Back to the Country, page 11
Indigo felt a rush of relief, but with her pride bruised, she bit back. ‘Well what did you expect me to think?’ She threw her hands up in the air. ‘Her Jeep is parked out front, and half her clothes are here.’
‘Her boots and jacket aren’t half her clothes, and I expect you to think nothing, Indigo.’ He scowled at her. ‘Plus, from now on in, I expect you to say nothing when it comes to me and my romantic involvements.’
Knowing she shouldn’t, but unable to stop herself, she scowled back. ‘What’s that meant to mean, Harley?’
‘How about reading between the lines, Indy, like I have to do with you all the goddamn time?’ he snapped. ‘And then, if you can help it, keep your opinions to yourself.’
Indigo instinctively knew he was referring to her song, the one very much about him, but she wasn’t about to make it easy for him to explain what Linda’s boots and jacket were doing by the back door – because surely that meant she’d come inside which, in her firm opinion, shouldn’t have happened. ‘I don’t really understand what you’re getting at.’
‘Righto, I’ll spell it out for you.’ He drew in a slow, steady breath, as if trying to calm himself. ‘If I’d had Linda in my bed, which I didn’t, what business would it be of yours?’
His words stung, a hell of a lot. ‘You want to play it like that? Well, maybe I shouldn’t give a hoot who hurts you in future. Is that what you want?’ She couldn’t help the anger flashing in her narrowed gaze.
‘I know I don’t need this right now.’ He made his way past her. ‘And you clearly have no idea what I want, Indy.’ And with that, he strode away, his footfalls heavy as he headed down the hallway. The slam of the bathroom door alerted her to the fact he wouldn’t be returning to finish the argument.
Shaken by the way he’d spoken to her, with such contempt in his eyes, as well as the fact she was so stirred up by Linda having been welcomed into the cottage she called home, Indigo sniffed back tears – she wasn’t going to allow herself to cry over this. Just as she was about to head to her bedroom for a little privacy and to regather herself, Amy appeared, looking as exhausted as Indigo felt.
‘Hey, Indy.’ Amy shuffled past her. ‘How’d you sleep?’ she asked, flicking on the kettle.
‘Like crap.’ Indigo busied herself by putting away the washing up that had drained overnight. ‘How about you?’
‘Yeah, same.’ Amy rubbed her face, groaning. ‘Don’t get me wrong, last night was an absolute success, and I’m so happy about that. It’s just, I’m so exhausted, I seriously feel like I could sleep for a week.’
‘Trust me, I’m feeling you.’ Indigo was dying to ask about Linda but didn’t know how to broach the subject without sounding like a woman scorned.
‘Man oh man, I’m hungry.’ Firing up the gas hob, Amy yawned loudly as she plonked a cast-iron pan down. ‘Would you like some bacon and eggs?’
Indigo hadn’t thought about food, but now there was mention of it, she realised she was starving. ‘Actually, yeah, I would, thanks.’
‘Okey-dokey.’ Amy shuffled to the fridge and grabbed the deli-wrapped bacon and bowl of eggs from its depths. ‘So, did you hear the ruckus last night?’
‘No, what ruckus?’ Indigo did her best to act completely innocent.
‘Drunk as a skanky skunk, Linda thought it was her place to just waltz on into the cottage and, I shit you not, Harley’s bedroom.’ Amy’s eyes were wider than saucers. ‘And oh my god, Harley wasn’t too happy about it, I can tell you.’ She shook her head. ‘But, being the gentleman he is, he calmed down and gave her a cup of coffee to sober her up, then rang a taxi to come and take her home.’
‘The cheek of her.’ She had known Harley wouldn’t lie to her, but now she felt like an idiot, a jealous one at that. ‘Who does she think she bloody well is?’ She owed Harley a big apology.
‘Uh-huh, tell me about it. She was going on about something important she needed to tell him.’ Amy snorted and rolled her eyes. ‘Which we all know would’ve been her grovelling to get back with him.’ She unwrapped the packet of bacon. ‘I had to bite my tongue real hard when Harley told me to stay out of it.’ She turned back to the frypan and trickled some olive oil in. ‘I reckon he still has a soft spot for her, but more out of nostalgia, and obligation because her father was good friends with our father. I think it helps him feel close to Dad, if that makes sense.’
