Outback Living

Chapter One

Outback Australia. Somewhere I never in my wildest dreams ever imagined I'd be. But here I am, sitting in the cab of a truck, that is probably as old as the relative I'm going to be living with. It looks like it use to be red, but who can tell with all the rust. The once new leather seats, are ripped and a spring sits uncomfortably underneath my thigh. The guy driving the beat up thing, hasn't said a word, other than hello, since we left Alice Springs. Two hours ago!

My name is Lydia Martin, I'm nearly seventeen years old, and three weeks ago my life changed forever. My parents both died in an awful boating accident, and because I have no other living relatives in the United States, I have been sent out here to live with a woman I met when I was three years old. My Great Aunt Sybill owns and runs a Cattle Ranch -sorry- Station, about two hundred and fifty miles north east of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

It will be my home until I'm old enough to 'care' for myself. My mother and father stipulated in their wills, that if anything were to happen to either of them, then guardianship of me would be handed over to my grandfathers younger sister. I didn't even know the woman was still alive. So instead of putting me through the foster system in the United States, a judge enforced the conditions, and the executor of my parents will, made arrangements for me to come out here.

I tried to fight it, but a sixteen year old orphan doesn't have a lot of sway in a court of law. So now two weeks after my parents were buried, I sit in a rusty bucket, my head leaning against the frosty glass of the window, as I watch the red dusty scenery pass me by. The bumpy road must lull me to sleep, because next thing I know, a large hand is on my shoulder pushing me awake. I open my eyes to see nothing but more red, a splash of green and a cream two storey weatherboard house.

I push open the door and cringe when the hinges creak so loud, I'm afraid it will scare off the animals. I swing my legs out and hesitate putting my feet on the ground. I stare down at my impractical shoes, my eyes narrowing, wondering if they'll survive the ten yard walk to the cobblestone path, leading up to the house. Sucking up my pride and ignoring the heat, I stand up fully, grab my purse from the foot of the cab and follow my driver.

The house is actually quite majestic. Freshly painted with a wrap around porch and shutters on the windows. The green I noticed before, is a well tended garden full of succulents and ivy. The driver -Gus his name is- knocks once on the door, before opening it and making his way into the entryway. I'm not sure what his relationship to my aunt is, but he seems extremely comfortable in the large house. He stops at the foot of the stairs and calls to my aunt.

"Sybill, I'm back with the girl."

She must be deaf, it's the only thing that explains the loudness of his voice. He leads me into what looks like a parlour and gestures for me to sit. I do so with out a word. I'm not sure how long it takes for Aunt Sybill to come downstairs, but it's long enough for me to peruse the area. There's a large fireplace sitting opposite me, with a mantle covered in photo frames. To the left is a set of double doors that lead out to what seems to be a patio area.

My neck has just craned to try and peek into the kitchen when a throat clears from behind me. I stand up immediately and turn to face my aunt, who looks fantastic for her sixty odd years of age. The grey hair is really the only thing that makes her look old. She's robust, but not in an overweight way, more athletic. Her blue eyes still look bright, and her skin looks like she's been swimming in the fountain of youth. God I hope I can look like that at her age.

"Lydia. Welcome to my home." She greets in a strong Australian accent.

My aunt was born and bred in New York, only moving out here when she fell in love with her late husband, at twenty eight years of age. There's not a hint of the New Yorker in her at all.