Hamock Part 1

There I was in the cold bush air lying in my hammock scratching my short black hair, the chirping of the crickets and the growls of various animals, the fire glimmering out. It had been a long journey south from Launceston, walking through the bush as not to be seen by anybody. You see I’m in trouble with the law, I was framed for stealing a car and assaulting two people, the cop behind the bullshit was determined to get me to jail, where I would be killed for 30 packets of rollie weed.
This cop was a real power tripping psycho and if he didn’t like you, then he’d set you up, It’s not hard to pay a few false witnesses, who would have their story straight, and three against one, I’m outnumbered. I’m naturally a fighter so there was no way I was going to let them mongrels take me. I was planning on heading down towards Hobart where the cops wouldn’t know me then take the highway towards Dover near where my cousin Alex was living.
Alex was a contract killer that lived right out in the bush he had a 250 cc trail bike that he used for the jobs. I was a bit nervous about meeting him, as I hadn’t seen him in ten years, ever since he went to jail for manslaughter got out five year later then moved out bush. Last time I spoke to him he was building his house out of logs he had chopped down, he hunted for meat and had a vegie garden he had set up with irrigation he even had a magnet generator, said it supplied all the power he could ever need.
I drifted off to sleep and had a dream I was in jail, I remember I was walking to get some lunch when some man, about my age (23) pulled a shiv and angrily said something then the dream ended.
I woke up to something rummaging through my backpack, it was a possum and I scared it away. I had a big stretch and went and gathered some fire wood to make a fire and have some tea I had packed.
Then I sat there and sipped my tea and dreamed of having a life again, a new girlfriend, a job,  access to see my daughter, You see I wasn’t allowed visitation with her as the mother wanted Sarah (my daughter) to be brought up by one family under one roof, and said I was just an embarrassment to her , the bitch was just a power tripping snob.
Ever since I lost my job at the ball bearing company, my life went from bad to worse, then this copper  framing me was the icing on the cake.
I used to live in a real rough neighbourhood and had my fair share of fights, and I think I may have bashed someone he knows and that’s why he’s set me up.

