quokka

Chapter 2 "Bonnie is all set for tonight, she has her rug on and I have fed and watered her," Logan said breaking the silence after a good few minutes. "Thanks, mate, so no camping trip eh" I replied, "Nah, the weather wasn't going to be very good, and one of the guys was being an ass, which was really pissing me off, and making me regret deciding not to come with you" Logan replied. "Will you be ok to be my groom, when I am preparing and finishing the competition?" I asked my brother, "Yeah of course. Mum said that I need to help out more, so I guess that is why I am here, plus I find it too lonely not having my big bro around" Logan said. "Go and have a shower, as we are having dinner with Ted and Gloria in their home" I suggested to Logan, who stood up and started up the stairs, "and no streaking on the weekend, especially if Thomas is coming along," I said to Logan. “Aww, but I like expressing my freedom of no clothing” Logan complained, “Geez, not when we are out in public, and with that firkin huge tool you have, I will have to call you big horse soon," I said, and Logan laughed. “Too late, that is my nickname at school, most of the guys in my year have seen it when we shower after sports," Logan said before disappearing into the trailer, and I groaned about the "too much information" Logan had just said to me. When Logan and I entered the house for dinner, Mum and Gloria were chatting in the kitchen, while Ted was sitting in the lounge watching the news, and I went and sat down beside him. “So how big is your far, and I heard a few cows, so I presume it is just a beef farm?” I asked. “It’s just over 3700 acres in total, and no we have crops as well, our son – Jacob is away at Uni, but he will be home sometime tomorrow” Ted replied, “I’m here now Dad” a voice called out before the door closed behind him, and Ted stood up and approached his son. “Hi son, you are home early, come and meet some old family friends. That is Sarah Alpike, and this is her two son’s Harrison and Logan” Ted said making the introductions, and the young man gave Mum a short wave before turning towards me and shook my hand and Logan's straight after. "Nice to meet you all, so Dad what is the special occasion for visitors, and whose trailer and stock horse is that in the yard," Jacob asked, as he sat down in a chair opposite me and Logan, and I turned to my brother. "Did you park the truck trailer in with the horse?" I asked in a serious tone, and after a few moments Logan burst out laughing, and I just grinned, while Jacob blushed a little realising how he had asked the question. "The horse is mine, her name is Bonnie, and we are on our way to the Rodeo at Mullewa this weekend" I replied, as Logan still laughed a little. "Oh yeah, I forgot that it was on this long weekend, I haven't been to one of those in ages," Jacob said. "Why don't you tag along," Logan said after he had calmed down, and I gave my brother a nudge with my elbow, and frowned at him, "Do you have the room? I could always set up my swag under your awning if need be" Jacob replied. “What are you studying at Uni, Jacob?” I asked to change the subject, “Agriculture business, at Muresk College, I'm in my final year of a two-year degree” Jacob replied. "Ok, I'm at Murdoch Uni, done my Bachelor in Vet Science, and now in my first year for a Doctor of Vet Science course" I responded, as I spotted Jacob checking me out, and he looked away blushing a little. “Yes, my clever son, has also completed an apprenticeship in Farriery, while in high school” my Mum added, “Wow, that is an added bonus, I’m impressed, so what about it, can I tag along this weekend” Jacob asked, just as the house phone rang, and Jacob being the closest went to answer it. "Mum, it is Mrs Wellstead from next door, she says yes, he can go, and what time does he have to be here, whatever that means," Jacob said out loud, and I jumped up and walked towards the phone. "Let Harrison deal with its son," Ted said and with a little confusion, Jacob hand the phone over to me, and headed down the hallway. “Hello Marg, can he be fed and watered and be here by 7am please” I said into the phone, which made everyone laugh at my comment, and even Marg was chuckling down the line, “Yes dear, that will be fine, see you then, good night” Marg replied before ending the call. “Are you taking another horse?” Jacob asked from down the long hallway, and when I looked up, he was without a shirt, and I could tell he had a well - defined upper body. “No, my brother is just being an ass. Thomas from next door is coming with us, he is just a week or so older than me” Logan responded. “Oh, I see. So, no room for me then?’ Jacob asked, sounding a little disappointed. “Yes, there is plenty of room for you in the cab, just not in the accommodation section of the trailer, so you will need to bring your swag, Mum has stocked us up with enough food for a week” I replied. "Great, thanks heaps mate, I will gladly chip in for fuel costs," Jacob said before disappearing into another part of the house. "He is also a very good cook" Gloria added, "Good, I have a horse groom, a chef and a lackey, I won’t have to do much except competing" I commented, as I sat down again. "What events are you competing in," Ted asked me, "Just the steer wrestling and the rope & tie, nothing too dangerous" I replied, “That sounds sensible, I hear people get hurt with the bull riding and bareback riding” Mum commented. "After a very enjoyable dinner, Logan and I headed out to the trailer, and we sat down under the awning for a while, to enjoy the peace and quiet, before retiring to bed. Logan selected the top bunk, as he usually does, while I was enjoying having the queen size bed. "So much for having a quiet weekend to myself" I commented, as we settled in our beds, "Yeah, but you would have been bored shitless afterwards, with no one to keep you company, but now you have three of us" Logan said, in response, "Yes, I guess so, goodnight bro, see you at 6.30am” I replied. "You do know that I am on school break at the moment eh?" Logan asked, and I thought about this for a few moments, "No I thought it was just a long weekend only" I replied. "Well most of the class had gone on that overseas excursion to New Zealand, that Mum couldn't afford to send me