Long Road - 2. Lon Chapter 2

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.