I was planning on going to Alex’s to live the bush life for a while, he wasn’t expecting me but I was offered by him to stay there a while, a while back so I thought he wouldn’t mind. 
I finish packing my food, water and utensils then continued walking through the rough terrain. After half a day of trudging through bush and through farmland I came to a highway, I figured I was far enough away from the city too be safe from the cops, at least safer anyway.
My plan was too catch the Redline bus from Perth to Hobart and walk from there too Dover. But I had to find another camp near Perth and catch the bus in the morning.
I walked up the highway towards Perth, my heart sunk when a cop car drove past but they didn’t stop, It looked like local cops and they didn’t recognise me.  I continued into Perth and collected some water from someone’s front yard tap then walked down to the river and found an out of view place to set up camp. I lit a fire and cooked some beans on it. The area I chose wasn’t suitable for the hammock so I left it in the backpack.
I lay there that night looking at the stars and wondered if aliens ever have their life’s fucked over, or do they all live in a perfect world were nobodies left behind or murdered or even bashed. I fell asleep thinking about this imaginary world.
I awoke to somebody talking and a flashlight in my face.
“What are you doing here” said the man sounding in his fifties.
“I’m just camping the night, I’ll be gone in the morning”
The man was silent for a while still shining his powerful torch at the camp site the back at me, then said:
“Alright then, just be gone by morning”
And with that he walked away the torch bouncing over the land as he walked back to the house that stood a couple hundred metres up the hill. I watched him till he went inside the house.
I restocked the fire with wood and lay down to go back to sleep, about half an hour later of lying there, a voice came from the darkness and startled me, it was a woman’s voice:
“Hello” and the woman stepped out of the darkness and sat down opposite me in front of the fire.
“Hello who are you?” I said
“I live with my grandad, this is our property, I was just talking to my grandad, who said there was a young man camping down here and I just had to come say hello”
“Oh ok, do you want a cup of tea…?” I said and filled the billy and sat it on the fire.
“Yeah ok” she said with a large smile on her face
“What’s your name?”
“Rebecca and you are?”
“My names David”
“So why are you out here camping, are you some kind of nomad or something”
“Not really I’m “I was about to tell her the truth that I was on the run from the cops but instead told her:
“I’m just on my way to visit someone and thought I’d take the scenic route”
“Sounds like fun, who you visiting?”
“My cousin”
The billy started boiling and I poured the woman some tea. She was a rather beautiful woman with long blond hair and she wore blue jeans and a flannelette shirt. She accepted the tea and sipped it while looking at me smiling.
“So what do you do with yourself, I mean when you’re not camping on peoples farm land”
“I used to work for a ball bearing company”
“Used to, what happened?”
“The business had a downsize due to losing a buyer to some Chinese company”
“Oh ok” She said and took another sip of the tea.
She then put down the tea and stood up and came and sat right next to me, I could smell Vanilla on her, She then started kissing me, I kissed her back and we lay down in a thrall of passion. She unbuttoned her shirt and her ample breasts were exposed, I kissed them and coupled them while kissing her mouth. We took off our clothes then lay back down and kissed and rubbed each other, and had some rough sex next to the fire on the cold grass.
Afterwards we got dressed and I gathered more wood for the fire, I then lay down and Rebecca lay in front of me and we lay there watching the fire for a while as if nothing matter in the world.
I heard a car door shut from the road then a male’s voice screaming, somebody was coming towards us.
“Your mine Becca!” Screamed the man in a drunkard voice, “ I’ll show you, your for me!”
“Fuck off Adam! I don’t love you anymore! ” screamed Rebecca
The drunken man staggered over to us and Rebecca and I stood up.
“You, you fuck come here!” The man shouted and came at me.
I stood to one side and he fell over, then tried to get up but just fell straight back over. He then lay there crying and saying: “Why don’t you love me, Nobody loves me”
“Get off my property! I don’t love you. Just leave!”
“You heard her, leave now” I said
“You!, you fuck! I’ll have you!” Said Adam and managed to get up and tried to swing a punch at me, which I parried then returned a punch and knocked him unconscious”. His body falling on the fire.
We quickly picked his body up off the fire and lay him beside it.
“You stupid fuck, now look at you!” Said Rebecca.
“Ex boyfriend?”
“Yeah, He doe’s this when he drinks, Usually my grandad chases him away with a knife, cut him once too”.
“I think it’d be better if I leaved now” I said
“You sure, You could come back to the house for a the night” She looked down at Adam, “ He’ll be normal again in the morning, you won’t have any trouble from him by then”.
“Do you have a shower?” I said
“Yes” She laughed, “ why wouldn’t we have a shower”
“Yeah I suppose you’d have to have one living on a farm.”, “ I think I will come over then”
I packed my bag and Rebecca led the way holding my hand and we walked through the dark, up the hill towards the house, that had no lights on.
When I stepped inside I noticed the strong smell of incenses and beer, The house was old and had old furniture in it there were no lights on just the glow of a wood fire coming from room down the hall.
“Who’s that with you” came the old man’s voice from somewhere”
We walked down the hall and into the lounge room, her grandad sat in a chair next to the fire with his back turned to the doorway. We walked over to come into view of his eyes.
“This is...”
“I know who this is, it’s the vagrant who was camping by the river”
Rebecca replied “He’s not a vagrant, and his name is David, and he’s staying the night”
Rebecca walked out while I said to the old man:” I really appreciate this”, and sat down in a chair to the left of the fire.
“Yeah” he said dismissingly, and then swallowed his last mouthful of beer, he looked at me then said slowly :
“ Just don’t go in the spare room, Ok”
“I can handle that” I said and I got up and went and showered and got into bed with Bec,
It felt good to be out of those sweaty clothes, I had been walking all night and day out of the city.
Normally you could walk to Perth in a few hours, but I wasn’t taking the road way so it took me a considerably longer time. 
“You can handle yourself can’t you” Said Bec which is what I would later call Rebecca.
There was a short silence then I ignored her question and said: “What’s in the spare room?”
“Oh that’s the study where my grandma used to write her books, she’s been dead for over five years now, but grandad still keeps the room exactly the way grandma left it, he doesn’t like me going in there ever”.
“Anyway I should probably get some sleep, I’ve got another day on the farm tomorrow”  said Rebecca.
She kissed me on the cheek then rolled over to her side of the bed and said goodnight, which I returned. I went to sleep listening to the sounds of Rebecca’s grandad drinking and tending to the fire.



2
I woke up tired and hungry, I looked at my watch, 10:31, I could hear the sound of the tractor and dogs barking outside. I put on my jeans, black t-shirt and blue rain jacket and walked out of the room. Nobody was inside,  I went into the kitchen to the smell of fried bacon. There was an egg, toast and bacon on the table under a tea- towel next a glass of orange juice that was next to a note folded in half that read:
I really enjoyed last night
And I’ll be working all day
If you leave be sure
To come back soon
Thankfully yours Bec

P.S.  eat up.

