Jackie White was the best truck driver around the back country. Never needed no help loadin or tarpin or tyin down the rig. Always delivered on time. Old Neville Jones reckoned he’d be fucked without Jackie drivin for him.
Never marryin or shackin up with anyone, Jackie was born, raised and still lived in the same house as old Mr and Mrs White, who died within a year of each other, leavin Jackie alone. Jackie wasn’t too flash on makin friends or hangin out with people. Preferred the company of Yodel, the Jack Russell terrier who always rode up front in any rig or vehicle Jackie was drivin.
Jackie was long and skinny and had skin the colour of a well-polished cowboy boot. Always wore baggy blue jeans, a blue denim shirt hangin over the jeans, cowboy boots and a battered akubra pulled down over a long, crinkled face. Jackie looked like most drivers and workers out in the back country, but the thing that set Jackie apart was the eyes. Bluest ones you ever saw. Like the colour of the ocean Jackie never saw and never wanted to see.
Jackie probably woulda carried on just like always, drivin trucks with Yodel, drinkin seven-ounce beers and beatin everyone at pool in the pub. But then the travellin country show come ta town.
One of the fullas travellin with the show was me cousin, Big Kev Moolbong. Big Kev ran a toffee apple and fairy floss stand. He’s a wiry little blackfulla, stands round five foot two, but Dad reckons he casts a big shadow. Big Kev is always neat as a pin in his polished cowboy boots with big Cuban heels, jeans always pressed and rolled up at the ankles, big flash belt buckle with a bucking bronco on it and shiny satin, fringed cowboy shirts.
Cousin Big Kev was the only child of Aunty Sippie and Uncle Benny Moolbong. They was show fullas from way back. They’d tried for years to have a baby, but no luck. Then when Aunty Sippie was forty-two and had given up, along comes Big Kev. Well they reckon you aint seen a spoilter kid. Not only Aunty Sippie and Uncle Bennie doted on im, but all the show fullas thought the sun shone outta him. He was brought up like a king. And the one thing he never was short on was confidence.
Big Kev loved going up to a woman and sayin, ‘Big Kev Moolbong’s the name. Pleased ta meet ya, got the meat ta please ya.’
He didn’t do too good with the ladies though. But he didn’t give a fuck, reckoned it was their loss. ‘Cos they don’t call me Big Kev on account me height.’
He’d say there was plenty more fish in the sea but, as Dad liked remindin him, he was ‘livin in a fuckin desert.’
Anyway, this one time, me, Antman and Fleabag hooked up with im and his little mutt, Milton, when the show was in Antman’s hometown for a week. When they was movin on, we took a job rouseaboutin with the show fullas cos we had nothin else to do at the time. We like movin round and it’s good to git paid for it. Anyway, next town we blow into is Jackie White’s. When we was finished settin up for the show to start next day, we wandered down to the only pub in town for a few beers and a game of pool.
Jackie White’s sittin in there with just Yodel for company, so Flea and Milton who are mates from way back, go up to Yodel and start their introductions. They decide they like each other and go outside to continue the conversation. Anyway, Jackie turns to me, Antman and Big Kev and asks if we want a game of pool. Doubles. We reckon yeh and Big Kev offers to be Jackie’s partner.
After a few hours of drinkin and gittin flogged at pool, me and Antman decide to head back to camp cos we got an early start in the mornin. We ask Big Kev if he’s comin, but he’s still yarnin with Jackie so he reckons he’s gunna hang round for a while. We left im to it.
Next mornin he’s settin his stand up happy as can be. Whistlin away as he gits everything ready for the day. All day he’s nice as pie. Even give away a coupla free fairy flosses to some local kids. No one’s ever seen im do that before. Apart from bein a grumpy bugger sometimes, he’s still got the first quid he ever made.
That night, after the show shuts down, we ask Big Kev if he wants to come for a beer, but he reckons no, he’ll catch up with us the next day. We git down to the pub but there’s no sign of Jackie or Yodel, so we ask the publican and he reckoned they took a rig out early that mornin and probably wouldn’t be back till late.
Next night, the same thing. No Jackie, and no Big Kev. But on the third night, Big Kev says he’ll see us down the pub.
So we’re sittin there with a big heap of show fullas and locals when Big Kev struts in like a little bantam rooster. He’s got Jackie White and Yodel in tow and the whole pub goes quiet cos Jackie White’s wearin a fuckin dress!
It was a nice flowery one that come to just above the knee. It showed her legs, which were white as could be, and kinda funny lookin next to her brown and leathery face and hands. She wasn’t wearin a hat and her hair was flattened down on her head. Big Kev was holdin her hand and grinnin from ear to ear as he and Jackie walked up to us.
‘See there, tidda,’ he says, ‘ya old cuz made a woman out of er. They said it couldn’t be done, but I done it!’ he crowed.
Jackie sure didn’t look too happy with all the attention and she specially wasn’t happy with the dress. Kept havin to adjust the way she was sittin cos she was used to wearin trousers all the time. Everyone was askin her if she was givin up the rigs but before she could answer, Big Kev would butt in say she wouldn’t have time for no truck drivin cos she’d be too busy lookin after him and all the kids they wuz gunna have.
Big Kev announced he was givin up the show life and settlin down with Jackie. Reckoned they might git hitched. He asked me and Ant to take over the toffee apple and fairy floss stand and we did for a time. Just until we could git someone else to run it, then we cruised back to the city. We was itchin for stayin still for a spell.
Bout three years later we went back out to Jackie’s town to visit her and Big Kev. They had three kids. Two walkin and one a coupla months old. Seems like Jackie got pregnant straightaway, but her and Yodel stayed drivin rigs until two weeks before the first one was born. Two weeks after the birth, she left Big Kev and the kid and went back out on the road. Did the same with the next two as well.
Everyone reckoned it worked out real good. Big Kev kept a clean house and kids, and cooked real good tucker which fattened Jackie up a bit. He didn’t seem too fussed about bein home while the missus went out ta work. He reckoned he’d spent his whole life on the road and said it sure was good to wake every day and know exactly where you was and whut you was gunna do for the day. He also reckoned bein an only kid weren’t natural. That’s why he wanted a whole bunch of em. He said im and Jackie was just like an old pair a emus in that Jackie had the kids and he looked after em.
No one ever saw Jackie in a dress again after that first night. When they got married she wore a slack suit and white cowboy hat.
We stayed with em for a coupla days on that last trip. Had a real good time and just before we was leavin, Jackie had ta take a rig over to Broken Hill and bring back a load. We was standin out the front, seein her off. Her and Yodel climbed into the truck and blew the horn nice and loud as they drove off up the red dirt road. Big Kev’s standin there with two kids and Milton beside im and nursin the little fulla. Antman looks at im.
‘Yep,’ he says, ‘I gotta hand it to ya big fulla. You sure did make a woman outta Jackie White.’