Ok Guys,
So here is the second chap, lemme know what ya all think. I've decided that I'm not going to be updating again until I get some feed back on this chap, since there really isn't any point in uplaoding if no one likes what you've got :) So tell me what ya think and if you have any suggestions put them down to :)
Thanks Guys, enjoy.
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~ Without sisters, who would be there to help you keep life interesting? ~
Closing the door slowly as I come back inside from waving goodbye to my parents again, I listen to the slight noises that Jay makes as she searches for her wallet, so we can go into town and get a pizza. You see, there’s no pizza delivery for people who live an hour out of town and even if there was, I still don’t think they would deliver to us. Since it takes twenty minutes to reach the end of our drive way, and that’s driving at eighty kilometres an hour! We have a pretty big property, but when you own a farm – those are some of the things that you’ve just got to get used to.
See, as soon as mum and dad could afford it, they packed us up and moved us away from the big city and straight out to the fresh country air, which they received no complaints about from either of us kids. It’s been over seven years now and we all still love that fresh country air, as much as the day we first arrived. You see, it’s in our blood; we are one of many generations who have owned and farmed this land, so no matter how long we lived in the city, the country forever called to us. So it had never felt more natural when we moved back here. Jay and my parents had always said that it felt like they were finally home, and now that I’m old enough to understand what they meant, I couldn’t agree with them more. I could never imagine leaving all of this beautiful land behind to head for the big city – never.
“You gunna stand there all night, or you comin with?” Jay said, pulling me from my thoughts. Looking up at her she continued “It’s already four o’clock so if we’re gunna do this, we gotta make a move soon”
“Yeah, just give me a minute and we’ll be good ta go” I told her as I headed to my room to grab my purse. See, Jay and I have a tradition for when mum and dad leave. We head into town and grab a pizza, then go and catch a movie, then from there sometimes we head home, other times we head over to the pub where Jay and I catch up with some of the boys for a few beers – Jay drinks and I just hang out with ‘em all – then when Jay’s ready, I drive us home.
Reaching the bottom step, I look up to see Jay slayed out over the couch, with her boots on the coffee table and her arm across her face, the first sign of Bob working her hard at the shop.
“Ya know” I say as I approach the couch “We don’t have to go if you’re too tired for this” I tell her.
Lifting her arm slightly to peer at me from beneath her arm she smiles and says “Nah, was just tryin ta think, but we all know that, that ain’t gunna work til I got some grub in me guts and a drink in me hand” A cheeky smile gracing her lips.
Rolling my eyes at her, with a smile I reply “Alright then ya guts-ache, get of ya ass then so we can get ya fed”
Jumping to her feet “Finally, I thought I was gunna starve to death before you got ya ass into gear!” she said as she bolted through the front door, grabbing her black akubra and heading out across the drive to her Land cruiser Ute. Shaking my head at her as I chuckle and follow her out. I don’t know how she doesn’t get fat from how much she eats; I mean she only just ate two huge sandwiches, not even an hour ago!
Climbing into the cab of the truck, I buckle in as Jay winds down her window and leans out slightly before she releases a high-pitched whistle, then starts the engine and takes off down the drive way. As I watch her slowly gain speed I look at her “He’s not gunna make it this time, I saw him out in the back paddock when I went upstairs”
“Eh” she begins as she shrugged her shoulders “he will, he knows he ain’t gunna get fed if he doesn’t” she finishes with a chuckle “Besides” she continues “He’s smart, he’ll work out a way to make it, especially when he knows his food is on the line”
“Takes after his owner” I mutter as I watch the speedo reach sixty-five. There’s no way he’s gunna catch us now, so I give up on looking out for him and decide on getting so music going for us to listen to for the next hour’s drive into town.
As I settle back into my seat after choosing some music, I watch as we approach the end of our driveway and the edge of the highway. Looking to my left for oncoming traffic, as I feel Jay shift down to second gear I call “Clear left” and we pull out onto the highway.
I listen to the engine revs pick up and Jay prepares to shift up to third, and that's when I hear it. A thud and scratching of nails in the tray of the Ute, looking over my shoulder and out the rear window, just the face I suspected stared straight at me with the goofiest look on his face. Rolling my eyes and shaking my head as I turned back to the front, I looked to Jay “Told ya he’d make it, Spud loves his food too much” she laughed as I continued to shake my head.
“I still don’t know how he does it” I told her as we continued or drive into town.
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Pulling into town, I look out through my window and admire the sight that is our beautiful town. The Caravan Park, the servo, the workshop, the pub which is also a motel, the post office, the bakery, the store, some small trinket shops and what-not and of course, the school. That’s all our town has and all it will ever need. The late afternoon air is hot and sticky – just the way I love it – as it blows in through my open window and I can help but close my eyes and bask it the feel of it blowing across my face and through my hair.