I folder the note back up and put it in my pocket and went and put my boots on.
I looked around the house for the phone and found it in the kitchen; it was one of those old plastic 70’s phones with the round dial that takes forever to dial a number. I looked in the phonebook and rang the bus service, the bus was at 2:30, and I still had four hours , so I went to say goodbye to Rebecca .

I found Rebecca on the tractor up the south end of the field,  I ran over the ploughed field and shouted loud to Rebecca, she heard me and switched of the tractor and climbed down and I said:
“What ya growing”

Rebecca replied “ where putting in a corn crop , hey You going are you?”

“My bus is at 2:30, just thought I’d say good bye”

Rebecca looked at her watch then said:
“You’ve still got three and a half hours, sure you don’t want to stick around?“.

“I was just going to eat my breakfast then head off”

“Well just let me ask you something before you go”

“Ask me anything you like”

“Just wondered if you’d be interested in working on the farm?”

“Hmm, maybe after I’ve visited my cousin, I’ll come back”

“How long will you be visiting your cousin for”

“I never had a time frame, maybe a few months”

“Well if the position isn’t filled by then, you’re welcome to it.”

“Ok thanks”

She came closer and gave me a loving kiss then said with a smile:
“It be really good if you could stick around for a bit, I’ll make it worth your while”

“Um I’m not sure “

She knelt down on the ground and began unbuckling my belt.

“What are you doing, about your grandad” I said grabbing her hands

“He’s blind as a bat he won’t be able to see this far away, come on just go with it” said Rebecca.
She pulled it out and started sucking me off right there in the cool air of the field.
The warm sucking was dripping with saliva I was close to coming, but I had never came off a head job in my life .

Rebecca said with a garbled voice:
“Come darling”
In between the sucking and swallowing the full seven inches.
My whole body tingled as she worked the head.
“Come baby” Came Rebecca’s garbled voice again.
I fucked her head a little and tried not to touch it and shortly after that I came down her neck, .
She pulled her head of with one last sucking pop that left tingles down the length of it,
Then wiped her mouth and kissed me on the cheek then sat on the step of the tractor, while I quickly put it back in and zipped up.
“You’ll get this all the time if you stay”
“Now that does sound tempting, but I’m going to need time to think about it”
“Ok, well stay till your bus comes and make up your mind in the meantime”
“I think I might do that”
“Cool, well I can’t sit around talking all day, I’ve got a shit load to do”
“Hang on a minute, Is there anything for me to do around here?”
“You could help grandad with the wood chopping , I’m sure he’ll appreciate it”
“Yeah ok”
She smiled at me then climbed up onto the tractor and started it and drove off singing Raindrops keep falling on my head!

What a catch I thought to myself, I was mad leaving, I’m sure I won’t be noticed by the cops and I could work on the farm by day, and have awesome sex with Bec at night .
I walked back to the house under the crisp blue Autumn sky, few clouds scattered making patches of shadows on the ploughed dirt. I walked up the long dirt field towards the house, where Rebecca’s grandad was chopping wood
I went and stood by Bec’s grandad.
“Ya any good at chopping” he said
“I can hold my own” I answered
“Here” Sad the old man and handed me the axe.
I began chopping the tree stumps into manageable pieces, every now and then chopping kindling as instructed by the old man, then piling the wood in the wood shed. The wood stocks were low, just covering the bottom of the wood shed.
A couple hours later I wiped the sweat off my face and gave a stretch. The wood shed was over half full, I was just about to pick up the next section of log when Rebecca’s voice came from behind me:

“Coming in for lunch David?”

“Yeah” I said and put down the axe and the three of us went inside.
We sat around the large square wooden table with clear plastic on top of it. My breakfast still sitting there , I ate it with pleasure.
I offered Rebecca some bacon which she waved away.

“What’s the matter with you, not hungry?” said Bec’s grandad 

“Nah grandad, I’ve had something” said Rebecca

“What’d ya have?”

“Oh just something David rustled up”

Rebecca  laughed heartily while I just smiled.

“What’s so funny ?” said Bec’s grandad cracking a beer.

