they
were
capable of it. Adam could trust them because of that.
‘I have to leave you,’ he said. ‘I think these people will be nice to you.’
Adam had to go before he cried. Billy was waiting on the footpath. It wasn’t until Adam reached the street corner that Jerry began to bark. Monty too. Adam could hear the dogs’ confusion. As much as they knew, they also didn’t know. That was how it was. If the things you were meant to understand were bad, it was hard to understand them.
‘H aven’t you ever been to a van park before?’
Adam hadn’t.
They’d walked a long time. To keep on going took concentration. It had caused a dull ache in Adam’s head. The sky was getting light. Magpies warbled from the tops of trees. Caravans were parked under the lower branches.
Billy began pointing to each van.
‘Bitch . . . okay sheila . . . loser . . . scumbag . . . don’t know . . . drugbag.’
The track between the vans was gravel. Adam stepped gingerly across it. He’d come to envy Billy’s sneakers. He envied Billy’s body. Billy skipped along the grass and danced from foot to foot while waiting for Adam to catch up. He threw punches in the half-light.
‘The important thing is keeping low. Down like this.’ He ducked and jabbed the air. ‘Seen
Rocky
? Seen
Taxi Driver
?’
‘No.’
‘You keep low, you keep it in, until you need it, then you explode.’
Billy peppered the air with hits and wheeled around, landed one final pretend punch. Watching him, Adam wasn’t so sure anymore that Billy was as old as he’d first thought.
They went to the only weatherboard building in the caravan park. It was beside a boundary fence. Billy pulled Adam into the carport next to the house. As the sun rose, the day came alive with colours, sounds and smells. Adam’s nostrils filled with the scent of dry gum leaves and engine oil. Under the carport were two cars, up on bricks. The tyres were missing and the bonnets were open. Kookaburras started laughing. Their noise drowned out the magpies.
‘Okay, here’s the thing, Scotty’s a good guy. I’ve got to go for a bit. I’ve brought you here because Scotty isn’t going to say nothing and he’s not going to do nothing, you know? I won’t be long. I’ve got to make sure the other two got away okay and aren’t mouthing off like a pair of dickheads. I’ll come straight back.’
‘Can’t I come with you?’
‘You can hardly walk, kid. Your eyes are hanging outta your head.’ Billy messed up Adam’s hair. ‘It’s okay. You’re with me now. When I say Scotty is okay, he’s okay. I’ll always tell you the truth about a guy. What’s the time now . . .?’ He checked his watch. ‘It’s six now. I’ll be back about eleven.’ A car drove past on the track. Billy lowered his head and his voice. ‘Until we work out what’s going on, we’ll need to keep it low. You understand? You’ve gotta say nothing. Gotta do nothing. You can do that – say nothing – can’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s all you gotta do.’
‘Will we go back to my father’s place after that?’
‘Stop calling him your father, it’s fucking creepy. Anyway, he’s dead.’ Billy put his hand on Adam’s shoulder and gently pushed him around the bonnets of the cars. ‘Remember, Scotty’s good. I won’t be gone long. Then we’ll get you some clothes, get you some shoes, get you a haircut – you’re not going to know yourself.’
‘Billy . . . ’
He paused on the steps. ‘Yeah?’
‘I need to go to the toilet.’
He leaned close, said in Adam’s ear, ‘You’ll never guess what, Scotty’s got a dunny. Fucking amazing, I know.’
O n the back of Scotty’s toilet door was a picture of a naked woman. She was lying on the bonnet of a car, resting a grease-smeared spanner between her breasts. There were grease marks down her thighs and her hair fanned over the windscreen. Adam frowned at the picture. Without the head pain his gaze might
were
capable of it. Adam could trust them because of that.
‘I have to leave you,’ he said. ‘I think these people will be nice to you.’
Adam had to go before he cried. Billy was waiting on the footpath. It wasn’t until Adam reached the street corner that Jerry began to bark. Monty too. Adam could hear the dogs’ confusion. As much as they knew, they also didn’t know. That was how it was. If the things you were meant to understand were bad, it was hard to understand them.
‘H aven’t you ever been to a van park before?’
Adam hadn’t.
They’d walked a long time. To keep on going took concentration. It had caused a dull ache in Adam’s head. The sky was getting light. Magpies warbled from the tops of trees. Caravans were parked under the lower branches.
Billy began pointing to each van.
‘Bitch . . . okay sheila . . . loser . . . scumbag . . . don’t know . . . drugbag.’
The track between the vans was gravel. Adam stepped gingerly across it. He’d come to envy Billy’s sneakers. He envied Billy’s body. Billy skipped along the grass and danced from foot to foot while waiting for Adam to catch up. He threw punches in the half-light.
‘The important thing is keeping low. Down like this.’ He ducked and jabbed the air. ‘Seen
Rocky
? Seen
Taxi Driver
?’
‘No.’
‘You keep low, you keep it in, until you need it, then you explode.’
Billy peppered the air with hits and wheeled around, landed one final pretend punch. Watching him, Adam wasn’t so sure anymore that Billy was as old as he’d first thought.
They went to the only weatherboard building in the caravan park. It was beside a boundary fence. Billy pulled Adam into the carport next to the house. As the sun rose, the day came alive with colours, sounds and smells. Adam’s nostrils filled with the scent of dry gum leaves and engine oil. Under the carport were two cars, up on bricks. The tyres were missing and the bonnets were open. Kookaburras started laughing. Their noise drowned out the magpies.
‘Okay, here’s the thing, Scotty’s a good guy. I’ve got to go for a bit. I’ve brought you here because Scotty isn’t going to say nothing and he’s not going to do nothing, you know? I won’t be long. I’ve got to make sure the other two got away okay and aren’t mouthing off like a pair of dickheads. I’ll come straight back.’
‘Can’t I come with you?’
‘You can hardly walk, kid. Your eyes are hanging outta your head.’ Billy messed up Adam’s hair. ‘It’s okay. You’re with me now. When I say Scotty is okay, he’s okay. I’ll always tell you the truth about a guy. What’s the time now . . .?’ He checked his watch. ‘It’s six now. I’ll be back about eleven.’ A car drove past on the track. Billy lowered his head and his voice. ‘Until we work out what’s going on, we’ll need to keep it low. You understand? You’ve gotta say nothing. Gotta do nothing. You can do that – say nothing – can’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s all you gotta do.’
‘Will we go back to my father’s place after that?’
‘Stop calling him your father, it’s fucking creepy. Anyway, he’s dead.’ Billy put his hand on Adam’s shoulder and gently pushed him around the bonnets of the cars. ‘Remember, Scotty’s good. I won’t be gone long. Then we’ll get you some clothes, get you some shoes, get you a haircut – you’re not going to know yourself.’
‘Billy . . . ’
He paused on the steps. ‘Yeah?’
‘I need to go to the toilet.’
He leaned close, said in Adam’s ear, ‘You’ll never guess what, Scotty’s got a dunny. Fucking amazing, I know.’
O n the back of Scotty’s toilet door was a picture of a naked woman. She was lying on the bonnet of a car, resting a grease-smeared spanner between her breasts. There were grease marks down her thighs and her hair fanned over the windscreen. Adam frowned at the picture. Without the head pain his gaze might
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