‘Yeah, it does.’ Imagine wanting to feel close to your dad. Indigo stared out the window, at the paddocks stretching out as far as her eyes could see, her attention drifting to just beyond the ridgeline. That was one place she was terrified to go to again, but she had to. She’d decided to spread her father’s ashes there before she left, if she could bring herself to pick them up from the crematorium. And that was what she needed to be focusing on, cleaning up her own backyard instead of involving herself in Harley’s life. He’d made it clear his was separate to hers now.
Amy appeared at her side, her hand coming to Indigo’s back. ‘Is everything okay? You seem a million miles away, lovely.’
‘Mmm.’ Indigo turned to her. ‘I’m thinking of heading over to the house today to see what state it’s in on the inside, so I can figure out what I’m going to do with it. I don’t know whether to pull it down, or sell it as is.’ She breathed a heavy sigh, blinking faster. ‘There’s just so many yucky memories in there.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Amy stated firmly.
‘You sure? I know how much you have on, with the tavern and …’
‘That can wait a few hours.’ Amy held her hands up in a bid to stop Indigo declining her offer. ‘This is much more important.’
Indigo thought back to her last failed visit to Gumtree Gully, which she’d chosen not to mention to Amy or Harley. ‘Thanks, matey. I’d really appreciate it.’
Amy cracked a couple of the eggs into a fresh bowl. ‘Fancy grilled tomato with your bacon and eggs?’
‘Yes please.’ Indigo’s mouth watered. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
‘Yeah, sure, would you like to man the toaster?’ Amy smiled kindly. ‘Make enough for Harley, too, I think it will do us good to all have brekkie together.’
This was going to be interesting, given Harley was mad with her. And rightly so. ‘Done.’
Half an hour later, Indigo tried to ignore the tempestuous mood Harley was in, and instead focused on her delicious breakfast. She’d apologise to him later, in private. ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing,’ she garbled through her third mouthful of creamy fetta and chilli scrambled eggs.
‘That’s all thanks to my girls. They pop out the tastiest eggs ever.’ Amy forked another mouthful. ‘The yolks are so rich, they’re almost orange.’
‘Mmm, the taste of the country,’ Indigo said with a smile.
‘Hell yeah, it is.’ Harley grabbed a piece of bacon from the plate at the middle of the table, and crunched down on it. ‘And this here is the crispiest bacon ever.’
Indigo agreed, grabbing herself a second helping.
‘It is, hey? I get it from a local butcher, and the pigs are from a farm not far from here. Humanely treated, happy life, and less miles.’ Amy took a bite from her sourdough toast. ‘All of this makes for yummy eating.’
‘I really need to get back into cooking,’ Indigo said dreamily. ‘I used to love it so much before I moved to the States, where everything is at your fingertips, and it’s a bit hard to cook when we’re in hotels most of the time.’
‘True.’ Harley pointed his last mouthful of bacon at her. ‘But everything is so unhealthy eating there, too.’
She nodded, reassured they were moving past their tiff, seeing as he was having a conversation with her. ‘Fair point.’
‘I reckon it would do you good to strap the apron strings on while you’re here, Indy. It’s a great way to help unwind.’ Amy beamed. ‘You both know I love to cook, and eat, and shop for food, and … well, you get the picture.’ She chuckled. ‘I just wish I had more time to be able to do it more often.’
‘We know how much you love it, babe.’ Indigo smiled at Amy’s unbridled enthusiasm. ‘And trust me, I need a lot of unwinding.’
‘Hell yeah, you do.’ Harley smiled, but there was a lilt of seriousness behind his words.
Indigo shrugged the comment off and grinned back at him.
Pushing her chair back from the table, Amy stood and gathered the plates. Indigo and Harley followed suit. They shared the cleaning duties like a well-oiled machine, with Harley washing up, Indigo wiping and Amy putting everything away.
Harley pulled the plug and the sink gurgled as it emptied. ‘So what’s next on the agenda today, little sis?’
‘I’m heading over to Gumtree Gully with Indy, for a bit of moral support.’ Amy hung the tea towel back on the oven door. ‘What are you up to?’
‘I don’t have anything on that can’t be done later.’ He glanced to Indigo. ‘So I’ll come along too, if that’s okay with you?’
