Alice and Jeremy were bumping through the paddock on Bald Hill, looking for a bull they had treated some weeks ago for tail rot. At the time they had cut off his tail well above the infected section. Since then, the offended creature seemed to have disappeared, and they were concerned about whether the infection had spread up into his spine.
As they drove, Alice told Jeremy that her school friend Bonnie was coming to Redstone for a long-overdue visit; she promised him that this event would be certain to liven everyone up a little. In former years, the extroverted and slightly eccentric Bonnie had been a regular presence at Redstone. She’d made a tradition of spending a large part of every school holiday at the homestead. During these trips to Redstone, Bonnie had been patiently tolerated by Olive and Sam for Alice’s sake. However, during Alice’s ag college years, Bonnie hadn’t come to stay, and the two old Days had suddenly realised how much they had come to take her visits for granted. Sam even went so far as to say that he missed the crazy girl.
When Alice arrived home from college they had all believed that a visit from Bonnie would be imminent. Unlike Alice, Bonnie had stayed on at boarding school until year twelve and was now launching herself into a course in social work. In true Bonnie style, she’d also committed herself to hours of volunteer work with drug-addicted youths, and as a result she hadn’t been able to get away until June.
Now, at last, the long-awaited arrival of Bonnie was on the cards. When Alice told Jeremy, he was immensely pleased. ‘A young single bird rocking up at Redstone? Best news I’ve heard all year! You never let on to me whether she’s a good sort?’
‘Bonnie is the best and most beautiful person you could ever meet.’ Alice answered him without taking her eyes off the rough cattle pad along which they were driving.
‘This is sounding better by the minute.’ In celebration, Jeremy began to whistle ‘Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush’, then paused suddenly, an idea occurring to him. ‘Hang on a tick, she’s not that hefty red-headed thing I saw in town with you a few years back?’
‘Bonnie has red hair.’ Alice took a moment to eye him coldly. ‘But she’s certainly not fat.’
‘Not fat, no, but if I remember right, she was built like a brick sh—’
‘Jeremy!’ Alice interrupted. ‘I won’t have you criticising Bonnie. And I’m amazed that someone as intelligent as you insists on placing so much importance on what people look like.’
‘Hold it right there – did you just call me intelligent or was I hearing voices?’
‘You’ve completely missed my point. If you’re rude or inappropriate to Bonnie in any way during her stay, you’ll have me to answer to.’ Alice glared at him fiercely.
‘Oooh!’ Jeremy leaned in towards her, grinning and raising his eyebrows infuriatingly. ‘I reckon I might like that!’
Alice shook her head in disgust and returned her attention to the track.
He went on cheekily, ‘Anyway, I guess I gotta allow for a chance that your red-headed mate could’ve improved with age. Might’ve grown into her shoulders a bit by now. I’m not one to judge before I’ve even eyeballed a lady.’ To his disappointment, Alice maintained a dignified silence.
A few moments later, they both spotted a large form lying in the grass about two hundred metres away. ‘That’ll be old AWOL,’ Jeremy said.
But as they came closer, they saw that it was only a cow. Alice parked the ute and they walked over. At first the animal appeared unharmed but the stench of rotting flesh told them otherwise. The cow was still alive, but very weak. On closer inspection they discovered she’d been attacked by dingoes. The only part of her body that had been bitten was her udder, which had been almost completely torn away.
Alice was so overcome with pity for the cow that she failed to notice Jeremy, whose face had turned distinctly green. She looked up to see him striding a short distance away, retching violently and finally vomiting. She hurried to join him. ‘Jeremy, are you alright? I’ll get you some water.’
‘Bastards.’ Jeremy spat some saliva into the grass. ‘The least they could do is finish her off and eat her. Must’ve just been pups playing, to maul her like that and go away.’ He took out his checked hanky and wiped his mouth. Alice handed him the water bottle and looked at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be so affected by something of this sort.
Without further delay, they got the rifle from the ute and shot the cow. Then Jeremy, breathing through his mouth, used his large hunting knife to cut off some slabs of meat for the dogs.
They climbed back into the ute and continued on their way through the large paddock. Just as they were about to call off the search, Alice spotted the bull standing in among some prickly currant bushes down in a gully. He was all on his own. As they drove down towards him, Jeremy groaned. The bull’s rear end was a mass of black blowflies. The infection had obviously taken hold and crows had cruelly pecked his wound and enlarged it beyond repair. Alice climbed out and hurried over. The bull let her come quite close and she spoke to him soothingly, her eyes filled with tears. Jeremy came over with the rifle and shot the unfortunate creature between the eyes. They stood looking down at the enormous body of the bull, limply distorted in death.
Alice sighed, relieved that the bull was out of its misery. ‘He was a good bull, that one,’ she said. ‘Nice quiet temperament. We’ve only had him for a couple of seasons.’
‘Better cut some meat off him then, too,’ Jeremy suggested. ‘Might seem less of a waste to the old bloke if the dogs get some burger meat out of him.’ Alice watched Jeremy work. She had seen a new, more compassionate side to him today.
As Bonnie’s visit approached, Alice was filled with a growing excitement. Over the last few years she’d sorely missed spending time with her best friend. Bonnie had always been such a source of strength for Alice. The night before Bonnie’s arrival, she lay awake thinking back to her schooldays with the enthusiastic red-head. It was only when Bonnie had arrived on the scene that boarding-school life had become bearable for Alice.
