“I know what you mean,” she replied. “I’ll see you Thursday night then, Tim.”
“Yes. I’ve got a little surprise planned.”
“That’ll be nice,” she responded huskily. Tim could see her face smiling at him and then they said goodnight.
Tim got home, opened the beer, lit the joint and put the duck in the freezer. He then pulled out the old Yamaha G-225 and started singing songs of glory to his God. The tears rolled as the lyrics turned to songs about his people. He smoked the other half of the joint and drank the rest of the beer and went to bed.
In the morning he woke feeling a little hungover and went to the river for a swim. He went to where their camp was to see if they were still there. They weren’t and he dipped in the cool water and then went back via Aunty May’s place to see if they’d gotten the forty pounder. He could see Steven playing with a roly-poly, a toy made out of syrup tins and milk tins joined together by wire and then filled with sand to give them traction for doing wheelies. He could see how much fun the boy was having; he wanted to be a kid again. At least they were still playing with the same toys, he thought. Aunty May greeted him while vigorously scratching her head. “I hope those kids haven’t got lice,” she said. “Ruby, come here.”
Ruby instantly said, “I haven’t got any, Mum. I’ve checked.”
“Don’t be stupid, let me look.” Tim observed the ritual cleansing and saw Steven out of the corner of his eye, who had obviously seen what was going on and was heading in the direction of Marion and Elaine’s at the speed of light. “No, you haven’t. Check my head,” Aunty May said.
Ruby groaned, but did as she was told. “It’s a tick, Mum. Yuk.”
“Here, let me get it off.” Tim removed the tick.
“Wonder how long that bastard’s been hanging off me,” Aunty May cursed. “Go and get the Dettol, baby.”
Ruby came back and insisted that she apply the antiseptic. After all the doctoring, Aunty May invited Tim in for a cup of tea. “Shane’s gone bush for a couple of days with them widhus, hey.”
“Yeah. He got a bit of work.”
“One hundred a day. He’ll be paying rent when he gets back,” Aunty May said with her comic approach to nearly everything. “We didn’t get that big fella. Crafty he is.”
“I’m gonna have another go later on,” Tim confided. “Try round about dark. Don’t use an old line, he just breaks ‘em and spits the hook out.”
Aunty May dropped a few hints on how to catch the big one and then added, “Cassie should be back any day. Been gone long enough this time. Itchy feet, that one.”
Tim was careful not to speak unless Aunty May spoke directly to him. Elders always initiated conversation and it was a deep mark of respect not to break this tradition. Tim had seen one young man in particular who treated one of his elders as an equal and the cast on his arm didn’t come off for six weeks.
“Are you getting itchy feet, Tim?”
“Well, sort of, Aunty May. I think it’s time to think about settling down.” Then Tim added, “No one out here though, so it’s not likely.”
“There must be a young woman somewhere who likes you,” Aunty May offered.
“There is maybe, but I think I might have left it too late.” Tim laughed while answering.
“Your mother came to my mother to ask how to get your father. Half the women in camp wanted him. But my mum only told your mum how to get him. He drank a bit but underneath he was a good man. Real hard worker. There’s no women for you around here, otherwise I’d tell them how to get you.” Tim smiled at Aunty May’s suggestion.
“I might go along, Aunty May,” Tim said, getting to his feet.
“Righto, boy. See ya later.”
Tim left for his place with his mind set on catching the big fella down the river. He cooked some breakfast.
After he’d cleaned up his house, he made a cup of tea and sat outside in the shade with a cigarette to watch the heatwave roll in off the plains. Surprise, surprise, what’s Brownie coming down this way for, he thought to himself. On closer inspection, he realised, it was Caroline who was driving. Tim, dressed only in shorts and lounging in a home-made deck chair, made no effort to move. She parked in the shade of a tree close to his shack and ambled over to say g’day.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
RECLAMATION
“Grab a chair,” Tim said and Caroline sat down on a four-gallon drum.
