Kandanga Falls - 6. Chapter 6

-- Chapter Six --

‘So, any plans for the day?’ Nate asked over coffee and more bum-fruit on toast. ‘Are we building again?’

‘Loz said we could use the cement mixer, but it's not much good without bags of cement, so the plan is that we’ll slip into the local rural supply store and get some bags of concrete,’ Jake answered. ‘And while we’re at it, we could always take you sightseeing, if you fancy that?’

‘Well, they tell me there are some waterfalls around here, so I wouldn’t mind checking those out.’

‘Consider it done,’ Jake replied. ‘How about Danny takes you there today, while I head to town for the supplies? You up for that, Dan?’

‘Sounds good to me,’ Danny answered. ‘Though I suspect that someone else may be disappointed if Nate doesn’t make it to town sometime this week.’

‘Oh, right,’ Jake said, with a chuckle. ‘I almost forgot about that.’

Nate blushed slightly at the clear reference to Skye, but then remembered her saying something about doing deliveries at some point this week, so he figured that he might get to see her then.

‘The falls sounds good,’ Nate replied. ‘Maybe I can catch up with Skye later, when she does her deliveries?’

‘Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out then,’ Jake responded, while thinking to himself that this would be an ideal chance for his two favourite lads to have some private time together. ‘That settles it then, I’ll go shopping, while you guys go swimming . . . and whatever.’

Danny nodded, as he recognised just what it was that Jake was saying. It was a simple statement about the trust that he placed in both Danny and Nate. They all knew that there was nothing for Jake to be concerned about.

‘Well, how about I head into town after we clean up . . . we can all do with a shower after last night, I reckon. Then after that, you guys can set off on your sightseeing. How does that sound?’

Nate and Danny looked at each other, with understanding dawning on Nate as he studied his best friend smiling at him.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked.

‘Absolutely. You guys are besties, and I love and trust you both. Now let’s go get cleaned up.’

* * *

It was mid-morning when Jake pointed the Sandman panel van down the dusty trail that led away from the home he shared with Danny, with a promise of returning early in the afternoon. He wanted the two boys to spend some time together, because he knew that it might be a while before they would see each other again.

Nate and Danny waved him goodbye, then set off for the village green, beyond which there was – as Nate would soon find out – a path that led away from the communal area, and off through the burgeoning scrub. This was the place where he had seen the two boys disappear to on the night of the gathering, and he soon found that it wound its way along a ridge, through a forest of green, before switching back along the wooded slope and starting downwards.

From the highest point, at the start of the trail, the view was spectacular as they looked out over a deep valley, before continuing down a narrow path. Dusty in some places, damp in others, and little more than a goat’s trail in places, it was slow going. Branches were constantly needing to be pushed out of the way, but Danny kept reassuring his friend that the journey would be worth it as he pushed ahead, leading the way down the slope, while taking twists and turns. Nate followed cautiously, his boots scuffing loose stones, while he admired Danny’s bare shoulders, already shining with sweat.

Soon, a rumbling sound from somewhere below them began to seep into Nate’s consciousness. At first, it was just a faint hum, but was growing louder with every step, until the unmistakable thunder of flowing water, hidden somewhere among the trees in front of them, could be heard.

When they stopped, possibly halfway down the slope, it was at a level point which looked out over the valley. Nate found that there was also a bench that had been built there, which served as a lookout. Nate also noticed a cleared line in the timber that led down the hillside, through the centre of which ran a line of wires, supported on a series of high poles.

Danny glanced at him with a grin. ‘Almost there. Once you’ve seen it, you’ll remember it always,’ he promised.

‘And what’s this then?’ Nate asked, while pointing to the wires.

‘We did mention the hydropower system that supplies the community with electricity, didn’t we?’

‘Maybe,’ Nate replied, with a grin.

‘Well, that’s part of it,’ Danny replied, before pushing on.

Presently, the track spilled out onto a massive granite bluff and when he stopped beside Danny, Nate suddenly found himself gazing out over a brilliant blue waterhole at the base of a wide, fast-flowing waterfall which tumbled thirty-feet down over slick rocks. He caught the glint of sunlight on spray, and spotted rainbows in the mists that drifted up from where water and stone met. He was instantly reminded of the national park close to his hometown and found himself reliving a childhood spent exploring with his best friend, climbing rocks, swimming, fishing and generally carrying on like the kids they once were.