Following that nightmarish first term in Brisbane, thirteen-year-old Alice had found it very difficult to go back after the short Easter respite at Redstone. Her grandfather had driven her to meet the bus at Emerald, his own heart bleeding at the sight of her serious, resigned face and dejected posture as she walked towards the waiting coach. If only Alice had known at that moment in time that she was about to meet Bonnie.
Bonnie was the new girl, a little newer than all the rest. She arrived on the first day of term two, amid rumours that she’d already been expelled from another reputable private school. Their form mistress stood with her at the front of the class and introduced her as Bonita Russell. She was tall and squarely built with frizzy ginger hair and a laughing open face that flushed red at the slightest provocation. Standing there before all those staring faces Bonita had looked around defiantly, as if challenging anyone to disapprove of her. Finally her green eyes met Alice’s brown ones and Alice gave a quick reassuring smile. The affinity between them was forged instantly.
Their first class together was English, and Bonnie plonked herself down next to Alice saying, ‘I hear you’ve got brains. Maybe I can copy your work?’
They both laughed and Alice felt a stirring of warmth in her frozen little heart. But the happy moment was interrupted when in walked Jacinta Foster and her entourage.
‘Well, look what we have here. Bouncing Bonita is hoping to catch some of little Brownie’s tan. You want a bit of colour on your pasty freckled face?’ Jacinta grinned around at the others.
In one fluid motion, Bonnie stood up and swung a punch. Jacinta found herself on the floor with blood streaming from her nose.
‘Nice to meet you too,’ was Bonnie’s cheery reply as she sat back down. ‘Have some colour for your face.’
Bianca fussed over her friend, pressing a clump of tissues onto Jacinta’s nose and inadvertently muffling her cries of ‘Assault!’ and ‘I’m suing!’ Jacinta quickly pushed away the tissues and shrilled, ‘I want something done about this! My dad will make sure that you’re expelled!’
‘I didn’t see what happened, did you?’ said one of the other students, a girl called Melody. (Alice had helped Melody with her homework on more than one occasion.)
‘No, neither did I,’ piped up Gabby, seated at the back of the class.
‘Me either,’ called Chloe, beside her.
Jacinta’s face screwed up in fury as she felt the tide turning against her. She stamped her foot and glared around angrily from behind her tissues. She looked so comical that Alice had to stifle a laugh. This didn’t escape Jacinta’s notice and her face turned pale with rage. She dropped her tissues and flew at Alice, kicking the front of the old-fashioned desk where she sat. It went crashing over onto Alice’s thighs, the heavy steel edge cutting into her muscle.
‘Black bitch!’ Jacinta screeched, and fresh blood began to flow from her nose. Bonnie leapt out of her seat to confront Jacinta again.
‘No, Bonnie!’ Alice grabbed her friend’s arm.
‘It’s not worth getting expelled over,’ Melody warned quietly.
Nearly blind with rage, Jacinta glared around the room. Bianca hurriedly began shepherding her towards the door. ‘I’m going to sue!’ the furious girl was still sobbing as she disappeared from view, her face a mess of congealing blood. Strangely, though, the incident passed with no consequence more serious than a severe lecture for both girls in the principal’s office.
Over time, Bonnie’s antics gained her the admiration of all. She was hot-tempered but courageous, fair and loyal. She liked and was liked by almost everyone, regardless of their standing in the ruthless social hierarchy of the all-girls school.
When Bonnie came to Redstone for holidays she was like a whirlwind rushing through the quiet establishment. She relished Olive’s shocked looks and horrified exclamations and only bear-hugged her in response. She exchanged good-natured winks with Sam and told him wild, far-fetched yarns about the city. She was always inflicting congratulatory slaps on the sinewy backs of the stockmen and telling them how clever they were.
Early in their friendship, Bonnie had revealed to Alice the details of her upbringing. She’d been the unwanted result of a short-lived marriage, and her mother had gone on to have two more children with her second, more suitable, husband. ‘My mum doesn’t like me all that much,’ Bonnie had confessed to Alice during their second lunch break together. ‘Can’t say I blame her. I’m an absolute cow to her and that anal-retentive husband of hers. That’s why I’m boarding even though they live just around the corner.’
Alice was listening sympathetically, aware of the parallels between their situations.
‘Even if I was a goody-goody she’d still hate me, though,’ Bonnie continued. ‘She says I look exactly like my dad. Probably act like him too, judging by her description. Can’t say I’ve ever met the man.’
Bonnie’s openness was refreshing for Alice, and the opposite of her own guarded reserve. As time went on, they began to influence one another: Alice found that she was able to steady Bonnie when her temper threatened to erupt. And Alice’s personality, withdrawn since coming to Brisbane, began to unfold again under the influence of this vibrant, encouraging friend. With Bonnie by her side, she found new courage to face the daily trials of boarding-school life.
At times Alice wondered whether the special connection she felt with Bonnie also came from the similarities in their family backgrounds. Bonnie, too, had a father who apparently didn’t want to know her, as well as a mother who had subsequently married, had more children and would rather she’d not been born. The day that Alice had enlightened the other girl about her own family situation, Bonnie had suggested joyfully, ‘Hey, Alice, our mums should meet. I reckon they’d hit it off!’
But over the years that followed, an important difference in their circumstances became apparent: at holidays, Bonnie had to return to a home which held no warmth for her, while through her grandparents, Alice always experienced stability and love.
Now, as a young woman taking on the responsibility of the family property, Alice was beginning to realise just how much she continued to rely on this love and support. And recognising the fact that her grandparents were getting old had only made her cherish them all the more.