Life at Waley Fields (BoyxBoy)

Chapter One

“Luke, Graham; this is Russell White. He’s our new drover.”

“Hey, isn’t he the guy that punched Norton Garrick in the face?” The red haired man asked curiously. “And Max Hedland?”

“Yes, he is but that doesn’t matter,” Riley finalized before glancing at Russell with his never ending smile. “Russell, this is Luke Davis and Graham Peters; You’ll be working with Luke from now on, so he’ll be able to take you around the property and tell you what you’ll be doing.”

Russell merely nodded at them, still feeling awkward.

Riley sat down and began a conversation with Graham, hence beginning dinner. Russell remanded as quiet as he could, hoping to avoid all sort of conversation completely. Nearing the end, he thought he was safe from conversation when Riley turned to him.

“Russell, how old are you?” he asked.

Russell frowned slightly and lowered his fork. “Thirty three.”

“How long have you been a drover for?”

“I’ve been droving for six years. I’ve been a vet for eight,” I replied.

“A vet? So you’ve had education?” Riley asked.

“Of course I’ve had education,” He replied, dryly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude. I just hadn’t-”

“Not many people do,” He replied, stiffly and they all fell into silence for a couple of minutes before Luke decided to speak up.

“So… you’re American?”

“Was.”

“How long have you been in Australia?” He asked. Russell frowned.

“Nineteen years. I moved here when I was fourteen and have been a citizen since I was fifteen.”

“Oh. That’s pretty cool. I’ve never met an American before. Your accent is still so strong as well, even after nineteen years. Where abouts in America are you from?” Luke asked, excitedly.

“Detroit, Michigan.”

“Cool! And are your pare-”

“Luke, that’s enough. You’re making him uncomfortable,” Graham cut in, causing the other man to sigh.

“Right!” Riley said as he plopped back into his seat when Graham and Luke began to clear the table. Russell was slightly stunned as he hadn’t noticed the younger man move. “Graham, I need you to sign some paperwork; need your tax file number, emergency contacts and all that icky stuff.”

Russell nodded and began to fill out the paperwork.

“I also need to know if you have any known medical conditions, such as allergies or whether you can or can’t lift a certain weight,” He said, looking at him.

Russell grimaced. “Oh. Normally I don’t have to mention medical conditions.”

“Well while you’re here, I’d like to know so you don’t magically drop dead on me for no apparent reason,” Riley snorted. “So?”

“I’m… I’m bipolar,” He replied, awkwardly.

“I see… and do you take any medication for that?” Riley asked.

“Yes. I take Prozac and occasionally Epilim, depending on how bad I’m feeling that day. I have type 2 so I don’t really suffer from mania-well… not often. The day I punched Norton was the day I was supposed to get more. He refused to let me go, after promising I could go. I wasn’t exactly in control of my emotions at the time. It’s the same with Max. I just… loose my head for a bit,” He murmured awkwardly. “In fact, I haven’t been able to grab some yet. In the morning… do you-?”