Feeling the cab shudder slightly as the engine cuts out, I open my eyes and look through the windscreen to see that we’re parked in front of the pub. The smell of beer and some awesome cookin reaches me as I turn to open my door and climb from the truck, slamming the door behind me as I stretch from sitting in one spot for too long.
As I make my way up and onto the wooden desk of the pub, I greeted by some of the regulars as they lean against the railing with a beer in one hand and a smoke in the other.
“Hay darlin”
“Hay Kev, what’s happenin tonight?” I ask as I walk over and give him a friendly hug
“Nothin much, just waitin on this pretty little filly that I’ve been chasin” he tells me
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I’m hopin that today will be the day that she reconsiders my proposal and joins me out on the station” he says with a slight chuckle and a cheeky grin.
Laughing at his boldness, I reply “You know I love ya Kev, but the answer’s still the same. Besides if you tied ya self down, you’d have to cut out ya drinkin, smoking and not to mention the fact that you’d no longer be able to chase all that pretty tail that comes through here on the holidays” I tell him in mock-seriousness
“Mmm” he begins “You’d really make me give up me drinkin?” he asks
Nodding my head with a serious face “Yeah Kev and I know how much you love ya beers with the boys” I tell him
Grunting his agreement, he stops as though struck with an idea “Well what bout me son? He’s a good lad and ya know he’ll treat ya right, cause if he don’t, I’ll take him out back n skin him alive” he tells me as his threat is followed by a “here, here” from the other old boys I know.
Laughing at his persistence and shakin my head lightly I ask “And how would this son of yours feel about you just marryin him off to some girl he ain’t met before?”
“Psshhh if that boy got any brains about him, he’ll snatch you up and make you his wife faster than you can say ‘I do’ and if he don’t, then I’ll marry ya meself so I know you’ll be treated like the gem you are" he told me with a wink
“Awww Kev, you're just the sweetest thing, but I’ve told ya once and I’ll tell ya twice, you know I look up to you like I do me own daddy. Besides it just wouldn’t right stealin ya from all that pretty tail that hangs round here durin the holidays” Kev’s a good man, he’s bout the same age as my dad and if you don’t know how to handle him, he can offend a person in three seconds flat just with the way he is. He lost his wife a couple of years back to cancer, but that never stopped him from enjoyin life and once he finished grieving over the loss of his wife, his smile has been ever present “because that’s what she woulda wanted” he’d tell ya. He truly is a man with a heart of gold.
“Kev, boys” Jay greeted as she and Spud stepped onto the deck. Spud is the only dog round these parts to ever be allowed to step foot through the front doors of the pub and not be shot at. That probably has something to do with Ma. The most lovin lady you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet, but don’t let that fool ya, you piss her off and she can be scarier than a snake in ya swag. I’ve watched her pull a gun on a couple of fellas who’ve come in from a couple of towns over and gotten too disrespectful while in her pub, and bein the tight-knit community this is – you disrespect Ma and you got the whole town to deal with, so it's needless to say that they ain't welcome round here any more.
Ma and Jay have a silent understanding when it comes to Spud. Ma knows that he’s treated as one of our family. Hell, he’d have to be one of the most pampered workin dogs around and as long as he’s a good boy, Ma has no problem with him. Mind you, I’m amazed that he can even get back up onto the tray of the ute with the amount of food that Ma gives him, I’m pretty sure that he’s wormed his way into her heart over the years as he has with anyone who does no wrong by him – which means pretty much anyone with food.
Sitting at our table, we waited for our pizza to be served. Ma serves the best homemade pizza ever; people come from all over the outback, just to have some of her cooking.
“Hiya my lovely ladies!” Cried Katie as she plopped herself down in a spear seat next to Jay. Katie is Jay’s best friend, so much so that she’s practically one of the family. She even lives at our house most days and really only goes home when she’s needed.
Katie owns the property that she was supposed to inherit from her mum and dad, but when she lost her dad to a farming accident three years ago, her mum went a little funny and was happy to just let the family business die. She started dating big city businessmen two years ago and just last year she married some rich lawyer. Not wanting to watch her daddy’s life work circle the drain, Katie stepped up and took hold of running the family business of beef cattle.
When her mum announced that she planned to sell the whole lot right out from under her, she went through one of the darkest times of her life. Giving up hope of ever having what was rightfully hers since she could only imagine ever having the money it would take to buy it from her mum and new husband. So naturally when Jay and I heard of what was tearing someone we classed as a sister apart, we put our heads together and considered every option. In the end we worked that between the two of them, they didn’t quite have the money, but adding the money I had save to pay for my business idea and we had enough to buy out her mum and make the repairs that were needed.
Twelve months later and I have already made back half of the money I had put in, from profit alone. Katie is the devil on a mission when it comes to running that business; I guess you could say that she was born to run it - in more ways than one.
“Hay Katie, what’s happenin?” I ask as she gives Jay a side hug
Releasing Jay, she looks over the table as she replies “Oh, you know baby girl, just the usual. Keepin outta trouble and what not. Oh by the way, I’ve been here the whole time” she told us with a mischievous glint shining in her eyes.