Kandanga Falls looked exactly as he imagined they might be. A picture-postcard worthy sight.

‘Remind you of anywhere?’ Danny asked him, as he placed an arm around his best mate’s shoulders.

‘Yeah, only this is better,’ Nate replied.

‘Too bloody right, mate! Come on,’ Danny said, before leading Nate down some roughly built stone steps leading from the bluff to the edge of the river below, where ferns crowded the edges, their leaves wet and dripping, before they set off through them along a damp path.

Nate laughed aloud. ‘Jesus, I’d forgotten how good it is to get out into country like this.’

‘Yeah. We always used to enjoy our trips into the national park, didn’t we?’

‘Damn straight!’

As they walked towards the falls, they soon left the damp forest of ferns and stepped out into sunlight and rich green grass, which reached almost to the water’s edge. Danny dropped his pack under a tree, before dropping himself beside it. ‘This is, dead-set, the best part of the farm. We live here through the summer months.’

‘And I can see why!’ Nate replied, before tugging off his t-shirt and dropping beside Danny.

‘There’s another farm on the other side of the river . . . not a commune or anything, but several families live there, and we sometimes see those folks here as well.’

‘It’s a magic spot.’

‘Yeah, it is.’

Beneath the clear, summer sky, with the sun beating down on them, the two friends lay with their arms behind their heads, just looking up at the cloudless blue above them. A wedge-tailed eagle floated effortlessly upon the currents of warm air, while looking down at them. Not a word was spoken as they looked back up at the bird, before eventually it made its circles larger and larger, then left their view.

Minutes passed in silence, with Danny thinking that Nate must have nodded off to sleep in the sunshine, or something, but when he rolled his head sideways, he noticed Nate staring back at him

It was a quiet time. A time between friends, when nothing needed to be said, yet at the same time it could be a time when anything could be said. There were no limits. Nate reached out towards Danny, and they clasped their hands together.

‘Thanks for all this,’ Nate said. ‘I’m so glad I came.’

‘So am I,’ Danny replied.

‘You guys really are happy here, aren’t you?’

‘Yeah, mate. We are. Like I said the other day, there are no regrets.’

‘Good.’

‘I will admit that I had my doubts when we first arrived, though . . . I mean, in some respects it was just like camping out, and for a while that was fun, but thinking about doing it forever seemed like it might become a bit of a struggle pretty quickly.’

‘I can just imagine. I am truly glad that you’ve found your happy place though.’

‘Thank you.’

Silence stretched out between them once more as they soaked up the summer sun and listened to the sounds of the bush around them, the falling water and bird life squawking and chattering. There was nothing at all like the Australian bush.

‘So, can I ask you something personal?’ Nate ventured after a while.

‘You know you can.’

Nate blinked, as he thought about asking what it was that was on his mind.

‘It’s about things before Jake,’ Nate said quietly. ‘You knew you were . . . queer . . . I guess, before he came along?’

‘Yeah, I did.’

‘But you never let on until you were ready to leave.’

‘How could I? It’s not exactly something that you can advertise, is it?’

‘No, I guess not.’

More silence followed, as Nate weighed up what it was that was on his mind.

‘And if he hadn’t come along, was there ever anyone . . .’

Danny had a feeling he knew what Nate was trying to ask, as thoughts of those confusing times flashed before him. Those times when he pined for something more for himself, but couldn’t dare even mention it, for the fear of what might have been driven between them. He couldn’t help but smile to himself now though.

‘Are you asking whether there could have been an us?’ Danny asked.

Nate thought for a moment, but the only answer was a simple one really.

‘Yes,’ he eventually replied. ‘Did you ever think of me like . . . that?’

Danny studied his friend, who was now propped up on one elbow and looking back at him with an expectant expression on his face. How much should he tell him? How could he tell him that he had been in love with him for years, but had been unable to say it, because he always expected the worst? And then how could he tell him that he fell in love with somebody else?

‘Well?’ Nate demanded to know.

‘I’ve loved you from the day I met you,’ Danny replied.

‘But you never said anything?’

‘And what would you have said if I had told you that?’ Danny said quietly. ‘Would you have accepted it? Or would you have turned your back on me, like every other guy I’ve ever known would have done?’

‘I . . . I don’t know,’ Nate replied, honestly.

