Dom woke up to the familiar honking of his mother's geese outside his bedroom window. He was glad those pesky birds were early risers; they'd woken him up just in time as he wanted to get some riding in before breakfast. The farm was looking so good now that the rains had finally broken the long run of drought. Everywhere you looked, greenery was sprouting through the earth, as if the years without rain had meant nothing. Dom nudged Cole out of bed, and after a quick coffee, they both headed to the stables leaving the girls to sleep in.
When they returned, Izzy and Tal were already seated at the table with his Mum. By the looks of things, they were nearly finished eating and seemed to be getting on okay.
It probably helps that Em's not here.
While his Mum had said she liked Em, he'd noticed a certain reserve between the two of them when he'd brought Em home to the farm one weekend. What his mum really meant was she liked Em better than Pascal.
Dom had often wanted to tell Em that she tried too hard with his parents, and it came across badly, but he had never had the courage. He took a seat at the table next to Tal and Cole sat opposite. He remembered that Em had messaged him last night to wish him good night, and he'd missed it. He reached for his phone and sent her a quick message beneath the table. Immediately he heard a buzz in return. A glance at his Mum's face told him he'd need to wait until after breakfast to check his phone. Bec was quite relaxed about most things, but texting at the table did her in.
'What time will we head off?'' Cole asked Bec.
'I'm going to drive up a bit later,' she responded handing Cole a plate of eggs. 'You guys go ahead. There's no need to wait for me. You'll have your own set of keys to the house.'
'We were hoping to take the boat out today.' Dom reached over to take a plate from his mum, picking up the ground pepper. 'Is that okay with you?' he asked, glancing at his Mum.
'Sure. You know where the club is—behind the bottle-o. The keys are in the top drawer of your dad's desk.'
'Thanks,' Dom and Cole tucked into their breakfast with enthusiasm and were finished in a flash.
'You might want to check in with your dad if the club needs anything.' Bec said, as Dom stood up to leave the table. 'I think they need a password or something on entry.'
Izzy and Tal both offered to help clear the table, but Bec brushed them aside with a smile. 'You can help with coffee,' she said pointedly to Dom.
'Got you, Mum. I'll be back,' he said ducking into his dad's office.
Dom was grateful for the independence that his mum always tried to give him and for the fact that his dad would stay home this time. Being able to take the boat out on his own with his friends, was a sign his parents were coming to trust him more.
Later that morning after they'd had coffee and packed the ute, they set off on the drive to Uki. Once again Dom drove while the others exchanged stories and laughter along the way. As they passed through the other side of Grafton, Dom took in the large areas of scorched earth ravaged by bush fire. What was once forest was reduced to a ton of charcoal and ash; but the resilience of nature was such that greenery was already pushing through here too, bringing the bush back to life. The rains had brought hope but still, the land looked so desolate that the group fell into silence as they drove though, as though passing a gravesite.
Dom was grateful, his family had escaped the fires on the farm to date and hoped they'd never know such devastation. Drought was one thing, but losing everything you have in a bush fire, was a whole other story. He knew that despite the rains, the impact on the soil and water quality alone made it almost impossible for farmers to return from a bushfire event let alone the livestock and infrastructure loss.
It was a sobering thought.
The group arrived at the house in Uki shortly before three pm, giving them plenty of time to unpack and settle in before heading out to Murwillumbah.
The house was as Dom remembered, he'd been there when he was just a kid, but his recollection of the place was intense. The large cabin-like structure rose from within the forest on massive wooden beams like a fairy tale treehouse. Overall, it had a rustic vibe.
Once inside, Dom noticed, the rooms were a bit run down. The wall paint was flaky, and the furnishings were on the older side. There was a composting toilet at the back of the house, with a spectacular view over the treetops. The girls would share a room, but Dom, his mum, and Cole each had their own bedroom.
The best part about the home was the large wrap-around balcony that swooped the treetops. As soon as they entered, they all moved straight through the house as if responding to a gravitational pull towards the view. Hanging over the edge of the rails to the garden below, Dom glimpsed a sparkling blue swimming pool almost engulfed by the rainforest.
'That's me; I'm set for the week!' he said, beaming from ear to ear.
'Wanna cool off now?' Cole asked.
Dom shook his head. 'Nah...I think I'd rather get out on the boat before dark, eh? There's plenty of time for swimming.'
Everyone agreed they wanted to get out on the water that evening. Dom and Izzy packed an icebox for sundowners while Cole chatted with Tal on the balcony. He noticed how Izzy was always the first to offer to help, whether it be cleaning up or packing the ute. She had good manners and cared that other people were happy. He liked that about her. Em always kind of just expected him to do everything for her when she came to stay.
