of the highway a few years ago, which diverted a lot of the traffic away from here, so people just don’t come here on the way through to Townsville anymore. The council let some other developer build this new shopping centre here last year to try to get more people to come. I can’t repeat what your father said about that. He’s been trying to do something like that for years. Anyway, the council thought providing more shopping facilities would attract more people but it didn’t really work. I mean, you don’t come to Roper’s for shopping, do you?” Julie laughs and waves her hand like she’s swatting away that thought. “So your dad had this great idea about promoting eco-tourism.”
“Eco-tourism?” I ask. “Like, getting back to nature type stuff?”
“You’ve heard of it?” Julie asks.
“Yeah. Mum was into it.”
“Right,” Julie says. “So anyway, the council loved the idea, and the first thing they did was turn the old Mackenzie farm into a conservation park and…” I start to switch off as she’s telling me about revegetation and the bush walks and the nature trails and then starts on the council politics of it all. By the time Julie gets back around to Dad’s idea, I’ve finished my burger and I’m swishing my straw around in the bubbles at the bottom of my milkshake.
“So, Scott got this great idea to cater for more expensive tastes, rather than budget campers and the council loved it. He managed to talk the Fiorelli’s into selling him the island, because you know they were never going to do anything with it and well, now he’s developing it into an exclusive luxury campground.” She picks up her fork and stabs at her salad, which I hope is a sign that she’s finished talking.
Firstly, I can’t believe my dad owns an island, and secondly, luxury and campground are two words that don’t usually go together. Although I don’t fully understand how it’ll work, I don’t want to risk another long-winded explanation from Julie. Instead I ask, “How’s he going to get people to come here?”
“He has his ways,” Julie says, mysteriously. She leans in and whispers, “He has connections in the industry who know a few famous people, so he’s going to see if he can get someone on board to help sell the place. He’s got a huge tourism campaign in the works.” She nods. “Just wait and see. No matter what anyone says, your dad will be the one who saves Roper’s.”
Dad saving anyone from anything would be a first, considering he couldn’t even save his first marriage.
Six
Brooks
Saturdays at The Burger Hut aren’t as busy as they used to be because of the drop in tourists, but today’s a lot busier than usual thanks to the extra people in town for the community meeting tonight. Apparently, half the district wants to see the final plans for Scott Fisher’s camping development and they’ve come out to Roper’s early. The meeting doesn’t start until six tonight, and there are already so many people at the Hut that they’re overflowing onto the grass beside the shop where the Smith house use to be. I clear a couple of the outside tables as I pass and head around the back and into the kitchen. Ben’s at the fryer, juggling baskets, dumping cooked chips into a bowl and then refilling the basket with more. I give him a bump on my way past to catch his attention. “Hey, Brooks.” He wipes his forehead with the back of his arm, lifts a basket from the fryer, gives it a shake and then drops it down into the oil again.
“Hey,” I reply. “Need a hand?”
“This is the busiest we’ve been in ages. We’re getting slammed.” Ben nods at the bowl of fresh chips. “Can you take those out and toss them in the hot box for me and see what needs a top up?”
“Sure.” I shake some salt over the hot chips, toss them around in the bowl and take them out to the front counter. Gloria nods at me when she sees me. She’s got a full house, so I dump the chips in the hot box and check the bain trays.
When I get back out to the kitchen, I tell Ben he needs to do more potato scallops and fish bites and hand him back the empty chip bowl. I take two clean trays from the stack on the bench and put them beside the fryers.
“Thanks,” Ben says. “Can you get me the potato scallops from the cold room? Man, I hope Stavros hurries up.”
“Where is he?” I ask as I disappear into the cold room and retrieve the bag of potato scallops.
Ben empties the bag of scallops onto a tray, tosses some into an empty basket and dumps it into the deep fryer. He turns his head away from the steam. “He had to go get something from the hardware store for the pizza ovens. He shouldn’t be too far away, I hope. It’s just me and Matt at the moment and,” he lowers his voice, “Matt’s freaking out with the burgers. It’s his first time on his own.”
“I can work the fryers if you want to help him with the burgers,” I say.
“Nah. Matt needs the practice. He’ll be right. And Jo’s in soon to help Gloria and Sophie out, so we’ll be good.”
I look over to where Matt’s flipping patties and checking on steaks and eggs. He seems to be in a pretty good rhythm so I decide against saying hi. I head back into the cold room to get the fish bites and as I come back out, Stavros rushes into the kitchen. He grabs his apron from the hook and pulls his cap down on his head. “Sorry,” he says, tying his apron around his waist. “Got stuck with Mac talking about the cricket. God that man can talk.” He chuckles to himself as he steps in beside Ben. “Hey, Brooks. You helping out tonight?”