Indigo’s initial reaction was to say no. She needed to try to do this without Harley as her safety net – she was going to have to get used to going it alone, for when she returned to America without him – but then she thought better of it. Harley was offering her an olive branch and she was going to grab hold of it. Real tight. ‘Only if you’re sure. I don’t need an army.’
‘I beg to differ.’ Harley cocked an eyebrow. ‘That place even gives me the creeps, so the more, the merrier, I reckon.’
Half an hour later, they pulled up out the front of the ramshackle farmhouse. Fear spiked through Indigo’s gut and skated down her spine, but she wasn’t about to let it stop her a second time round. So, with the support of her two closest friends, she climbed from Harley’s LandCruiser and took measured steps towards her unwanted inheritance.
Nobody spoke. They reached the rickety front gate, and it squealed as if in protest of their entry. Harley went first and she and Amy followed into the overgrown garden. Indigo paused and drew in a deep breath as she assessed the disarray of the farmhouse she’d long ago called home. This time, with her head a little more together, she spotted things she didn’t a few days ago. Cobwebs stretched along the entire length of the roof, and rusty-coloured water pooled at the foot of the steps. It hadn’t been raining, so where was the water coming from? A leak? A busted pipe? God only knows. Stepping over it, they climbed the steps. Underfoot, the timber boards groaned as if weary, and in some places she had to step over parts that were missing entirely. The front flyscreen door did nothing it was originally designed for, the mesh barely hanging onto the frame.
Harley gripped her shoulder. ‘You right, Indy?’
She nodded. ‘Mm-hmm. So far, so good.’
Grabbing her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze, Amy offered her a supportive half-smile. ‘You got this.’
Indigo plucked the key from her pocket and glided it into the lock. It was old and reluctant, but after a little wriggling, it turned. Not allowing herself a moment to linger, she stepped into the dank darkness, her hand clutching the doorknob, an anchor to the outside world. It still all felt so surreal, as if she’d slipped into some parallel dimension, where spirits lingered long after death – an earthly purgatory. Her mother’s energy was long gone, had been before she’d run away. Her father’s haunting presence was palpable though, and this time, so was her brother’s. If she had the courage to close her eyes right now, she swore she’d be able to reach out and touch Robbie. But that would mean he was as dead as her father, and though that would be closure, she didn’t want to believe it. She wanted to keep on imagining him somewhere picturesque, far away from here, enjoying his life to the fullest.
Placing one foot after the other, she slowly made her way further into the shadowy depths of the farmhouse. She could feel Amy and Harley beside her. One of them had their hand on her lower back, and that was all she needed to keep moving. Heading down a short hallway, they arrived at the kitchen. Dishes were piled high and rubbish was scattered all over the dining table. The fridge door was open, with rotting food inside. The stench was near unbearable, as if something had crawled in there and died. She covered her nose and mouth, trying her hardest not to draw deep breaths. Amy did the same as she walked a little in front of Indigo now, her eyes wide as she shook her head and assessed the disgusting mess that was meant to be the very heart of a home. Harley stuck close beside her – she liked the feeling of his hand pressed against her back. She was safe with him, even here.
Making their way out of the kitchen, and past the tiny laundry so filled with junk and disarray, they couldn’t even set foot in there, they arrived in the lounge room. An ancient box television sat atop an old oil drum. Stacks of newspapers were tossed off to the side of her father’s threadbare chair, along with crushed beer cans. An overflowing ashtray was on the coffee table next to microwave dinner trays and a couple of empty bottles of Scotch and vodka. A cockroach scurried across the table, startling her. Shouting out, she jumped back, and into Harley’s arms. He held her for a few seconds while she caught her breath. Amy recoiled against the wall, looking as horrified as Indigo felt. Heading on, they passed the spare bedroom, also so full of boxes and rubbish that they couldn’t enter. Next was her father’s bedroom. She paused at the doorway. Dirty sheets covered the same spring bed she remembered. The stench was almost as bad as the kitchen.