on, so for a week, they remain five of us, are excused from attending" Logan explained. “I see, well, we will still have to come back to Moora to drop off Jacob and Thomas at the end of the weekend” I answered, “Yeah, I know, It would be just good if just the two of us could keep going for a few more days, before going home” Logan said to me. I will see what Mum says about it in the morning, now get some sleep” I replied, as I turned over and shut my eyes, and we were soon both fast asleep. When I woke in the morning, it was to the sound of Kookaburra's which made me smile, "Can you shut off that bloody noise" Logan groaned, which made me laugh. "That is your wake up call little bro, and it is the Kookaburra's outside, letting you know it is time to get up," I said as I climbed down and headed to the toilet, then the bathroom, to have a quick shower. Feeling fresh and wide awake, I went out and gave Bonnie some fresh food, and talked to her while she ate, when she was done, I saddled her up and went for a fifteen-minute ride, just to give her a bit of exercise before we leave. After un-saddling her, and giving her a good brushing, I headed inside, where Logan had breakfast cooking on the stove, and he handed me a fresh cup of tea, as he began to plate up the bacon, tomatoes, scrambled eggs and sausages, with toast on the side. "Looks great, thanks bro," I said on accepting my plate, and we ate silently for a while. "How long till we get to Mullewa?" Logan asked me eventually, "Well we are almost at the halfway mark, and it took me three hours to get here yesterday, after leaving at 11 am, so if we leave on time, we should be there before lunch today" I replied. “Sounds good, will we be stopping anywhere on the way?’ Logan responded, “Just up the road in Moora, to refuel and maybe a short break, at Three Springs so I can stretch my legs,” I replied. “Can I sit in the back with Thomas please?” Logan asked, “Yes, I see no problems with that” I replied. By the time we had eaten and cleaned up, it was nearly time to go, so we headed outside to pack up the two camp chairs and table, and wound the awning in, locking it into place, before going to collect Bonnie and load her into the back of the trailer. With fresh hay and gain in her feed bowl, she settled in for another three hours of travelling, as Logan and I closed and locked the rear ramp door, just as Jacob came out of the house, with the adults following. “Good morning all," I said happily, and Mum looked at me strangely, which made me laugh, "I just had a very peaceful nights rest, and an awesome morning alarm clock" I explained. “Bloody Kookaburra’s” Logan muttered, and I just smiled, as did Mum, “Well at least I like them” I commented with a shrug of the shoulders. "Come with me, and I will show you around inside," Logan said to Jacob, as I gave Mum a kiss on the cheek. "You will take good care of everyone won't you?" Mum said to me, "Yes Ma, I will be very good and careful" I replied, "I am sure my son, will help you out when the need is" Gloria added. "This is an awesome set up you have here mate," Jacob said when they reappeared from inside. "Yes, not bad eh, if it gets too cold outside, you can always sleep in the couch, and yes it has all the mod cons. Reverse cycle air con, gas instant hot water, bathroom, with separate toilet, two 400 litre fresh water tanks and also there are four good sized solar panels on the roof too, which makes us fairly self-sufficient" I commented. “Wow, impressive, have you ever put it to test over an extended period?” Jacob asked, “No we haven’t only weekend trips. We were planning to do a long-distance family trip but…” Mum said not finishing the sentence, as she began to get visibly upset, and I gave her a sideways hug, just as we saw a vehicle coming up the driveway. Thomas jumped out of the vehicle before it had fully stopped, looking very happy. "Good morning guys, I am ready to go," Thomas said cheerfully, as Marg stepped out of her vehicle with a frown at her son, then smiled as she faced us. "Good morning all, we have one very impatient teenager, looking forward to a road trip," Marg said. Thomas and Logan headed inside, and a few moments later they reappeared, chatting away as if they have been mates for all their life. After saying goodbye to everyone, we climbed into the F450, and waved, as I drove the vehicle and trailer down the driveway, and turned left towards Moora. I turned the radio on to listen to the 7 am ABC news, with the town being only a few minutes away. Looking in the rear vision mirror, the boys were chatting very quietly, and I saw Thomas face look shocked at something that Logan had said, “…really?” I only just heard Thomas ask, and I saw Logan nod his head, as he stopped whispering when he saw me watching them in the mirror. While I was refuelling the F450, Jacob went to buy some snacks, and the boys dashed into the trailer, to get some books to read. Before heading into pay for the fuel, I realised the boys are still inside the trailer, so I walked inside, and soon after heard a voice, "Wow, that is…" and I walked up to the bathroom door and knocked. "What is going on?" I asked, "Nothing… well, nothing really" Logan replied, and he opened the door, revealing two teenagers, with their shorts and underwear at their ankles. "Holy shit Logan, put that damn donkey dick away, and you to Thomas, I don't want to see or hear about any of this again, for the rest of the trip” I said pushing the door shut, and I walked out of the trailer, stopping to calm down a little before going to pay for the fuel. For the next three hours, I concentrated on the driving, and I glanced in the rear-view mirror, to see the boys sitting well apart from each other, looking very upset. Jacob seemed to sense that something was wrong, but didn't say anything, and he spent most of the trip just staring out the side window or making a comment about something that we had just passed. When we finally pulled into Mullewa, it was a little after 11 am, with stops at Coorow, Three Springs and Mingenew, so as to check on Bonnie. Who didn't seem to be too concerned about the long distance journey, we followed the signs to the Competitors entry gate, on the North-East corner of the recreation grounds, where the Rodeo was being held.