“If you need me, sure.”
“We’ll need all hands on deck,” Stavros says. “Ben and Matt are going to do all the prep, but I’ll need you to help Gloria take the orders once we kick off.”
“No problem. If I’m working, it means I don’t have to talk to my mother.”
Stavros narrows his eyes but doesn’t get up me for dissing Mum. He knows the story. The whole town does. Instead he says, “Can you get here early and help Gloria set up?”
“Sure. I’ll come back around five.”
Stavros smiles. “Great.” He pats Ben on the back, points to the fryers and says, “Get that lot out and go have your break. Don’t be too long though.” He pulls order tickets out of the machine, puts them onto the docket rail and heads over to the grill.
“Looks like there’s not going to be a let up any time soon.”
I follow Ben outside and around to the back of the shop. We sit down on the bench in the shade. It’s only just gone three and the air is hot and sticky. The breeze should start picking up soon to cool it down. Ben tosses me a bottle of water and stretches out beside me. “How was work?” he asks, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. He takes a long drag, blows out the smoke and leans back against the wall.
“Same as always,” I reply. “Reece is still kicking my arse in sales.”
“Is that why you worked late?”
“Brit was late in and Reece took off early.”
“Does he even work there anymore?” Ben asks, sucking in another lung full of smoke and blowing it out high into the air.
“Being best mates with the boss has it’s perks I guess.”
Ben nods. “Your mum called again this morning,” he says. He runs his hands through his hair and the way he looks at me, I know what’s coming next. “You really need to talk to her, Brooks.”
“No,” I say. “I don’t.”
“I can’t keep covering for you.”
“I know.”
Ben shoves me with his shoulder. “Maybe she’s waving the white flag.”
“I doubt it. And unless she gets off my back, I don’t want to talk to her.” I take a long drink of water. “Have you heard from Uncle Pete?”
“He’s in Alice Springs at the moment. Bloody hot out there.” Ben finishes off his cigarette and stubs it out in the pot near his feet.
Gloria sticks her head around the corner. “Stavros told me you were out here.”
Ben stands up and stretches. “I better get back in there. I’ll catch you back here later.” He taps the top of my cap and goes back inside.
“Everything okay?” I ask. “I can stay and help if you like.”
Gloria fobs me off with a wave of her hand. “Jo’s just got here. We’ll be fine once the early crowd leaves.” She sits down beside me and smiles. “You’ll never guess who I saw today.”
“Probably not,” I reply.
“Riley Fisher,” Gloria says, like it’s the name of someone famous.
I pretend I don’t know who she’s talking about and she shakes her head at me and says, “Don’t tell me you don’t remember little Riley Fisher. God, you two used to be joined at the hip.”
“I remember Riley,” I reply. And she’s not so little anymore, I think.
“Well,” Gloria says, “I heard she wasn’t meant to be up here until just before Christmas but Scott flew her up early.”
The whole town knew Riley was coming. The news of Riley’s mum’s death went through Roper’s like wildfire, and of course every man and his dog were speculating what would happen with Riley.
“You should go up and see if she wants to catch up,” Gloria says, not waiting for me to reply.
“I might do that if I get time,” I say. “Although under the current circumstances, her dad might not let me in the yard.”
Gloria shakes her head. “Who cares what Scott thinks? Riley’d probably like to see you, especially after everything that happened with her mum.”
Before Gloria can plan the rest of my summer around Riley Fisher, Stavros sticks his head around the door. “Jo needs you out front, Glo.”
Gloria pats my leg. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” I reply. “I should get home anyway. I’ll see you tonight.”
Gloria waves me off and I throw my backpack over my shoulder and head home.
Seven
Riley
It’s taken just under an hour for me to be totally over Dad’s community meeting thing, and he hasn’t even revealed the development plans yet. The number of people who have come up to me since we arrived to tell me how sorry they are that Mum died equals roughly half of the crowd crammed inside the Hut. I was so sick of it that by the time Mrs Harper comes over, I seriously lose it. “I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” she says.
I give the required thanks and stiff smile but she doesn’t go away. “Such a terrible way to go, isn’t it?” she says.
I mean, what the hell am I supposed to say to that? Any way to die, as far as I can tell, is a bad way to die. I reply, “It was so sudden, you know?”
“Sudden?” Mrs Harper asks. “I thought she was sick for a while?”
“Oh, she was. And then she got better and then one day, after she was better she went to cross the road and then BOOM! She gets hit by a car.”