When they arrived in Murwillumbah, Dom left them all under the shade of a large tree while he headed off to find the foreman of the yard to unlock the shed and help him hitch their boat to the back of his Ute.
Once inside the shed, there were makeshift ladies and gents change rooms. They all retreated to pull on their wetsuits. As soon as they were out on the water, Dom was able to relax. Cole wanted to steer, and he was happy for him to take over, that way, he could sit up front with Izzy and Tal. All three of them dangled their legs over the edge of the hull enduring the wind and the icy cold spray in their faces. Izzy was holding Atilla firmly between her legs, with the pint-sized dog trying desperately to catch each droplet that came his way.
When they reached the middle of the river, Cole slowed the boat, and they gently rocked on their own waves.
Izzy had never skied before, and Tal was a bit green too, so Dom thought it best to start with the wakeboard. The girls were entirely up for it. Dom took over driving the boat, so Cole could help instruct them.
Izzy was up and standing first without too much trouble. It took a couple of goes, including some nasty wipe-outs, before Tal could stand, she wasn't as strong as Izzy was, but she persevered with much laughter. When she did finally get up on the board, she was able to hold on for about ten seconds before she hit a bump and spectacularly sprawled across the foam. Dom decided her efforts were worthy of celebration and stopped the boat to crack open a bottle of Prosecco.
'Em would be spewing she missed this,' Dom said, handing Izzy a glass. 'She's hating Japan—apparently, it's freezing.'
'She was always going to hate it, let's be honest,' Tal said. 'It's total FOMO, that's all.'
Cole gulped his glass down in one hit. 'What she doesn't know is she is missing out, just by not appreciating where she is. Not being present in the moment.'
'She'll get into it, I'm sure,' Izzy said. 'It's such a privilege to be able to go there. So many people would kill for the opportunity.'
'You've been?' Dom asked looking over at Cole.
'Yeah, a couple of times.' Cole said. 'Japan is the most awesome place. The culture, the people. Everything about it. Especially Tokyo. I've never seen anything like it. I'd like to live there one day.'
'You are so lucky,' Izzy said, squeezing the water from her ponytail. 'I would love to see it. I would have given anything to be in Em's shoes. Her pics on Insta are stunning. Have you seen the ones of Mount Fuji? Amazing! She's also been swimming in a hot spring in the middle of winter, that would be incredible.'
'I feel her though. She's worried about this one,' Cole said, nudging Dom in the ribs with his elbow.
'Who could blame her?' Tal responded, grinning at Dom. She leaned down to pick up Atilla.
'Well, he's not exactly an easy one to watch over,' Izzy agreed looking at Dom. 'You're slippery. Don't you care about Em's rules?'
Dom took a gulp at his prosecco and laughed. 'Don't know what you're talking about,' he said. 'I miss Em. I do!'
'Mmm...as much as the next person,' Cole said. He nodded at the water. 'You gonna have a go?'
Dom was a bit wiped out from the drive.
'Nah, you show us how it's done.'
Cole was a champion wakeboarder. He swivelled his legs over the side of the boat and hopped into the water, the current carrying him away from the boat. Dom started up the engine. Cole had said earlier that he wanted to try for an inversion today. The trick was a difficult one. Dom suspected he was trying to impress Tal. His only challenge was to get the right speed and air for Cole to extend his body parallel to the water bending at the knees. And then it was up to him to use his leg muscles and the momentum of the boat to flip his body and somehow land back on his feet. Unfortunately, Dom couldn't get the speed quite right, and Cole found himself dumped on several occasions.
'Are you trying to fuck me up?' Cole complained, laughing, as the boat bobbed on the waves.
'Hey, I can't help it that your skills aren't up to scratch!' Dom said. 'Have another drink, who knows, you might improve!'
Cole eventually gave up trying and lifted himself back up into the boat.
They were all a little tipsy by this stage, except Dom, who had to drive them home to Uki. The sun was setting, and the water was getting dark and choppy, and they agreed to head home.
That night Dom attempted to warm a frozen lasagna that Bec had baked for them in the oven. With no microwave, he underestimated the time it needed to heat through and Bec arrived from Armidale mid-way through a bunch of teenagers scoffing down a half-frozen meal. They greeted Bec but they were all a bit tired by that stage and none of them lasted long after that, including Atilla who went to sleep under the dining table and had to be carried to bed. It was good they were getting an early night, the next day was New Year's Eve and they'd need their energy.