Harrison Alpike is a talented young man, who worked hard with his studies, as well as doing his Farrier apprenticeship alongside his father. When his father dies suddenly, he suddenly finds himself the man of the house, with a widowed mother and younger brother. To help cope with the stresses of home and his university studies to become a Doctor of Veterinary Science, he decides to participate in a rodeo, which is a 6-hour drive North of home.

Chapter 1 “Right Mum, I am off now, see you in a few days’ time” I called out, as I headed towards the back door of the family home on the South East outskirts of Perth. “Ok dear, take care and drive carefully” Mum called back, “Will do Ma, and thanks for putting up with me, this past few years, I do appreciate it and I love you” I said at the doorway, and I stopped to look back at Mum, who had tears welling in her eyes. Seeing this, I dropped my bag, rushed to her, and wrapped her in my arms to comfort her. "I am so proud of you Harrison, and you will always have a home here, now off you go," Mum said into my shoulder, and she pushed me away and set me off on a weekend that I hoped would get me to relax and enjoy myself for a time. In the past twelve months, our family had been through a lot, with Dad passing away from a massive stroke, the third one in two years, which had forced him into retirement, at the tender age of 42 years. The family own a 14-acre property in the suburb of Darling Downs, just out of Armadale, that consists of two adjoining blocks of land. The Kellet Drive block has a large machinery shed and workshop, with a lean-too, plus hay shed, two large water tanks and three good sized paddocks. Around the corner, the Hodkinson Roadblock, on the front house paddock, it has a huge four bedroom house, with a separate triple vehicle garage, a bit of a garden, a good size swimming pool, and one large paddock out the back. We have had horses all of my life, as Dad was a Farrier by trade, and both Logan, my younger brother, by 6 years and I have had horses since we were each six years old. Today I was off on a weekend trip to attend a rodeo, in the Mid-West town of Mullewa, which is a 6 hour, 475 - kilometre journey from home. With the family home being just 850 metres from the South end of the Tonkin Highway, it was not a problem to get out of Perth, especially in the Ford F450 twin cab truck with the 38-foot long Gooseneck horse trailer behind it, with my stock horse - Bonnie loaded in the back. Since Dad bought the trailer a few years back, he had been doing a number of modifications and improvements to the trailer. He had installed two single bunk beds for my brother and me, updating the bathroom and toilet. Instead of having a three-stall horse area, it now has just two horse stalls, and a workshop area, accessed from the side, for storing all of Dad's farrier equipment, including the portable gas fuelled forge and anvil. I knew that I was wasting a lot of money taking the whole setup with me, but I wanted to be able to fix anything that may happen since I had the equipment and skills to do it. When I was in my first year in high school, Dad took me on as an apprentice, and over the next five years, he taught me everything that I needed to know about the being a farrier. Stanton had pleaded with me to take him with me until his school friends decided to go on a hiking and camping trip on a section of the Bibbulmun Track from Armadale to Jarrahdale over the long weekend. With no university lectures on a Thursday, I am able to set off early, with an overnight stop planned in the town of Moora. Family friends of my parents would be allowing me to camp out on their property, just South of town. When I arrived at the Morgan farm, there were another two vehicles parked near the shed, that looked like they were too good to be farm vehicles, and the small group gathered turned as I entered the shed yard, and parked a little way away, so as not to block anyone from getting out. "Hello Harrison, it is lovely to see you again, how is your Mum," the lady said to me as she approached and wrapped me in a warm hug. "Hello Mrs Morgan, it is nice to be here again" I replied. "Now none of that, you are an adult now, and we have known you practically all your life, please call me Gloria," she said to me, "and you must call me Ted, hello Harry, or do you prefer Harrison," Mr Morgan said as we shook hands. "Either is fine thanks, sir… err Ted" I replied, as we turned to face the visitors, a lady and a