“Did you go back and party with those guys last night?” she asked, trying not to sound as if she was prying.
“No. I came home and went to bed,” he answered. “They left early this morning. How early, I don’t know. They’re coming back Thursday.”
“Dad was happy. You drank almost a month’s worth of bills last night,” Caroline said. “They’ll probably do the same on Thursday night, I hope.”
“I’m gonna do a kupamurri for them,” Tim said.
“Lot of trouble to go to for some city slickers,” Caroline said, standing and looking out into the haze.
“Caroline, they’re our guests,” Tim said, imitating a posh middle-class woman.
She laughed and sat back down. “Sounds good though. Are we invited?”
“Of course you are. I’ve got a duck in the freezer. Yellow-belly aren’t too hard to catch and it’ll be a feast if I catch that big cod.” Tim imagined the cod coming up out of the water on the end of his line.
“I’ve been trying to relax,” said Caroline. “It feels like I’m still travelling.”
“Do you smoke pot? That’ll relax you,” Tim said.
“I do as a matter of fact. My friends in Sydney gave me some as a going-away present. I only smoke a few times a year. Goodness, I don’t even know how to roll it. Please don’t tell anybody. Mum and Dad think I’m so perfect. Their highly educated virginal daughter. Now all they want me to do is get to the bloody altar.”
“Do you want me to roll you a joint?”
“Okay,” and she pulled out a bag. “I know you smoke.”
“So does everybody else,” he said.
“The copper knows. You wanna be careful, he’s waiting to catch you. He told me.”
“That production line Nazi. He’s useless.” Tim put acid into his words. “This looks like pretty good gear. You expecting to do much today?” he asked nonchalantly.
“No, I told Dad I was visiting people. He won’t expect me back for a while.”
Tim could see she was a bit of a novice and gave her some hints on how to smoke it. After five minutes, she said, “It’s really hot. I feel like a swim.”
“Okay,” Tim said, not letting on that he’d already been. “Do you want to walk?”
“No. If I leave the car parked here, someone might get nosy and think we’re up to something,” she said matter of factly.
“Oh, if only that were true,” joked Tim.
“Don’t be silly,” Caroline said, but she smiled as she said it.
Tim directed the car down to his favourite swimming hole. He dropped his shorts and dove straight in. Tim thought her parents mightn’t be all that far wrong about her virginal qualities because she hesitated to take her bra and panties off and then gave a shrug and off they came and in almost the same instant she dove into the water. Tim left her alone for a while, letting her get used to the fact that she was swimming naked with a man. “This is great. Feels really good. I should do it more often,” Caroline said with exuberance. Tim agreed.
He swam back to the bank and sat on an old tree, half in and half out of the water. Caroline came and sat a few yards away on the same tree, also leaving her lower half in the water.
“What are you going to do with yourself, Tim? When you leave here?”
“I’d really like to work in films. It’s not a very steady occupation but it beats being a banker or a lawyer.”
“Have you tried to be a banker or a lawyer?”
“No, but that’s what everybody else says when they can’t find a job.” Tim laughed out loud at himse
lf for lacking an original comeback.
“Race you to the other side,” Tim said jumping up.
“And back!” yelled Caroline as they dived into the water. Caroline was puffing when they pulled up but she was victorious.
“You really should do more swimming,” she chided.
“You’ve got the lung capacity for it,” Tim joked, in between gasps for air.
“Don’t make fun of my tits,” she said as she splashed water at his face.
They dried themselves and sat in the shade. “It’s strange, Tim, you going away for twenty years and me living here for twenty years, now you’ve come back for good and I’m leaving for good.”
“Yes, it’s an arse-about-face world,” Tim said, feeling an uneasiness creeping between them. Caroline cut it short by standing up and saying, “Well, better get back.”
They got dressed and Caroline drove Tim back to his shack. “Don’t be frightened to come up and have a beer and say goodbye before I go. I’m leaving Saturday.”
