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"Um, yeah, I think so. It's all a bit of a blur, to be honest."
Wilby glances down at the book. "What did he write?"
I hadn't even thought to look. I open it and read Benji's note aloud.
Dear Col (one C, no E) and Wilby from Scuttlebutt (two Ts, both times),
It was a pleasure to meet you both.
Life is precious, and true love is rare. Don't wait to get hit by a bus to realise you're in love.
Benji, xo
"I don't get thehit by a busreference," Wilby says.
I close the book, smiling. "It's fromSomething Special. The climax of the story is one of the characters getting hit by a bus. He survives, and isn't too badly injured, but it makes the other character realize the depths of his feelings for him, how much he loves his best friend as someone more than just a friend. It's what ultimately brings them together."
"Cool. I might just have to learn to read so I can check the story out for myself."
I smile, still in a daze but slowly recovering.
"Come on." Wilby stretches out his hand, and I gladly take it. "I think I know what you need."
I look into his face, so vibrant, so alive.
"Food," he guesses correctly, because, hello, it's me. He flashes me his beautiful smile. "Come on. Let's get you fed."
26
Wilby
"Do you want the radio on?" Col asks.
"Nah. Not really in the mood for singing. Are you okay with that?"
"I'll survive."
He taps the centre console, and I place my hand there. He curls his fingers around mine.
"You realise I'm driving one-handed now?"
"We don't have to hold hands. I just thought…"
"Yeah. I know. Thanks. And I do want to hold hands with you. But you know me, I'm all about safety."
Col laughs. "Right. That's why we held hands basically all the way from Scuttlebutt to Brisbane, not to mention the hand job I gave you while you were driving."
"That was on an open road. Sydney drivers are lunatics."
Right on cue, some motherfucker in a wanky black Tesla cuts me off, then has the audacity to stick her hand out the window and give me the finger. I toot my horn in response. It's times like these I'm glad I live in the country.
I keep a closer eye on the peak-hour traffic we're crawling in, deciding not to let go of Col's hand. We're heading into the city for the meeting between the bank, my family's legal team, and Col's company.
It's D-day.
Col submitted the proposal he and I were working on back home. Seeing Dunlop really helped as his team came up with some great suggestions. Col and I finessed it into a proposal that outlined a number of ways we could divide the land, ensuring we keep a parcel with the houses on. But we lose everything else. All the remaining property, the animals, the equipment, gone. Forever. A full-on liquidation of generations of my family'swork. And there's still the small matter of my sisters and I being on the hook for any amounts owing after the sale, so, yeah, that's pretty much the rest of my life laid out for me.
Welcome to Fucksville, Wilby. You'll be in debt until the day you die. Possibly even in the afterlife, too, depending on how AI advances by that stage. Joy.
