Spinifex. That was the name of the town. A town that was so in the middle of nowhere that it was named after a type of grass that most people had never heard about. Even mum’s phone had nothing to say about it. I restarted her phone, but the ‘maps’ app gave me the same old page apologizing for the lack of service. I growled in frustration.

“Look! A fruit stall.” 

My mother’s fake ass exclamations broke up the monotony of grass, trees and the occasional animal. The animals were either dead on the road or grazing out in the paddocks. Barbwire fences and power poles were the only hints of human settlement.

“Mum.” I gave her my best ‘are you serious?’ look.

Her fingers drummed on the steering wheel. Her coffee cup sat empty in the centre-console.

“We should pull up at the next roadhouse and ask for directions.”

“I KNOW where I’m going, Samantha.”

“Then you’d be the only one. Even your brand spanking new GPS thinks that we are lost.”

Mum pulled over, onto the gravel. We rolled to a stop and she turned off the engine. She sighed loudly and pushed her seat the whole way back. She ran her hands through her tightly curled, peach blonde hair.

“Out!” She ordered.

I looked at her as if I had been stung by a wasp. I guess she got sick of our little game of I spy.

“Get out Samantha Cornwall!” Using my full name? Yikes! She was angry.

I opened the door and leapt out, careful not to fall through the hedge onto the highway. Mum kicked her down open and lazily fumbled for her cigarette papers in the side pocket of the door. I looked around at the endless horizon. Dust. Barbwire fence. Tall, golden grass. The smell of motor oil. Mum started murmuring something to herself as she rolled her cigarette and lit it, still reclined in her seat. I shuffled my joggers on the gravel and then b-lined for the fruit and veggie stand to stretch my legs. Mostly to get away from mum. We’d spent the past three days driving. Just the two of us on an open highway. Dad was driving his Ute to the new place. After work he’d finish loading all of the furniture and white goods. I had a pocket full of coins. I bought myself a plastic bag with six apples in it. There were three green apples and three red apples. My thoughts drifted home to my old bedroom, my old house and my old school. Anywhere but here.

“Samantha? Sammy. Sammy. Sammy!”

I was brought back to reality by my mother’s voice calling my name over and over. I scurried back to the car like an empty husk. Open door. Sit down. Close the door. Seat belt on. Click! Shut the door. It was only 100 metres down the road that something caught my attention. A scarecrow standing watch over a pumpkin patch. The immaculate pumpkin vine had escaped the old bathtub that once served as its home and choked out everything around it. The scarecrow was not all that interesting to look at with its potato sack body and Jack-O-Lantern head. Even though Halloween was almost a year away. One of the farm hands must have a sick sense of humor. The crows did not seem bothered by it, preening themselves on its outstretched arms.

What I saw next made my breath snag in my throat. The head turned slowly, winking at me. I gasped like I’d been poked by a hot iron rod. We sped past the scarecrow before I finished stuttering, “D-did you see that m-mum?”

She looked around and then shrugged her shoulders.

“What was it?”

“A scarecrow…”

“Sammy. There are scarecrows everywhere.”

“It moved!”

“That is perfectly normal. It’s windy out here.”

“No. It winked at me!”

“Oh my.” She laughed. “What an overactive imagination you have. I remember when I was a kid like you. My imagination was not as active as yours. Oh, your father and I. We’d sneak out into the hay, before it was cut obviously.” She sighed. “It was delight-”

“No. No. No.” I did not want to think about my mum as a teenager having sex in someone else’s hay. I had seen old photographs of her, but I had no idea where they were taken.

“Did you live here as a kid? Spinifex, I mean.”

My mother nodded.

“Ah, I was so reckless back then. Before I met your father. We settled down to have you.”

“Why?”

For a second she stopped laughing.

“I spy with my little eye, something beginning with C.”

There was a sharp pain in the side of my neck. Ouch! A bug must have bitten me.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Mum saw me wince and gave me a smile that could be sold at a dollar store for 99¢.

“What’s wrong, Sammy?”

“I think something bit me. My neck hurts.” I rubbed at it.

“You’ll be fine.” She said, “There are antihistamines in my handbag if you really need them.”

“Is it…a car?” I replied, trying to distract myself. The pain faded. Itchiness took its place.

Damn bugs. Go bite something else! Why do you have to fly in here? Mum’s handbag. Where’s that? Oh yeah. The backseat. I might take some antihistamines. Just in case.

“Nope!” My mother chuckled as I dove into the back, half restrained by the seat belt. She was enjoying this. Damn it! Why are my arms so short? Almost there. No! Almost.

“Cloud?” I finally grasped the handbag and dug out the foil packet. I flipped it over to look for instructions, but everything was blurry as if I was not wearing my glasses. I decided to guess and I took two pills with water and a comical amount of gagging.

“No. Try again.” Mum laughed, sounding more like a laugh track than a human being.

“Gee. Thanks. Uh…” My brain scrambled to spot and think of something-anything- starting with C as I returned to my seat and returned my water bottle to the floor between my feet. “Cat?”

“Do you give up?”

I nodded. “Arggh. Whatever. I don’t feel so well.”

“If you sleep, the stinging will stop. It used to work when you were a child.”

“Yeah, when I was like three.”

The stinging got too much for me. I decided to follow mum’s advice and sleep until it didn’t hurt anymore. I passed out watching the view. After miles of crops, our car sped through a graveyard. A drab place, but at least it was well maintained, protected by a low, wrought iron and picket fence.