Tim opened his mouth to speak, but she said, “Pity you weren’t rich, I would’ve married you.” She threw the bag of dope out the window at him and drove off.
“Bastard.” And he looked to the heavens and opened his palms with the dope in one hand and said, “Easy come, easy go, hey Lord.” He got the guitar, rolled a joint and started singing.
She gives good head, that’s for sure, Tim thought as he condensed the previous few hours into a few seconds before he lay down for what he believed was a well-earned nap in the afternoon heat. When he woke, he prepared his fishing gear and headed off to the spot where he hoped to land the big one, still singing the tune he went to sleep with.
He netted some shrimps and baited his line and dropped them in. Then he rolled a joint and waited for a tell-tale sign that the big fella was nibbling at the line.
Well after dark, Tim rolled his lines in. He threw back the fish that he’d caught, and went home empty-handed. He made a mince stew and ate some of it, rolled an unusually small joint, smoked it and went to bed.
On Wednesday morning Tim went bushwalking, his main purpose being to collect some choice bush fruit and tucker for the kupamurri. Even though there were roughly one hundred people in town, at times it seemed like zero. He’d invite Elaine and Marion and their kids and Aunty May and her kids. He knew Caroline wouldn’t show up and hoped nobody else came uninvited.
The Prickly Berry and Ruby Reds were easy to find. It took him an extra hour to find the Quandong he wanted. He raided all the gum trees he passed and by the time he got back to the Prickly Berry and the Ruby Reds, his pack was full. Tim checked the shadows and saw it was after twelve. He wasn’t hungry as he’d been picking some food for himself along the way. He could hear some ducks down at the river and went to try his luck again. He crept up naked and as silent as possible, and slipped into the reeds. This wait was a lot longer than the last. He knew it was pure arse that he’d caught the first one. His dick was shrivelling up and the shrimps thought it was for dinner. A half a dozen ducks flew over and Tim was on the verge of giving up when another half a dozen landed close by. One wrung-neck duck later and, as always, Tim said thanks and moved on.
His feet and hands were wrinkled from being in the water so he rubbed them in the dirt. He picked up his bag and went on towards home. He stopped at Elaine and Marion’s for a cup of tea and invited them to the kupamurri on Thursday night, and begged some potatoes, pumpkin and onions off them.
On Thursday morning he collected his throw-out lines, then went in the direction of Aunty May’s. She was outside and she called him over. “We caught that big fella last night,” she said with satisfaction and humour.
“Where? Show me.” Tim was almost falling over himself to get a look at it. “He’s a beauty.” It had been cleaned and gutted but still would have been 16 kilos.
He told her about the kupamurri and she agreed to put the cod in. Issuing instructions, Aunty May asked, “The pick and shovel?”
“They’re in the shed.”
“When you got the hole dug, let me come down and give you a few hints.”
“That’d be great, Aunty,” Tim said and went off down to the river. Tim was relieved that Aunty May was coming down to oversee the kupamurri. He didn’t want to stuff it up, and having Aunty May there, knew he wouldn’t.
He put his lines in first and then got to work on the hole. He had two yellow-belly tied to a piece of wire by the time he finished the hole. He had two more when he got back to Aunty May’s. Sherry was there and it was obvious they had taken charge of the cooking duties. Tim went and got all the food he had collected for the kupamurri and brought it back to Aunty May’s.
“This was a good idea, Tim,” Sherry said when he returned with his additions. Tim got the feeling that they thought it was a small festival and had been planned all along. If they knew the real reason why they were having it, they wouldn’t talk to him for a month.
He and Aunty May went back to the spot where the hole was and she began giving instructions. She showed him where and what type of wood to get. When he came back with a log, she told him to get another one. After that, he went for some special leaves. She made it painstakingly clear what tree they were from and there was no mistaking it when he saw it.
