not right to despise a hero.
8
IZZY watched the red lights of the ambulance as they flashed all the way down the driveway. She had managed to stay composed throughout their arrival and assessment of her dad. Now they’d left for the hospital she didn’t have to be strong for her mum or her dad, and she started to lose her grip.
Will was standing behind her and saw her shoulders begin to shake. It wasn’t until he moved closer that he saw her face. The soft lines around his eyes creased with worry the moment he saw her tears. Then the unexpected happened. Will put his hand around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. She resisted at first, but the gentle circular movement of his thumb on her neck broke her resistance. That and the fact he’d started whispering, ‘He’ll be fine,’ and, ‘Don’t worry.’
The ambulance would take her dad to the nearest hospital, which was in Lake Grace, fifty kilometres away. From there they would more than likely transfer him to Perth by Flying Doctor. Jean said she’d call Izzy that night, with an update on Bill’s progress.
Izzy felt completely lost after her parents left. She wasn’t sure what she should be doing. And she felt awkward and embarrassed about her moment of closeness with Will. She sent him packing by convincing him that he’d done more than enough already, and that he should get back to harvesting, as they were nearly finished.
Sick of twiddling her thumbs and reliving the fire one too many times in her mind, she decided to go into town and put the beer on for everyone who’d helped. She knew they’d all be under the Tree. There was nothing else she could do at home and she wanted to thank everyone personally. Mum would call her on her mobile if she couldn’t get her at home.
The Tree, or Gumtree Tavern as it said on her stubbie holder, was their local watering hole, as the town didn’t have a pub. It was where they all sat and drank and told a few yarns, under the shade of two huge gum trees. The two trees were out the front of the local shop, which also sold liquor, and it had a huge dirt area for parking. The old CWA building was fifty-odd metres to the left and the kids usually ran around its verandahs on a Tree night. You could easily get twenty cars parked willy-nilly between the shop, the CWA and the gum trees.
On her way out Izzy made a note to ring the insurance company to advise them what had happened, so they could make a time to come and check out the header. With the help they’d received from everyone in the district, there was only a small amount of crop burnt, so in that respect they were doing okay. But the header was well and truly a goner.
Ten minutes later she found herself sitting on the old wooden tree log under the branches of the two gum trees enjoying the chatter. The pink and grey galahs squawked nearby and the Albany Doctor had blown in, cooling off the afternoon. It was the first chance she’d had since arriving home to visit the Tree. She’d missed its atmosphere and the friendly faces.
Utes and cars sat parked at random, wherever there was a free spot. Ladies sat with their wines, while kids happily ran about. The men stood around, beers (donated by Izzy) in hand, swapping jokes, or bragging about how well their crop was going, or how great their new big headers were. If it had been a bad year, there would’ve been the constant shaking of heads and sighing among the depressed faces.
Izzy was still in her blackened shorts and singlet, as were all the blokes who’d helped put out the fire. Her hands and arms were patched with black soot and she was sure her face was the same. But it didn’t matter. No one ever got dressed up for the Tree. It was a come as you are, be yourself kind of place, free from judgement. It made her feel so relaxed just being with all the locals, who in a way were like family – people she’d known her whole life, people who’d help at a second’s notice. Yep, there was nothing like a
8
IZZY watched the red lights of the ambulance as they flashed all the way down the driveway. She had managed to stay composed throughout their arrival and assessment of her dad. Now they’d left for the hospital she didn’t have to be strong for her mum or her dad, and she started to lose her grip.
Will was standing behind her and saw her shoulders begin to shake. It wasn’t until he moved closer that he saw her face. The soft lines around his eyes creased with worry the moment he saw her tears. Then the unexpected happened. Will put his hand around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. She resisted at first, but the gentle circular movement of his thumb on her neck broke her resistance. That and the fact he’d started whispering, ‘He’ll be fine,’ and, ‘Don’t worry.’
The ambulance would take her dad to the nearest hospital, which was in Lake Grace, fifty kilometres away. From there they would more than likely transfer him to Perth by Flying Doctor. Jean said she’d call Izzy that night, with an update on Bill’s progress.
Izzy felt completely lost after her parents left. She wasn’t sure what she should be doing. And she felt awkward and embarrassed about her moment of closeness with Will. She sent him packing by convincing him that he’d done more than enough already, and that he should get back to harvesting, as they were nearly finished.
Sick of twiddling her thumbs and reliving the fire one too many times in her mind, she decided to go into town and put the beer on for everyone who’d helped. She knew they’d all be under the Tree. There was nothing else she could do at home and she wanted to thank everyone personally. Mum would call her on her mobile if she couldn’t get her at home.
The Tree, or Gumtree Tavern as it said on her stubbie holder, was their local watering hole, as the town didn’t have a pub. It was where they all sat and drank and told a few yarns, under the shade of two huge gum trees. The two trees were out the front of the local shop, which also sold liquor, and it had a huge dirt area for parking. The old CWA building was fifty-odd metres to the left and the kids usually ran around its verandahs on a Tree night. You could easily get twenty cars parked willy-nilly between the shop, the CWA and the gum trees.
On her way out Izzy made a note to ring the insurance company to advise them what had happened, so they could make a time to come and check out the header. With the help they’d received from everyone in the district, there was only a small amount of crop burnt, so in that respect they were doing okay. But the header was well and truly a goner.
Ten minutes later she found herself sitting on the old wooden tree log under the branches of the two gum trees enjoying the chatter. The pink and grey galahs squawked nearby and the Albany Doctor had blown in, cooling off the afternoon. It was the first chance she’d had since arriving home to visit the Tree. She’d missed its atmosphere and the friendly faces.
Utes and cars sat parked at random, wherever there was a free spot. Ladies sat with their wines, while kids happily ran about. The men stood around, beers (donated by Izzy) in hand, swapping jokes, or bragging about how well their crop was going, or how great their new big headers were. If it had been a bad year, there would’ve been the constant shaking of heads and sighing among the depressed faces.
Izzy was still in her blackened shorts and singlet, as were all the blokes who’d helped put out the fire. Her hands and arms were patched with black soot and she was sure her face was the same. But it didn’t matter. No one ever got dressed up for the Tree. It was a come as you are, be yourself kind of place, free from judgement. It made her feel so relaxed just being with all the locals, who in a way were like family – people she’d known her whole life, people who’d help at a second’s notice. Yep, there was nothing like a
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