A/N: So this is my new story! This one will take over from Hailey and Ben. I have huge plans for this one, and I think it's going to be pretty good, so please, let me know what you think!
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"Carn. Let's go into town."
Jesse McGinnis snorted at his best friends suggestion and looked out over the 73-000ha cattle station in central outback Queensland that was his home. "Town Danny? You've got to be kidding me."
Danny Oliver laughed. "Well, it's a town by our standards."
Jesse looked down and kicked his boot against the tire of the rusty old ute. "Nah. You go."
Danny sighed and lay back in the tray of the vehicle. "Jesus H Christ Jess. You've been like this all week. What the hell's wrong with ya? Are ya crook?"
"No. I've been working 12 hours a day on this fence for the past two weeks Daniel. I'm just tired."
"So some R&R is just what you need. Carn. Let's go see a movie or something."
Jesse let out a long-suffering sigh. "orright. Let's go back to the house then, so I can get cleaned up. Jacko!" Jesse yelled to the Station's head stockman. "We're heading in."
Jacko nodded and grinned. "orright. Won't be long. Just get this bit fixed up. Tell Alan that the southern border's done now will ya?"
Jesse nodded and slid into the driver's seat of the old Holden. Beside him Danny was leaning back in his seat, his feet up on the dash and his eyes closed. Danny's family owned a neighbouring property, not as big as the McGinnis, which is why Danny worked for them and not for his own family. "What do you want to see?" he asked Jess.
Jesse shrugged and reversed carefully, making sure he didn't back over the section of fence they'd just done. "What's on?"
"Mate, this is Longreach. Not much."
"True." Jesse replied, manoeuvring the ute back onto the dusty dirt road that led back to the station itself.
Mirrabooka station was located twenty-three kilometres from Longreach; a town about four hours drive from Brisbane with a population of around 3, 500. Longreach was considered the outback, and Mirrabooka station was a huge 73-000 hectare cattle farm, with 22 340 cattle and 135 000 sheep. It had been in the McGinnis family since 1912, and was now run by Alan McGinnis and his wife Molly, and their nephew Jesse. Jesse had been taken in by his uncle and aunt after his father had been killed in a bushfire when Jesse was eleven. Jesse's mum had died soon after his sixth birthday. Molly and Alan treated Jesse like their own son, and he was happy in the bustle that came with running a huge operation like Mirrabooka.
Jesse turned the ute into the long driveway and pulled up sharply in front of the homestead, nearly running over one of the cattle dogs. "Blue ya useless mongrel." he shouted, getting out of the car and nearly slamming the door on Danny's hand. "What's wrong Jess?" Alan asked, coming out of the machinery shed, wiping his hand on a dirty rag. "Second time this week I've nearly run that bloody dog over." Jesse grumbled.
"Ah, he's getting old Jess. Just about gone troppo. Reckon we might have to put him down soon." Alan said, sighing at the dog. Jesse bit his lip. Putting animals down was part of like on a farm, but he could never get used to it. "Jacko said to tell you the fence on the southern border is fixed." He said to his uncle.
"Hey, uncle Al. me and Jess were going to go into town and see a movie. Is that alright?" Danny asked. Alan wasn't his uncle, but he, like a lot of people on the Station called him uncle anyway.
"You bludger."
"Fair go Al. we've been flat out like a lizard drinking all day." Danny complained. Alan smiled. "Yeah, go on. I was only teasing."
"I'm just going to have a shower." Jesse said, making his way thought the huge interior of the homestead and to his room at the very back. He had a quick shower, knowing that Danny would complain if he took forever and pulled on clean jeans and a white wife beater. He threw a plaid flannelette shirt on over the top and left it un-buttoned. He stood in the mirror when he was done. He sighed as he looked at his blistered hands. Standing just over six foot, Jess looked like your typical stockman. Burnt almost black by the sun, his deep tan made his green eyes stand out even more. He kept his light brown hair short and out of the way. Years of hard labour had made his body fitter and stronger than any of those city boys who spent hours at gyms. With another small sigh Jess picked up his wallet and his car keys and met Danny in the living room. Jacko had just arrived back from the south paddock. "I called the vet Al. He's on his way out now. One of the milker's has colic. She's been backed up for a couple of days Dave reckons."
Al nodded. "Righto. Let me know when he gets here."
"We're going uncle Al." Jess called.
"Ok. Will you be home for dinner?" Al asked.
"We'll probably go to the pub." Jesse replied.
"Alright. See you later."