Turning away, she slowed as she neared the end of the hallway, near the bedroom she and her brother had shared. Apart from the mess, it was as she recalled. Their two single beds were still there, as was the little lamp table separating them. Both beds were bare of bedding and piled high with junk. Off to the side was the cupboard she and Robbie had pretended was their door to Narnia. They’d both loved to read; it had been their escape from this horrid world they called home. She took one tiny step in. Stopped. Steeled herself. Then took another. She could hear Amy and Harley’s footfalls behind her, and the creak of the floorboards beneath all of their weight. Manoeuvring around piles of magazines and boxes, she finally got to the far wall of the room. Her vision blurred, but she refused to cry – she’d shed enough tears to fill the oceans in this damn room.
Stopping short of where a spear of sunlight shot through the slightly parted curtains, she felt a moment in time try to claw its way to the surface of her mind. Focusing upon it, she tried to grab hold of it, tug it to the forefront, but try as she might, she couldn’t quite grasp it. But then, like an old movie reel spinning to life, she saw her brother and herself hiding in the cupboard, could hear the roar of her drunken father as he stormed into the bedroom, demanding they show their faces or risk being disciplined with his belt. Even now, she could still remember the burning sting of it as it was walloped across her backside. It had happened many times, too many to remember. Terrified of the repercussions if she didn’t do as she was told, she’d gone to climb out, but her brother had grabbed her hand and stopped her, putting a finger to her lips to quieten her whimpers. Heavy footfalls had approached the cupboard, and the door had swung open. Her father’s eyes had been filled with pure rage. Robbie had shielded her from the first blow, and she heard the sound of her father’s fist hitting Robbie’s jaw. Bone crushing. And as abruptly as it had started rolling, the old movie reel flickered out.
‘No,’ she whispered, her arms winding around her body in a bid to stop the shivers that had risen despite the sweltering heat inside the farmhouse.
Harley put an arm around her shoulder. Amy took her trembling hands within her own, and held them tight. Both of them were saying something to her, but with her mind whirling, Indigo couldn’t quite make out the words. Something scratched at her soul, tore at her heart. She felt like she was drowning in immense sorrow. Nausea washed over her like a pounding wave and her breath kept catching. An icy feeling spread from the tips of her boots, all the way up her spine, through her heart and to her head. Her knees turned wobbly, her legs turned to jelly as the walls started to close in, the floor wavering. It was all too much. She couldn’t breathe. Get out. Now.
Untangling from Harley, she ran as fast as her unsteady legs would carry her, down the hallway, through the front door, and out into the magnificent sunshine – she was so grateful for the light and fresh air. Here, she bent at the waist and heaved her breakfast into the garden, purging until there was nothing left. Straightening, and without looking back, she vowed to never set foot in that hell on earth ever again.
Harley and Amy met her at the open gate and, after sharing meaningful glances, together they silently walked back to the LandCruiser, piled in and drove away.
Sitting between Harley and Amy, out of harm’s way, Indigo dared one last look back at the farmhouse in the rear-view mirror. Her decision was made. Before she left, she wanted to make sure the house was torn to the ground. Only then would she put the vacant land on the market.
As for her father’s ashes, Harold could do what he wanted with them. She didn’t want anything to do with what was left of her father.
CHAPTER
10
With his stomach twisted in knots, Harley drummed the desk with his fingers as he waited for Cabe to come back on the phone. He wished his mate would hurry the heck up, because the jazzy on-hold music was making his threadbare nerves even more ragged, and his muddled head more of a mess.
‘You there still, buddy?’ Cabe’s voice echoed loudly down the crackling line.
Hunched over his desk, Harley sat up straight. ‘Sure am.’
‘I’ve had a quick squiz at the diary, and it looks like I can do it in about three weeks’ time, will that work for you?’
‘Oh mate, that’s bloody awesome, thanks, hey.’ Harley breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I just hope I’m not putting you out too much, seeing as it’s such short notice. It’s just … well, let’s just say she wants it gone for good reason.’
‘Hey, no worries at all, Harley. I’ve heard enough over the years to know Freddie Nash was a lowlife, especially to his kids.’ The sound of a truck reversing was followed by a man’s gruff voice barking orders in the background. ‘Man oh man, these blokes are going to be the death of me, I tell ya. Hang on a sec.’ The phone muffled for a few short seconds as Cabe grumbled something. ‘Sorry, got to keep a tight ship when we’re gonna blow a building up.’ He chuckled. ‘If it were anyone else, there’d be a couple of months’ wait, but for you, I’m happy to move things around so we can get the job done before Indy flies back to the States.’
