Chapter 11

After breakfast, Weena and Maddy got busy in the kitchen. Maddy peeled and boiled potatoes in preparation for potato salad. Weena peppered the steaks on one side and rubbed the lamb with some secret mixture. She put the yabbies in salted water to clean.

"Actually, these aren't 'yabbies.' In Queensland, yabbies are burrowing crayfish. And the ones in the open water are ghost shrimp," I remarked to Charlie. "But I'm not sure what these are. They're like what they call 'tiger shrimp' and they're like giant prawns. But I'm not really certain. The things they call shrimp and prawn cover a lot of different species of decapods, and crayfish and lobsters cover a bunch more. I don't care much. I eat any of 'em."

"Yep. 'Long the Gulf Coast o' Texas, near Louisiana, they get shrimp an' crawdads. You get 'em in cajun stews. Reckon it's the same over here."

We were in the garden. Weena had us set up the table and we put out plates an' silverware an' glasses of different sizes. I'd filled both grills with charcoal and gotten a bucket of cedar chips to put on top for flavor. I was waiting to be told I'd done it wrong. But I knew I was going to be hungry, even though I'd had a big breakfast and told Charlie to do the same.

"Maddy didn' say nothin' yet."

"I think Weena talked to her."

"Yep. She's mullin' something. That's good. When I spoke to her yonder on the way to the Alice. She just got riled. Now she's thinkin' 'bout it. She ain't hasty."

"It'll work out."

"Reckon it will."

"Gordy, phone!" came Weena's voice. I hadn't even heatd it ring.

It was Chuck, wanting to make sure that all they had to bring was a sweet. I told him they could come empty-handed and whenever they wanted. Looking at the kitchen clock I saw it was already just past noon.

"Weena?"

"We're upstairs."

"I forgot. Or did I tell you I told Chuck to bring a sweet?"

"You didn't tell me. But I guessed you had."

"'Bonny Kate' — 'your reasons have been sharp'."

"That's not fair — two plays."

"OK. Which should I take back? Shrew or Love's Labour's Lost?"

"Up to you, 'fair shrew'."

"That's a third play!"

"Well, I guess it's a tie, then."

"Right." I went back outside. "Things must be OK," I told Charlie.

"We'll see what we see."

"Don't be a pessimist."

It was only a bit past 13:30 when a blue 4-wheel drive pulled in and Chuck got out, went to the passenger side and helped a woman out. She was quite petite. I went out front to say 'hello' and realized that she was Asian.

"Hi! Welcome!"

"Hey, Gordy! This is my wife, Michiko; Michiko, Gordy Hollister."

"How do you do, Mr. Hollister..."

"Gordy!"

"Gordy. Thanks for having us over."

"Our pleasure. I'm sure the girls will be here in a moment?"

"Girls?"

"We've got friends from south of Alice Springs here. They leave tomorrow. Let me take that." There was a large box and a large covered bowl. "Weena! Maddy! Company's here."

I led Chuck and Michiko into the garden. "Charlie Grant, the Eyres; Charlie's a yank with a station on the Finke."

"Hey. Gordy's told me about you. I guess we're both Charlie. Gordy's been calling you Chuck, so's we won't get confused."

"Chuck's OK. I was called that when I was a kid in school."

Then the girls arrived. "Hello, hello. You must be Mrs. Eyre. I'm Weena; this is Maddy. Didn't Gordy ask you to sit down? Just like a man! We don't want you to get swollen ankles."

"Weena! Stop being a nurse!"

"Yes, dear." Michiko had been looking as though she needed shelter from a storm.

"Why don't you guys all sit down, and I'll take drink orders," I said.

"I'll help," said Chuck.

We got drink orders: beer all round -- white wine for Michiko; and went into the kitchen. "Michiko's from Singapore," Chuck volunteered. Her father's with the Japanese embassy there. She came to the University to study, met me and that's the story."

"I hadn't asked."

"I know. And thanks. A lot of blokes are prejudiced."

"Doesn't pay. Charlie's from a lot further away." I glanced out the door. "Looks like the girls have already gotten her to open up."

"Wow!"

"Anyway, Little Creatures or Mathilda Bay?"

"Creatures for me."

I got five bottles out. "We'll have to switch to Mathilda Bay at some point." I poured a glass of the Viognier from the bottle in the fridge. "Can you cope with four bottles?"

We'd settled with our drinks when Chuck asked: "You're on the Finke? I've got a sort of attachment to it."

"What?"

"My name is Charles Sturt Eyre. My father's a historian. And Sturt explored that area and named a lot of the places on his fourth trip."

"Reckon I've never heard of him."

"I have, Charlie. This is real." Maddy looked interested. "We're right at Horseshoe Bend." She laughed, "In fact, we are Horseshoe Bend."

"I know where that is from the map; but what do you mean by you 'are' the Bend?"

"Well. When the government gave the land back to the tribes, there were two stations on that part of the river. An' Charlie's got the one to the north; and I've got the one to the south. So we own everything enclosed by the horseshoe."

"What's the water like?"

"Waal, we've each got two bores; but one o' mine ain't much good. The two on Maddy's station are great, though the water's hard. My good 'un's just fer the cattle."

"How many cattle?"

"Near six hunnert head. But we'll be selling about two hunnert in a month or so." Charlie took a good swig of his ale. "How come you're innerested?"-

"I'm in water management with the CSIRO here in Perth. I've never been to your part of the Territory, but it's really interesting. Is there any water in the Finke?"