Nev’s sleeves looked tighter. Either her shirts had shrunk or she had been lifting. The thought of the older woman working out on the free weights behind the barn made Ronnie smile. Nev didn’t own gym clothes.
The bin in the staff kitchen in the barn contained an empty box of nicotine gum. Someone was trying to quit.
In the barn office a letter addressed to Ron Madonna sat face-up on the desk. The return address was TAFE North Queensland in Atherton. She ripped it open. Inside was a formal-looking letter printed on corporate letterhead from the post-secondary adult education campus.
She carried the letter out into the open center of the barn where the two halls crossed. Barney was outside hosing down horses. The animals flicked their tails placidly while he bathed them with a giant soapy sponge.
Letter in hand, Ronnie went back inside.
Nev was angrily cleaning out a chest freezer.
“What’s this?” Ronnie asked.
“Tell Barney he’s sacked.”
“Why? What did he do?”
Nev had rubber gloves, a spray bottle of bleach, and was scrubbing out the inside of the deep freezer. Buckets nearby were full of defrosted packets of lamb. By the smell, Ronnie guessed they were not good anymore. Dog food, maybe. She swore.
“How long was it unplugged?” Ronnie asked.
“Long enough.”
Barney walked over to see what Ronnie was looking at. He peered into the buckets, watched Nev scrubbing the bottom of the chest freezer. He took off his hat, scratched his head. Nev straightened, threw a wad of blood-soaked paper towels in the bin, glared at Barney. “You’re sacked.”
Barney looked around, startled. He touched his chest. “Me? What did I do?”
Nev disappeared over the edge of the chest freezer again.
Barney swore, scrubbing both hands through his hair and taking a step sideways. “I thought I plugged her back in! Truly! I only unplugged her for a second when I was hoovering with the shop vac like you asked me to…”
“Yup. I told you what would happen if you buggered something again. You’re done.”
Barney chuckled nervously. “Mate…”
Nev straightened, fixed him with a glare. He swallowed. He turned and walked out of the barn. Nev bent over the chest freezer again, reaching into the bottom corner with a fresh wad of paper towels. “This wasn’t the first thing he did.”
“He means well. It was an accident.”
Ronnie jogged after Barney. Outside, he looked like he had seen a ghost. He looked sick. He lit a cigarette, sucked on it in the shade against the side of the building, calming his shatterednerves. She walked over to him. The hand holding the cigarette was shaking.
“Mate,” he muttered.
“You’re not sacked. I’m re-hiring you.”
“Can you do that?” he asked.
She didn’t know. “Take the rest of the day off, eh? Wait for her to cool down.”
“Bloody hell… Thanks, mate. Owe you one.”
“No worries. What did you break while I was gone?”
Barney’s shirt saidLove Fast, Die Sprung,around a cartoonish drawing of a snake. “Nothing, mate. She didn’t like the way I mowed the grass.” He sucked his ciggie. “She’s mental.”
“Mate. Anyone else would have sacked you day one.” They had all been guilty of leaving tools out in the rain once or twice, but Barney had a special gift for buggering the machines. He had the touch of death, but that wasn’t his fault.
While she waited for the computer in the barn office to boot up she tossed back a fistful of party-colored chocolate candy from the jar. According to the letter, TAFE had received letters of recommendation from two of her references. This had to be a practical joke from her dad. Another heavy-handed attempt to help her rebuild her life.