"Gee, there's a big selection on tonight Jess." Danny remarked sarcastically as the two of them stood outside the theatre on Eagle Street. "You know most of these movies came out months ago in the cities."
"Yeah, I know Danny. So which is it? 'Lord of the Rings', again, 'Matrix Revolutions', 'Pirates of the Caribbean' or that new movie 'Secret desires of the heart and mind'?"
"Well, since 'Secret desires' is the only one we haven't seen yet…" Danny replied. Jess sighed. "It really says something when the complex only shows latest release movies on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturday's and Sundays with other screenings during the week on occasion, doesn't it?"
"Jess, this is the middle of nowhere mate. You don't live in a big city. You should be used to it by now." Danny said as the two of them walked into the theatre.
"Yeah, I know." Jesse responded, handing the clerk a $10 note to pay for his ticket.
"Hey, isn't this the new Chloe Swan movie?" Danny asked. "Man, that girl is hot."
"Think so." Jess replied casually as he followed Danny through the concession line and into the dark theatre.
"You saw her in 'Chain Reaction', didn't you? Man, that bathroom scene. I get shivers just thinking about it." Danny said, shivering to demonstrate his point. Jesse just rolled his eyes and grinned into the darkness. "It's starting." Danny whispered loudly, hunkering down in his seat and throwing more popcorn into his mouth. For the first couple of scenes he was quiet and still, but as soon as Chloe Swan appeared on screen he fidgeted with excitement. "There she is! Man, I'm getting hot just sitting here."
Jesse moved to the next seat over. Danny laughed. "But don't you think she's hot Jess?"
"Yeah, she's gorgeous." Jesse agreed. And she was. Chloe Swan was Australia's latest Hollywood export. At the tender age of 21, she was a very talented actress who had already appeared in several big movies. With her long, long dark brown hair, perfect peaches and cream complexion and violet eyes she was fast becoming the next big thing. "She's Australian right?"
"Yeah, but she's spent the last five years or something living in the UK."
"How'd you know?" Danny asked his mate with a laugh. Jesse flushed.
"Aunty Molly reads all those women's magazines and leaves them in the dunny. I need something to read in there."
Someone behind them told them to be quite then, and they were until a scene came where Chloe took her top off. Danny let out a loud whoop. Jesse hit him over the back of the head and slouched down in embarrassment. After that incident Danny was fairly well behaved until the end of the movie.
It was just after eight when they emerged back on the street. "Carn, let's go to the pub." Danny said with a sigh. "I need to drink away any thoughts I have about Chloe Swan. Cause I know one thing for sure, there aint any birds around here that look like her. No point in moping about it."
"Tell me about it." Jesse muttered as he and Danny entered the pub. A few of the kids that had gone through high school with the boys waved them over. Danny pulled Jesse over to the corner they occupied and shoved him down in a chair. "G'day boys." Danny greeted them cheerfully. Danny was one of those no frills guys who made friends with everyone. He was really easy going and was always around for a favour. Jesse had his own share of friends, but he preferred to keep more to himself. Danny was always up for a party and loved to be surrounded by people, which is where he and Jesse clashed. Jesse was a much more of a solitary creature. He looked around the group and smothered a sigh. "You're not going anywhere, so forget it farm boy." Danny whispered in his ear. Jesse cracked a smile. "Alright. Whatever. But only for an hour or so." He replied. His smile was soon replaced by a frown when Anna Walker came sauntering over and placed herself on his lap. "heya Jess." She crooned, positioning herself so that her breasts practically fell out of her top right under his nose. Jesse shifted uncomfortably. This was why he didn't like crowds. He preferred to hang out with his few close friends that he actually liked. Anna Walker had been through high school with Jesse and Danny, and had had a huge crush on Jesse since about the 11th grade. Anna was a nice enough girl, but a bit too promiscuous and dim-witted for his tastes. She meant no harm, but she had never gotten the message that Jesse wasn't interested. "Hi, Anna."
"Work hard today baby?"
"Yep. Today was a long day."
"Poor you." She cooed. "Want a beer?"
"No, thanks. I'm right."
"So anyway, did you hear who knocked Libby Blythe up? Mullet Fletcher."
"Mullet Fletcher?" Jesse repeated. He wasn't particularly interested in small town gossip, but between his aunt, Danny and Anna it all reached him eventually. Mullet Fletcher was 29 years old, was still on the dole and still drove around a feral Holden ute with an 'I survived the Longreach B&S' on the back of it. It was common knowledge that he'd had a mullet since he was about three. In every school yearbook picture Mullet had had a mullet. "Yeah. I knew it was him. I'm mean; it would've had to be. Who else would root a dog like her?"
