Getting here was the hardest part.
Honestly thought I’d have days of walking to think and plan before I got here.
Fences appear more often now.
A few distant buildings dot the land.
I feel those nerves creeping back in.
The closer we get, the more uncertain everything feels.
It’s still so surreal that I’ve finally escaped.
But what the fuck do I do next?
I survive, that’s what.
I am destined to become so much more than my father ever will.
I have to.
Not just for me, but for my mother.
???
We arrive on the outskirts of Longreach around mid-morning.
Now I can see houses lining the road.
Shops appear. So many in a row.
Anything more than one store feels like a lot.
For a Jundah boy, anyway.
They have a real servo, not just one fuel pump.
There’s a bakery, just like in a story I read.
I’ve never seen so many cars in my life.
Ten of them, parked along the same street.
The people in this town must be rich.
I straighten in my seat.
This place is enormous.
Compared to where I’m from, it might as well be a city.
Real footpaths.
People walking around like it’s a normal day.
It’s anything but normal for me.
The vehicle slows as we move deeper into town.