Rebecca replied: “Oh nothing I’ve just got to wash my hands then I’ll make us some sandwich’s “ then left the room.
I heard her grandad say under his  breath “gobies” as he walk out and began gathering up necessary items to start a fire then said loudly:

“You did good today David, and I hope you can stick around so I can teach you a thing or two”

“I think I will actually” I said back to him

“So you’ll take the job?” came Rebecca’s voice as she came back into the room
I looked at her, she wore a nice cream white woollen top which had an intertwined link pattern going down the length of it, her blond hair back in a pony tail, blue eyes hoping for a yes.

“Yes” I said
Rebecca clapped her hands and yelled:
“yay!, it’s going to be so fun, we’ll have to go get your things from where ever you live”

“Launceston and no that won’t be necessary”

“You sure it’s no trouble” said Rebecca

“Rebecca I need to talk to you, in private”

“Ok follow me”

And I followed her into her room and she shut the door behind me and sat on the edge of the bed hands in her lap.

I said “I’m on the run from the cops and we can’t go back to the city for a while”

“What did you do?”

“I was set up by some dirty copper ”

“Well I’ve always had a good feeling about you, so I’m willing to help you, but we’ll have to tell the old man”

“You sure he won’t over react”

“I’ll sort him out don’t worry”

“Sorry for bringing this burden on you”

“It’s alright it’s worth it, for you, I’d do anything”
She came closer to me so we sat side by side on the bed. She gave me a loving long kiss.
When the kiss ended I said:

“Are you saying you love me”

“Hold on their partner I’m not saying that, it’s just, well, I’ve never had sex like that before, it’s amazing”
“Yeah , well you were pretty good too”
I felt love for her from the moment she sat down at that camp fire, and the longer I was around her the stronger my love for her was.

We went back into the kitchen and finished off lunch, Rebecca’s grandad getting up to take a couple bites then return to his beer.

I was full as a goog, after breakfast and two salad sandwiches.

“You can finish filling the wood shed then do whatever Bec  asks you to do” said the old man

Rebecca said: “You can feed the pigs, gather eggs and I’ll show you how to milk the cows later”
So worked all day and had sex down by the river, in the hey shed and mostly in the bed. We had drinks with Bec’s Grandad sometimes and on a occasion we went to the shops or the pub, and on Sunday we went to the Evandale markets that had all kinds of stuff, we regularly bought each other things, I would buy her jewellery while she would buy candles and a lot of scented oils and nice things to put in the house. We would buy each other t-shirts with cool designs and wear them out to the pub to play pool or get stinking drunk and get a room for the night, driving back to work on the farm in the morning, then working all day with a hangover, which I didn’t mind cause I got to be with the most beautiful girl in my world at the end of the day, which made it worth it.

2

I’d been living and working on that farm all winter we were mostly a dairy farm so it was year round. I was summer now and we sat drinking home made lemon aid and listening to the radio while playing cards, we played canasta, Bec’s grandad in the lead. Bec wore a nice purple blouse and black pants and some pearl earrings I bought while I wore my usual blue jeans and black t-shirt, Bec’s grandad wearing his usual flannelette and overalls. It was cooling off and night was approaching , Cows mooed, dogs barked and the radio blared.

There was the sound of a motorbike coming down the driveway, Bec went to go great them but I said: “ wait , something’s not right, let me go”, and went out to see who it was. I stood there waiting looking down the drive, the mysterious person came closer reving the bike slowly as he slowed down and came towards me .He rode a blue trail bike and wore all black with a black motor bike helmet.  He pulled up to me and didn’t take off his motorbike helmet. He then pulled out a double barrel shot gun out of a green duffle bag and pointed it at Bec’s grandad, I dove at him but it was too late and the gun went off , I stood up a bit quicker than Alex then kicked him to the ground. I then grabbed hold of the gun as he was on the ground and put my leg on his chest and pulled the gun out of his hands , I then started beating at Alex with the but of the gun and managed to knock him out.

I heard Rebecca screaming and ringing the ambulance while I tried to remember where there would be some rope. I ran to the hey shed gun still in hand, and found no rope, so I gathered a length of fencing wire then cut it with some pliers and took it back to Alex who was still knocked out. I tied him up with the wire and took off his helmet then went and checked on Bec who  was cradling her grandad in her arms crying. Her grandad was still breathing and there was blood everywhere, the pellets hit him in the shoulder and he was bleeding profusely. I rushed inside and got a sheet of one of the beds then came back out and tied the sheet around the wound to help stop the bleeding.

A couple minutes passed then Alex woke up
“LET ME GO CUNT!”  he screamed
I looked out at him he was struggling with the wire I had wrapped around him, I went out to him and stood a few feet from him and said. “ Not until you promise me, you’ll drop the hit”.