Charming. I've had enough. "Scuse me Anna." Jesse said, all but pushing her off his lap. "Might get that drink now." Jesse walked as quickly as he could towards the bar, sighing with relief when she didn't follow him. "Having fun?" a voice wisecracked. Jesse looked up. "Spider." He said with a smile. "How's it going? Working hard tonight?" Spider bartended for his dad, who owned the pub.
"Yeah. As always. See you're having fun with the lovely miss Walker." Spider replied, leaning against the bar with a grin. Jesse sighed. "It's been six years since grade 11 Spider, and she still hasn't gotten the message."
Danny appeared beside Jesse then, giggling madly. "She wants you so bad Jess."
"Why don't you just do it and get it over and done with?" Spider asked.
"Because I don't like her! That's wouldn't be fair to her." Jess said with a wry smile.
"It wouldn't be so bad." Spider said. "She's a nice looking girl."
Danny nodded seriously. "I'd do her."
"You'd do everyone. In fact, I think you probably already have." Jess told him. Danny laughed. "Harsh. But fair." He leaned closer to Spider and said in a low tone, "Jesse's saving himself for Chloe Swan."
Jess rolled his eyes. "Chloe Swan? The actress?" Spider asked in confusion.
"Yeah. She's hot man." Danny said matter of factly, putting the emphasis on hot.
"I know she is, but why would Jess be saving himself for her?" Spider laughed. "What is the likelihood of our Jess ever meeting Chloe Swan?"
Danny laughed uproariously. "None. That's why he should just bang Anna Walker and stop being such an uptight bastard."
Jesse had to laugh as his friends kept making fun on him. "Did you just call be a bastard?"
"Yes. Because it is proper to refer to one's best friend as a 'total bastard' and one's worst enemy as a 'bit of a bastard.'" Danny told him.
"Oh I see."
Danny clapped him on the shoulder. "Look Jess. Do us all a favour and put the poor girl out of her misery. A couple of drinks and you might actually enjoy it." He chortled. Jess just shook his head and accepted the beer Spider offered him with a grin. It would take a lot more than a couple of drinks to get him to sleep with Anna Walker.
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Jess pulled a very drunk Danny through the door of the homestead just after one in the morning. "shh." Jesse hissed as Danny ran into a side table and burst into giggles. "Fuck you're heavy." Jesse grunted, heaving Dan onto the couch where he passed out almost immediately. Jesse sighed and sat on top of him, flipping the TV on to catch the late news update. "…And finally tonight, award winning director Robin McCulloch is in the country this week, scouting out our outback looking for a suitable location for his new film. The film, which is yet to be titled, takes place on a cattle station in the outback. Some big name stars have already confirmed that they will be appearing in this film, which is already said to be one of the big movies of 2005. Among the actors already cast is Australia's own…" Jess yawned widely and turned the TV off. Leaving Danny sprawled out on the couch; he headed upstairs and sprawled out on his bed, only bothering to kick off his boots. Rolling over onto his back, Jess fell asleep almost straight away, dreaming of fixing fences and Chloe Swan.
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Not sure how many of the Aussie terms will be understood, so here's an explanation of the more obscure ones. Please, don't let our weird speech turn you off this story. In every chapter I'll try and explain what's what, and if there's another one I've missed or something, just drop me a line and ask me!
Flat out like a lizard drinking: really really busy
Ute: Pick up truck.
Mongrel: mongrel dog. If you called a person a mongrel you don't like them. a despicable person.
Gone Troppo: Crazy
Crook: sick
Dunny: toilet
Carn: come on. When some Aussie's say come on it comes out as carn, because our speech is lazy
Pub: a bar. Pub's serve both drinks and meals, and have like, gambling and that sort of stuff. Not sure if American's have pubs, so thought I'd put it in there.
Feral Holden ute: V8 ute (q.v.) sporting large heavy bullbar, numerous aerials, large truck mudflaps and stickers almost all over the rear window and tailgate. Sometimes seen with a Mack emblem on the bonnet and always with large (multiple) driving lights. For those Aussie's who've seen Always Greener, think Patch's car.
B&S: I'll be talking more about these later, so listen carefully. Lol. Bachelors' and Spinsters' Ball - a very enjoyable party usually held in rural areas. These are like, the wildest of wild parties. You have no idea until you've been to one. Lol.
Dole: welfare. Hand outs. Social assistance. Whatever you want to call it
Homestead: station farmhouse. Big, sprawling joint, usually only one level