teenage lad with the lady looking familiar, but I couldn’t quite remember where I knew her from. “This is our neighbour Marg Wellstead, and her son – Thomas, when I mentioned that you were staying over with us, on your way to the rodeo, they wanted to come and say hello Gloria said making the introductions. "Hello Harrison, it has been a long time since I last saw you, and we are so sorry to hear about your father's passing, he was a real gentleman," Marg said to me, as I frowned in thought. “When you were about seven, our three families went camping together up north, when both Logan and Thomas were about nine months old, as they are only two weeks apart in age" Ted explained". Oh, I am sorry, I knew you were familiar somehow, but I couldn't remember where from" I answered. "Wow, you have an awesome trailer, what does it have in it? Can I have a look inside please, I wish I could go to the rodeo, but Mum won't let me" the teenager said as he began to look at it closely, and I chuckled at his keenness to look inside? “Sure, you can have a look, but let me get my horse, Bonnie out first, and give her some fresh air" I responded, as I headed to the back of the trailer, and unlocked the back gate, and lowered the ramp to the ground. "Wow, beautiful stock horse, how old is she? have you had her long?" Thomas said, as Bonnie came into view, "She is 5 years old, and I have had her since a foal" I replied, as I unlocked the gate and opened it, before walking forward to untie the lead rope, and leaned onto Bonnie, to let her know to back out. Once Bonnie was out, Ted led the way to the nearby round yard, where she could walk around, and get some fresh water and hay. "I have a stock horse too, but I only use her to help with mustering the cattle and taking her on rides on weekends," Thomas said to me, once I had returned to the trailer. "Gloria tells me, that you are a qualified Farrier, and that you did your apprenticeship with your father" Marg said to me, "Yes, that is right, but at the moment, I only do the family horses, and sometimes the neighbours, as I am a full-time university student also" I responded. “Oh, what are you studying?” Marg asked, “I am in my fourth year to be a Doctor in Veterinary Science, I graduated with a Bachelor in Vet Science last year, and I have just a year and a half to go, to be a doctor” I replied. I walked inside the back area of the trailer and retrieved the pooper scooper, and bucket, to collect all of Bonnie's droppings. "Sarah, Harrison's Mum is very proud of him, having finished his high school studies a year early, and gone into University studies the following year," Gloria said to Marg, "Well that explains why the maths didn't add up, so you are 21 now?" Marg said. "Yes, just a month ago, so I can now legally tow this beast around now" I replied. "How come there are only two horse stalls, and the trailer is so long?" Thomas asked me. "That would be because my late father had reduced it in size to make room for his… farrier workshop and storage area, plus there is the living area at the front" I replied to Thomas, as I tried to fight back tears thinking of the amazing job he had done. “Wow, can I have a look inside the living area?” Thomas asked me, and smiling, I put the scooper down, and walked around to the side of the trailer, pulled out the steps and unlocked the door, with Thomas racing up the stairs. "Take it, easy son, no need to rush around so much," Marg said to Thomas. "Wow, awesome, Mum come and have a look at this, a full kitchen, large television, DVD, shelving for books and DVD's, twin single bunks and a huge double bed, and … a bathroom and a separate toilet. Wow, this is like a hotel on wheels" Thomas called out from inside, as Marg and Gloria stepped inside, while I headed back to the horse area, to finish cleaning up. We have a long water hose with good strong pressure on the corner of the shed here, I will go and get it for you” Ted said to me, and he walked off before I could respond. Once I had the horse dung all cleaned up and the feed bins closed, I hosed down the floors, to clear away any small amounts of waste, while Ted went to get rid of the bucket of horse dung. "…I don't know son, you will have to ask him, and we will have to talk with your Dad before we decided" I heard Marg say, as I approached the side of the trailer, as they were stepping out. “Ask me what," I asked, and I looked between Marg and Thomas a few times, as the teenager put his head down and kicked the dirt, which