Chuckling slightly Jay asks “And if someone was to ask, what might they think you’d been doin had you not been with us?”
As an evil grin spread across her face and the glint in her beautiful baby blues brightened, when she told us “Well, I was comin to meet ya all here, as I do every time I know mum and dad has left and, well…… I couldn’t help but notice that some bugger has put shavin cream on every window of poor Josh Hower’s truck and I’d hate for him to think it was me” She said with mock seriousness clouding her features. She probably would have fooled even josh with that act, if it weren’t for the glint in her eyes and the slight smirk tuggin at the corners of her mouth.
“OH DAMN!” I cried at the thought of what his truck looked like now. Shavin cream on his windows doesn’t sound like much just a big mess, but add to that the dry, scorchin heat that graces our little outback town and, well…… the cream tends to end up lookin like a big, gooey mess and the longer it’s exposed to the sun and heat, the harder it gets to remove it. Not impossible, but it’s by no means an easy task; that poor bastard is gunna spend all night tryin to get that shit off.
Nodding her head with a fake frown “I know, I mean, who would do such a thing to such a nice young lad?” she asked feigning concern as she struggled to control the smile that threatened to overtake her frown.
Shaking her head as she chuckled Jay spoke up “What could he have possibly done to warrant that from some upstanding citizen in our little town?”
Snorting Katie replied “The pig might have implied to one of our fine farmin ladies that the cattle yards is no place for a lady and that she should just sell up now, and save herself embarrassment cause her company is bound to go under whilst in the hands of a woman” Katie finished, practically growling with her hands fisted as they sat on the table top.
Tuckin into our pizza, I mentally checked over the list of assignments I have for school and double checked that I had them all ready for their due dates as I stuffed my face.
After finishing off the pizza, we hung out chatting whilst the girls drank and had a yarn with some of the farm hands that had come into town to let off steam on a Friday night. It was a fun night til one of the new farm hands couldn’t keep his hands to himself and upset Katie. So naturally, before you could say ‘Slim Dusty’ Jay had punched him square on the kissa, sendin him flyin off his bar stool. After that all hell broke loose and four of the green (new) farm hands had been thrown out on their asses whilst I got Ma to grab a couple of sixers for the road and used them to get the girls in the truck so I could get ‘em home before they caused any more trouble for old James Mason, who is gunna have to find himself at least two new farm hands. Since he ain’t gunna be happy to hear about how some of them boys think woman should be treated.
“You take it easy drivin home” Ma told me as she handed me the two six packs of rum and coke for the girls.
“Yeah Ma, I’ll call ya as soon as I get in the door. Let ya know we made it alright and I’ll be sure to take it slow on the roads” I told her, the same things she tells me every Friday night that I have to drive home.
“Well alright, you better get gone before them girls cost the boys some more green hands” she told me with a chuckle as she gave me a hug
“I’m goin, I’m goin” I tell her as she releases me from the hug. I turn to the patrons in the pub and whistle to get their attention then yell “LAST CALL FOR THE BOOSE-BUS HEADED TO KARBER CORNER. ALL WHO WANNA HITCH A RIDE HOME, YOU GOT FIVE MINUTES. AS FOR THE REST OF YA, YOU KNOW THE DRILL; DON’T PISS OFF MA” turning back slightly with a grin “I’ll see ya tomorrow Ma” She nods her reply and with that I turn for the door. Giving a short whistle “Spud, come” I command as I walk out the doors and say my good byes to the boys as I step off the deck and head for the truck.
Putting the two sixers of rum and coke on the top of the tool boxes in the tray, I pull open the driver’s door and climb in. Adjusting the seat and mirrors and preparing the truck so I can head out, a couple of the young fellas come out with their roadies and climb in the tray with Jay and Katie and make themselves comfortable for the long drive out.
I lean out the driver’s window slightly, I give a short whistle and watch as Spud launches himself up and over the sides of the tray, joining the rest in the back.
Pulling out and slowly makin my way through or small town, I roll up slowly next to one of the finest Utes in this area. Leaning over slightly so I can see the owner I call “You know that stuff’s meant ta go on ya face, not ya truck”
Leaning in the passenger window Josh replies “You wouldn’t happen to know who the asshole is that did this, would ya?”
“No sir, I’m just the sober-bob for tonight. But looks like you musta pissed off some one real good for ‘em to do something like that to such a beauty of a truck, just ta get ya” I told him innocently
“Mmmm” was his only reply as he looked thoughtful
“Anyways, gotta get this lot home and you’ve got some work ahead of ya if ya want that truck usable by tomorrow mornin” I told him just as the guys in the back started drunkenly beltin out a Slim Dusty favourite “Duncan” *Play song*
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Ok Guys, so if you have any questions about this or if you don't understand some of the Aussie slang, let me know and I'll be happy to answer any and all questions :) Thanks again and don't forget to Comment and Vote :)