would take the rest of today and some of tomorrow to unload it. Claudia slipped out of her hold again and Angela dug the fingers of her free hand into the tender muscles at the back of her neck. Every part of her was aching.
She listened carefully as Frank described where his shop was and where she could pull in to unload. From the sound of it, the trailer would need to be unhooked first.
When she hung up, Claudia was dancing around her.
‘Mummy, Jimbo said I can go to his place. He’s got kids.’
‘I’ve rung the missus,’ Jim said, waving his mobile at her. ‘She’s happy to have an extra for a while.’
‘I don’t …’ Angela muttered. ‘I couldn’t impose.’
‘Please, Mummy.’
Angela looked down as Claudia tugged at her hand. This was all so complicated. She didn’t know Jim or his wife. She didn’t know anyone, for that matter. How on earth had she thought she could manage the business
and
Claudia? Once again Janice’s words came back to haunt her.
‘There’s always extras at our place,’ Jim said. ‘Leanne will come and pick Claudia up – you can meet her then.’
‘Please, Mummy,’ Claudia begged again.
Another vehicle pulled up outside and the phone began to ring once more. Angela knew she was out of her depth. She made a quick decision.
‘Okay, thanks Jim.’
‘Yes!’ Claudia yelled, jumping up and down on the spot.
‘It’ll only be for a couple of hours, until I can get some order here,’ Angela said.
‘Claudia can have lunch at our place and I’ll bring you something back from the shop,’ Jim said.
Claudia skipped to the door.
‘Don’t go away,’ Angela called as she reached for the phone.
‘I’ll watch her,’ Jim said. ‘Leanne’s on her way over now.’
‘Ranger Transport,’ Angela spoke into the phone, sliding her sore body into the old wooden chair. She gave a brief thought to the bubble bath she’d shared with Claudia back in Melbourne. It already seemed so long ago. Then she picked up her pen and gave her full attention to the person on the end of the line.
***
Coop got out of his ute and looked at the truck with ‘Ranger Transport’ printed on its door. He’d noticed the name, ‘Big Red’, in bold letters above its window as he’d driven into the yard. It was an impressive rig, fairly new too – hopefully a sign that Ranger Transport was going to stick with the run.
He walked around the front of his ute and nodded to Jim and Ronnie, deep in conversation at the other end of the office verandah. A little girl with blonde hair, dressed in hot pink pants and a bright green shirt had hold of a verandah pole and was spinning herself around it.
‘Hello,’ she said as he moved to step past her.
‘Hello,’ Coop replied.
‘I’m Claudia. I’m going to Jimbo’s house.’
Coop looked down at the little girl. She’d stopped spinning and was studying him with her big brown eyes.
‘Hi Claudia. I’m Coop.’
‘Have you come to pick something up or drop something off?’ She stood with her hands on her hips, her cheeks flushed from spinning and her hair fluffed out in all directions.
Coop smiled. Normally he evaded busybodies, but this one was very charming. ‘I’m hoping there’s a parcel for me, Claudia.’
‘You have to wait. My mum’s on the phone. Then she has to meet Leanne. Then she can look for your parcel.’
‘Your mum?’
‘Her name’s Angela.’ The little girl dropped her arms and puffed out her chest. ‘She drove Big Red here for Grandpa, all the way from Melbourne. That’s where we live, but we’re having a venture in Money Real.’
She said the last words very importantly, then grabbed the pole and began swinging around it again, singing to herself.
Coop couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. It seemed he’d been dismissed. He wondered if Claudia took after her mother or her father.
The screen door of the office was closed and he couldn’t see through it. He swung it open and stepped
She listened carefully as Frank described where his shop was and where she could pull in to unload. From the sound of it, the trailer would need to be unhooked first.
When she hung up, Claudia was dancing around her.
‘Mummy, Jimbo said I can go to his place. He’s got kids.’
‘I’ve rung the missus,’ Jim said, waving his mobile at her. ‘She’s happy to have an extra for a while.’
‘I don’t …’ Angela muttered. ‘I couldn’t impose.’
‘Please, Mummy.’
Angela looked down as Claudia tugged at her hand. This was all so complicated. She didn’t know Jim or his wife. She didn’t know anyone, for that matter. How on earth had she thought she could manage the business
and
Claudia? Once again Janice’s words came back to haunt her.
‘There’s always extras at our place,’ Jim said. ‘Leanne will come and pick Claudia up – you can meet her then.’
‘Please, Mummy,’ Claudia begged again.
Another vehicle pulled up outside and the phone began to ring once more. Angela knew she was out of her depth. She made a quick decision.
‘Okay, thanks Jim.’
‘Yes!’ Claudia yelled, jumping up and down on the spot.
‘It’ll only be for a couple of hours, until I can get some order here,’ Angela said.
‘Claudia can have lunch at our place and I’ll bring you something back from the shop,’ Jim said.
Claudia skipped to the door.
‘Don’t go away,’ Angela called as she reached for the phone.
‘I’ll watch her,’ Jim said. ‘Leanne’s on her way over now.’
‘Ranger Transport,’ Angela spoke into the phone, sliding her sore body into the old wooden chair. She gave a brief thought to the bubble bath she’d shared with Claudia back in Melbourne. It already seemed so long ago. Then she picked up her pen and gave her full attention to the person on the end of the line.
***
Coop got out of his ute and looked at the truck with ‘Ranger Transport’ printed on its door. He’d noticed the name, ‘Big Red’, in bold letters above its window as he’d driven into the yard. It was an impressive rig, fairly new too – hopefully a sign that Ranger Transport was going to stick with the run.
He walked around the front of his ute and nodded to Jim and Ronnie, deep in conversation at the other end of the office verandah. A little girl with blonde hair, dressed in hot pink pants and a bright green shirt had hold of a verandah pole and was spinning herself around it.
‘Hello,’ she said as he moved to step past her.
‘Hello,’ Coop replied.
‘I’m Claudia. I’m going to Jimbo’s house.’
Coop looked down at the little girl. She’d stopped spinning and was studying him with her big brown eyes.
‘Hi Claudia. I’m Coop.’
‘Have you come to pick something up or drop something off?’ She stood with her hands on her hips, her cheeks flushed from spinning and her hair fluffed out in all directions.
Coop smiled. Normally he evaded busybodies, but this one was very charming. ‘I’m hoping there’s a parcel for me, Claudia.’
‘You have to wait. My mum’s on the phone. Then she has to meet Leanne. Then she can look for your parcel.’
‘Your mum?’
‘Her name’s Angela.’ The little girl dropped her arms and puffed out her chest. ‘She drove Big Red here for Grandpa, all the way from Melbourne. That’s where we live, but we’re having a venture in Money Real.’
She said the last words very importantly, then grabbed the pole and began swinging around it again, singing to herself.
Coop couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. It seemed he’d been dismissed. He wondered if Claudia took after her mother or her father.
The screen door of the office was closed and he couldn’t see through it. He swung it open and stepped
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