made Marg laugh. “Can I please come with you to the rodeo, this weekend please Mr Alpike?” Thomas asked eventually, and I looked at Marg who gave a little shrug of the shoulders, before looking at Gloria, who just smiled. If Thomas is the same age as Logan, then he was also 15 years old and would have had a birthday just last month. I wondered about all the hazards of being at the rodeo, and if it is advisable to take on the responsibility. “Let’s see what your Dad says first, and let me think about it for a bit, and I will let you know before I got to bed” I responded eventually. "That sounds fair enough, I will give Gloria a call, to let you know what my husband says to the idea," Marg said, as she indicated to Thomas to follow her. “Bye Marg, see you next week, if not before” Ted called out, as he approached from the direction of the shed. "Now, young man, I have just got off the phone with your Mum, it appears that it is going to bucket down with rain in the South West, so your brother and his friends have called off the camping trip. Instead, your Mum is on her way to deliver Logan here so he can join you" Ted announced to me, and I looked at my phone and saw a number of missed calls from Mum. "Oh damn, I had my phone on silent" I commented as I hit the return call button. "Hi Mum, do I really have to take Logan with me, can't he just stay home with you," I said as soon as the call was answered, "I heard that," Logan said in the background, and I groaned, as Mum chuckled. “Ok Logan, you can come with me, but you got to be on your bed bloody behaviour or else I will turn you into horse feed” I said, “Now, now son, no need for threats, he knows to be good, especially if he wants to go with you again in the future” Mum said to me. “Ok, so where are you guys?” I asked, “Bindoon, so we will be there, in about an hour’s time, I am staying overnight with Ted and Gloria, before heading home tomorrow” Mum replied. "Did Ted mention about…" I asked, not sure if Logan was still listening, "Yes and Logan knows, although he has no memory of Thomas or that camping trip, I am bringing extra blankets and pillows for the other boys, and some extra food for you all” Mum replied. "Ok, see you when you get here," I said before ending the call. "Let us get you turned around and parked along the end of the shed, so you have a little extra shelter, and you can plug into the power" Ted suggested. He pointed at the track which runs along the end of the shed and beyond. A few minutes later, I had the truck and trailer turned around, and about 4 meters from the end of the shed. This allowed me enough room to pull out the side awning, and I would still be close to the round yard, where Bonnie would be spending the night. Once I had set up the awning, I retrieved the blanket, saddle and tack from the storage area of the trailer, and commenced to saddle up Bonnie, so as to take her for a good ride around the paddock, behind the sheds. Ted had informed me that the 160 - acre paddock was free of any rocks and stumps, and has a good wide fire break around the boundary, that would be ideal for a ride. By the time I had arrived back, Mum had arrived, and Logan was sitting in a camp chair under the awning reading a book, and he jumped to his feet as I approached. "Hey bro, thanks for letting me tag along like this, I am looking forward to this trip," Logan said to me as he grabbed hold of the halter, as I climbed down from the saddle. "Well you can start earning your keep by hosing down and brushing Bonnie, you will find the gear in the tack box" I responded. I headed into the trailer to take a shower, “sure bro, not a problem, anything to be able to come along to the rodeo" Logan said happily, which surprised me a little. Once I stepped out of the trailer, showered and dressed in fresh clothes, I sat down in the chair, to relax and enjoy the sounds of country life, no traffic, or emergency sirens, just fresh air, birds and animal noises in the distance. I closed my eyes and smiled, ignoring the sound of approaching footsteps and someone sitting in the chair next to me.

No it’s the typewriter font which is that is hard to read.

I can’t read this chapter, as the text is all haywire, can you fix it please

Yes thanks for the spelling correction, I knew it looked wrong

Mikey, was that you?

You missed the $1000 fine issued by Lloyd

Yes you did, but he keeps delaying his arrival

Would have been karki shorts

Ouch! Who just kicked me?

He he he

Understood, over and out