Mrs Harper clutches at her chest with her hand. Her mouth contorts and she gapes at me wide-eyed. I almost burst out laughing at her but I know how much worse that would make things. “Oh,” she says. And “Oh” again. “I, well, Mavis told me it was cancer. I’m so sorry dear. I had no idea.”
Before I can say anything more, Mrs Harper hurries away, back to her friends sitting in a corner sipping on lemonade. Jason appears beside me. “What did Mrs Harper want?”
“The usual sorry to hear about your mum stuff,” I reply.
Jason nods. I like that he doesn’t give me any sympathy. I’m not the Girl Who’s Mother Died of Cancer to him. I’m just the step-sister he hasn’t seen in five years.
“Where have you been?” I ask him.
He takes a drink from a soft drink can and smiles at me. “Out the back with some mates.” Why do I get the feeling something’s not right?
“Are you up to something?” I ask.
He half laughs. “Nope.”
“I don’t believe you,” I reply.
“Shh,” he says. “It’s about to start.”
We both look over to the corner where Dad and Mrs Doherty are standing behind a box with a white sheet over it. I know it’s a 3D model of the development, because Jason and I helped Dad move some of the chairs and tables out of the way this afternoon so we could fit it inside the Hut. It’s actually quite impressive and I know Dad’s proud of it. Julie’s standing to the side. She spots us and gives us a wave.
“Welcome everyone,” Dad says. “Thanks for coming. Now, I know we’ve been through a lot with this development and I’ve tried to take everyone’s concerns on board throughout the whole process. Work is ready to commence on site this week, and to celebrate that I wanted to share with you a 3D model of what you can expect to see. We’ve tried to incorporate low-impact and eco-friendly materials with sophisticated design. Right from the start of construction, to the end product, we’ll be trying to have minimum impact on the environment.” He pauses and looks out over the faces in the crowd. He’s searching for someone. He smiles. “And Bert, rest assured, you can still go on over to the island and bird watch, just as long as you leave your home brew at home and don’t give it to any of my workers.”
Bert and a few others laugh at that. Dad then turns to Brooks’ mum. “I’ll hand over to the Deputy Mayor, Mrs Lorraine Doherty, to say a few words.”
Mrs Doherty steps forward. “Thanks, Scott. I can smell the pizzas starting to cook, so I won’t say too much, except to thank Scott for helping Roper’s look to the future with tourism. We all know how quiet it’s been the last few years since the highway upgrade, and we can definitely use a shot in the arm. I think this new glamping development over on the island is a great step forward. It’ll provide something different to tourists looking for an environmental experience, and will provide some much-needed jobs for locals too. So, without further ado.” She smiles at Dad. They both take a corner of the white sheet and pull it off to the side to reveal the model. There’s some applause and then, from outside, comes yelling. I follow Dad’s gaze to the outdoor eating area, where a couple of people holding signs are trying to push their way in but are being stopped by a couple of men holding them back in the doorway. I can’t hear what they’re saying because the glass walls are blocking most of the noise, and they’re all yelling over each other.
“What’s that all about?” I ask Jason.
“Some people just don’t like progress,” he replies. Dad lo
oks a little uncomfortable but he ignores the people trying to get his attention and says, “The plans are here, have a look at them and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have. In the mean time, Stavros and Gloria have the pizza ovens primed and ready, so go enjoy some fresh, local-made pizza.” He leans in to hear what Mrs Doherty says to him and shakes his head. They both look across the room to where Brooks is standing with Gloria, taking orders. I wonder what that’s about?
Dad pushes his way through the throng of people, pulling Julie along behind him, shrugging off questions, and when they gets to us he says, “There’s always someone who tries to ruin a moment.”
Julie gives him a hug and kisses him on the cheek. “It’s too late now. I don’t know why they’re still bothered with it.”
“Who were they?” I ask.
Dad runs his hand through his hair. “Just some mob calling themselves Citizens of Roper’s Against Glamping. They don’t even know what glamping is.”
“What are they protesting about?” I ask.
“Just some misunderstandings about the development. That’s all. I was hoping to sort all that out tonight but some people just don’t want to listen no matter what.” Again, he looks over to where Gloria and Brooks are taking pizza orders. Then he looks back at me and half smiles. “I’m sorry I missed lunch today, Riles. After this thing’s over, we’ll spend some time together at home, yeah?”
“Okay,” I reply.
“You should go and grab a pizza before it gets too busy,” he says.
As I head off to stand in line, Dad is approached by a few people and gets pulled back away to the model. I watch him getting animated as he points things out on the map and talks with his hands, making wild gestures in the air, and the people around him nodding and smiling. It’s pretty clear that this project means a lot to him and the people of Roper’s.
Eight
Brooks