When he returned, she told him why these leaves were chosen. It gave the fish extra flavours and also had healing qualities. Sherry and the kids came down to see how they were going, and to collect stones and rocks. Tim went about breaking the wood down to size. Aunty told the kids to put the small stones in the hole first. Then they stood on them to make them level. Aunty explained that, by putting the biggest stones in last, when you took the coals out, the coals that wouldn’t come out would fall between them and not burn the fish. Tim set the wood as best he could so that it would burn evenly. Aunty May looked at the sun and then asked Tim what time he would like to eat. He told her around seven.
“I’ll come back and light the fire in an hour and you come back at three o’clock and we’ll put the food in,” said Aunty May.
He went back to Aunty May’s just before three. Old Alfred was sitting in the kitchen at the table with Aunty May and all of the food which was to be cooked was wrapped in alfoil in a very neat makeshift basket on the table. Alfred spoke to Tim. “How do you like the basket, son?” he asks. “I’ll show you how to make one one day”
Aunty May stood up and said, “Let’s go and put the food in.”
Alfred took one end of the basket and Tim took the other.
Aunty May put a long-handled shovel in their hands and led them to the fire. It took a few minutes to clear the coals out of the fire. They then placed the basket in and Aunty May put the leaves on top and told Tim to fetch the half a dozen chaff bags she had soaking in the river. She placed these on top so as not to allow any leakage of dirt onto the food. They put the dirt back on top and sat in the shade for twenty minutes. Alfred went and checked the kupamurri for any sign of steam and added dirt here and there and gave the all clear.
“We’ll pull it up at seven,” Aunty May said, looking at Alfred.
“Righto, Aunty,” Alfred replied.
Back at Aunty May’s house, Tim casually said, “I wonder when Shane will get back.”
“Oh they’re back already,” replied Alfred. “They’re at the pub drinking.”
“We didn’t want to tell you until after the work was done,” Aunty May said while she and Alfred laughed together. I think they know, Tim said to himself.
Tim went home and had a quick wash and strolled off to the pub. Shane and Peter, the cameraman, were at the bar. They all said g’day and Shane shouted Tim a beer.
“What? Didya put a kupamurri down?” Shane said.
“Yeah. I started and Aunty May finished it. It’ll be ready around seven.” Tim turned to Peter. “What are you guys doing?”
“We’re staying for tonight and heading out tomorrow,” he answered.
“Have you finished all your work?”
“Where is the rest of the crew?” Tim said, thinking about one in particular.
“They’ve all gone for a clean-up down the river. Probably be an hour or so,” Shane replied.
Tim half sculled his beer. “That tastes good,” he said as he felt it quench his thirst. Caroline came in to the bar and said a bright hello to Tim. “How’s the kupamurri going?” she said, able to get her tongue around it without faltering.
“It’s good. Aunty May and old Alfred helped. I think it’ll be a good feed.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ONE MORE TO THE LIST
Tim decided to have one more beer and then go home to relax and he said as much to Shane and Peter. “I think we should dance for them tonight,” Tim said to Shane.
“That sounds okay by me,” Shane answered.
Tim nodded at Shane’s beer and says, “Plenty of time for that tonight.”
“Don’t worry. I’m gonna go home soon and get cleaned up.”
Tim headed towards the door. He heard a Mroody command and Shane raced up next to Tim and they gave Peter, Brownie and Caroline an impromptu preview of what to expect. Peter and Caroline clapped and Brownie smiled in amusement.
The sun was still shining brightly when he went back over to Aunty May’s to help carry things down. Cassandra was there. They greeted each other with a warm hug.
“Gee, you’re looking good,” Tim said.
“I haven’t seen you look better, Tim,” she responded sincerely.
All of the family was there including Shane and they were abuzz with excitement. Cassie had a boyfriend with her whom she introduced as Brendan. Brendan looked a couple of years younger than Tim and Shane. He looked timid but was solidly built. A small version of the gentle giant, Tim thought. He knew Cassandra liked that sort of man, non-argumentative but big enough to scare off unwanted attention. They stood around doing some catching up before Aunty May ordered the boys to take everything down to the kupamurri.
Black Angels???Red Blood Page 10