Cemetery? Damn it. Where was that when I needed a C word?

As soon as our hatchback crested the hill, we arrived in a country town where ‘essential’ stores were in the main street, boxed in by rows of mismatched houses. Was this an oasis in the middle of nowhere or was this the beginning of a new chapter in my life?

I woke up when the car had stopped, but the engine was idling. I fumbled around in the dark for the interior light. As my eyes adjusted, I saw mum talking to someone in a uniform. A police officer? Mum must have noticed that I had stirred. Mum walked over.

“We’re here, Samantha. Why don’t you go inside and lay down?”

I don’t think so. I’ve been asleep this whole time.

I nodded, grabbing my backpack. I could unpack everything else tomorrow. I rubbed my eyes and trudged inside. I got a look at the officer who turned as I passed him. He had dark hair, which blended with the shadows, but I saw glimmers when he turned to look around the circle of light provided by the porch light which suggested that his shoulder length hair was dark brown. His eyes were such a dark shade of green that his eyes appeared to be black at first. His skin alluded to the fact that he was of foreign descent.

“Goodnight Mrs Cornwall. I’ll swing by in the morning to help you. Where’s Herbert?”

“He’ll be here in a couple of days. That would be wonderful! I didn’t catch your name.”

“Maverick O’Sullivan.”

“O’Sullivan? Oh, you are one of Thea’s children! How is the old girl these days?”

“She’s good.”

“Did she settle down after all of that travelling around? The last time that I saw her, her youngest was four years old like my Samantha. What was his name?”

“Are you talking about Tyler?”

“Yes! That’s the one. What else is new?”

“She’s excited about my engagement.”

“Oh, you’re engaged? That’s wonderful! Of course, she would be. Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Uh, actually it’s…Nevermind. Mum’ll absolutely want your help planning the wedding.” The officer turned to glare daggers into my soul. “It seems like we’re not alone-”

The officer put his arm out to protect my mother. My mother is as short as me. Sometimes, she is confused for being my sister, even though I am an only child.

“That’s just my daughter. Don’t worry about her. You’ll see her tomorrow. She’ll show you where everything needs to go.”

“In that case, I won’t keep you up, Ms Cornwall. You’ve probably been driving for hours.”

“Oh, you’re not a child anymore. You can call me, Megan.”

“I really couldn’t, ma’am. That’d be…weird. You used to babysit me when mum and dad were working. You both need to rest after your long drive. I’ll see you both tomorrow. Don’t worry. I’m not an early bird and I’ve got paperwork to do. I’ll be here after breakie.”

Maverick tipped his hat and walked to our car. The officer reached in through the driver’s window and turned the car off, tossing the key to my mother. My mother caught the keys with both hands. Maverick climbed back into the squad car. As Maverick drove off, my mother joined me inside and locked the door. She did not bother to grab anything out of the car. She only had her handbag dangling from the nook of her elbow.

***

“I know it’s hard, but just do as you are told. The move has messed with your mother’s head too.” My father sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses.

“Samantha! You are not coming to town dressed like that.”

When did I agree to go to town? “But…”

“You’re going to meet lots of new people.”

“They’re all at school mum.”

“Have you finished unpacking, Samantha?”

“I’ll get around to it.” It’s too early for this.

“Easy up on her honey.” My father tried to steal a kiss from my mother. “It’s only the second day.”

“That’s easy for you to say, Herbert.” My mother huffed.

I know what she wanted to say next. She wanted to complain about staying in cheap caravan parks. She wanted to complain about being stuck with me the whole way here. Mostly about me. Her foot tapping led to my cereal bowl falling off the table. I caught it in my lap. Mum cursed me for being clumsy. My father tossed me a roll of paper towel. This whole situation reminded me of the arguments that happened whenever they disagreed over gift giving when I was a child. I still HATED gift giving because of that.

It felt weird to watch everyone walk to school. I had a second-hand uniform fitting and now I was serving as cheap child labour. As a child, I dreamed of wearing a formal uniform, but now that I had one, I knew why the girls from other schools complained about it. Mum had grand plans for the florist/decorator shop. The police officer arrived again. He was strong for his size. He could lift things that muscular gym bros would struggle with. Mum got distracted from complaining about my gloomy mood, asking Maverick about his engagement. Maverick glanced sideways at me. 

“Hey Sammy. Can you pick up a few things for me while you’re out and about?” Maverick asked.

“Uh…sure? But I don’t know where anything is.”

“I’ll text you the list. You can do it.” 

He didn’t have my number, but mum didn’t have to know that. 

“That’s an excellent idea, Milly! She will get to know where everything is.” My mother replied with her usual spite while Milly worked. Mum does not like my reclusive habits.

I finally got the hint, picked up my backpack and walked out into the fresh air.

Thanks Maverick. I owe you one. Wait. We’ve been hanging out all morning. Is Maverick trans? Why didn’t he say anything last night? Oh My gOd i thOugHt he wAs a shE-

Me: Hey. It’s Sammy. I’m sorry I’m so stupid!

Me: I should have known T-T Do you prefer male pronouns? 

Maverick: Yes. It’s no biggie if you forget btw. Lots of people don’t get it.

Maverick did in fact put his number in my phone while we worked like packhorses to unload dad’s Ute.