“Ok I’ll drop it, just get this fucking wire off me “ said Alex
“Ok I’ll drop it, just get this fucking wire off me “ said Alex
“And if I untie you the shotgun stays with me” I said
“Ok just hurry up before the cops get here”
I reloaded the gun in front of Alex, then pointed it at him then said: “Bec, come un snip our friend here “. She came out of the porch wiping her tears, trying not to cry she snipped Alex free, she then quickly stood behind me as though Alex was a wild animal then went back her grandad.
“Ok now leave” I said still pointing the shotgun at him.
“Ok I’m going,”
And he put his helmet on and started the engine and road down the dirt road into the night.
I went back to Rebecca and said:
“I’m gonna have to leave for a while , at least until the cops have done there investigations here”
Bec replied: “ Ok you can take the four wheeler and head up the back of the property, you can hide in the bushland across the fields “
I stepped closer to Bec and bent down and kissed her head, she held her grandad still, I said: “ Ok I’m gonna go now, I’ll ring your mobile later tonight” . I kissed her forehead again then went in the house and quickly packed some provisions  gave Bec another kiss then looked at her and said for the first time: “ I love you”
Bec replied : “ I love you too, be safe”
“And Remember not to tell any of the cops about me, or the ambulance ok” I said
“Ok” Bec replied.
I jumped on the dirty green and black four wheeler and started the engine and turned on the lights and took off toward the back of the property. As I rode I looked back occasionally.
Ten minutes of riding later I noticed the two little police lights at the house and I turned off the bike and walked the rest of the way to the fence line.
I hoped Rebecca’s grandad was ok and I started wondering about all the reasons there might be a hit on Bec’s grandad. I figured it was something from his past.
I couldn’t believe it was Alex, my cousin Alex, If I decided to go to Alex’s like planned Bec and her grandad might be dead right now and I’d be none the wiser, probably stoned and asleep.

Blue grey clouds floated through a starry sky, a half moon being covered with clouds. The only light was the faint blue glow of the moon, which made going quite easy. 
I walk over fields filled sheep, they barred and ran away as I walked past them.
An hour and three fences later, I made it too bush land and walked a further half an hour through rough bush till I found a nice spot to camp. I threw my bag off my back and sat down, I decided a fire would be too risky and got out my sleeping bag and pillow and got into it and lay on the pillow then pulled out my phone and dialled Rebecca’s phone.
It rang a few times then she answered a tired voice:
“Hello babe”
“Is he alright”
“He’s a bit banged up, but surgery went well ,  doctors said he should recover fine”
“Thank god, and how are you doing” I said
“I’m feeling much better, the police interviewed me, and I told the gunman shot at my grandad then rode away, I’ll get my grandad to stick to the story too when he wakes up, so you should be in the clear. And how are you doing?”
“I’m fine I’ll be sleeping alfresco tonight thought, I wish I could be there with you”
“So do I , you know, you did good tonight, if you hadn’t been there it might have been a lot worse, I might be dead right now”
“Try not to think about that stuff, it’s over and done with and where all right”
“I can’t understand why someone would want to kill him, he’s just an old man”
“I don’t know but that man who tried to kill him was a hit man”
“was he, how do you know that?”
“ He’ my cousin Alex”
“Alex is a hit man? Do you know why the hit was on grandad?”
“No, your grandad might know something about it, but you should probably wait to ask him, he will be weak and we probably shouldn’t be worked up at the moment”
“There’s a cop outside the room so you can’t come in and visit us but I’ll ring and let you know what’s going on tomorrow early”
“Ok I’ll have to go now and turn my phone off, I can’t charge my phone out here so I’ll need the charge for tomorrow”
“Ok hun, bye” Bec said
“love you ” I replied
“Love you too” She said and I hung up the phone and looked at the time, 11:30. I turned off the phone and put it in my back pack and rolled over and got comfy. I was too alert to sleep so I just lay there all night listening to crickets and possums rummaging about the tree and thinking about what happened, I wasn’t expecting Alex to return, I always knew Alex as a man of his word, and he did say he would drop the hit. But what’s to say someone else doesn’t take up the hit and come around in a few days, or a few months.
I lay there all night thinking about all the lushes memories me and Bec had made together, Bec laughing at me as I play silly songs on the guitar, laying naked with her down by the river and we made each other jewellery out of flowers, and many other little things that I will always treasure  , a few more hours of tossing and turning and the sky started to get lighter and sleep over came me and  I slept.