Danny just smiled at him, while Nate’s mind wandered back to the events of the night before; the night when his two best friends drew him into their private world, initiating him into something that he never thought he would – or could – ever do. But now? Now he found himself wondering why he had ever thought that.

They loved him. And he loved them. Nate was now seeing life from an entirely different point of view. He had been shown that sex wasn’t necessarily something that was strictly for guys and girls, but as something different; something where hearts found each other, where souls intertwined, and love could be defined by something other than a purely physical attraction, or societal norms.

He wasn’t sure for how long he daydreamed about their night before, about Danny’s lips wrapped around his manhood, and about what followed afterwards, but eventually Nate was brought back to the present, when he felt Danny squeeze his hand. Looking back at his friend, he could see him smiling, so he smiled back.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Danny asked.

‘Oh, I don’t know. Last year. Last night. Growing up. Moving on. You know, all the fun stuff.’

‘And are you okay with it all?’

‘Yeah, mate. I am.’

‘Good. Now I want you to promise me something,’ Danny said.

Nate simply raised his eyebrows.

‘If any of this, or anything else, gets too much for you, you will let me know. The last thing in the world that I want to see if my best friend hurt in any way. Will you do that for me?’

‘Yeah, mate. I’ll do that. You can count on it.’

‘Good,’ Danny said, before leaning in closer.

Nate met him halfway, but just as their lips met the spell was broken completely, with the sound of voices on the track that came from the lookout boulder. Two boys came scrambling down the rough steps in leaps and bounds – Phoenix and Ethan – their energy boundless and unmistakable.

Phoenix was tall for fourteen, tanned, sun-bleached hair tied back in a messy knot; Ethan, a year older, was lean and wiry, pale as milk, his laugh carrying across the clearing before he even reached the water’s edge.

Given Phoenix’s obvious interest in him just a couple of days ago, Nate was amused at how quickly the boy seemed to have moved on. These lads had rarely been apart since then, orbiting each other with an intensity that surprised Nate. Was this what a first love is like?

‘Oi!’ Phoenix shouted, as he came towards them. ‘You guys starting without us?’

* * *

For the next hour or so, the four lads chatted in the shade of some gum trees, teasing each other and laughing, but also being careful not to give too much away. For Nate and Danny, their relationship was complicated enough, especially when Jake was also taken into account, while for Ethan and Phoenix, their relationship was new. They were still exploring each other, both physically and emotionally, still sharing their innermost feelings, but at least now – in the company of others – they knew they were not alone and could just be themselves.

Eventually the chat quietened, and the four lads fell back in the long grass, with the company and the setting being all that was needed. After a while Nate felt his hand being clasped and rolled his head sideways to find Danny looking his way, before then sitting up and giving a jerk of his head, motioning towards the water.

With a nod, Nate sat up, and then the two of them got to their feet quietly and started for the water’s edge, pulling off their remaining clothing as the went.

‘Cannonball?’ Danny suggested, echoing the deeds of their younger years. Nate simply grinned at him, then after glancing back at their two snoozing companions he backed up a few steps, his intentions clear, ready to run and jump into the water. Danny backed up also and then after shooting each other a conspiratorial grin, the two of them set off at a run.

‘Geronimo!!!’ they both yelled as they launched themselves into the air, arms and legs flailing, before splashing into the deep blue water.

At the last instant, Nate looked back at Phoenix and Ethan, just in time to see they had both quickly sat up after being woken. By the time they had resurfaced, the other two were pulling off their clothing.

Danny cupped his hands and yelled back, ‘Come on in, you slow bastards!’

Phoenix didn’t need telling twice. He dropped his shirt and shorts, then ran and launched himself from the highest point of the bank in a reckless dive, slicing clean into the pool and vanishing beneath the surface. Ethan followed, though with a little less recklessness – wading in up to his knees instead, gasping at the ball-shrinking cold, before Phoenix erupted behind him, dragging him under with a whoop and a holler.

The two of them wrestled in the shallows, limbs tangling, shrieking with laughter until Ethan surfaced coughing. ‘You bloody lunatic! Are you trying to drown me?’

Phoenix grinned, his dark eyes gleaming. ‘Just baptising you, babe,’ he managed to say, just moments before he found himself being jumped on and baptised himself.

The word had slipped out casually, but it hadn’t been missed. Danny shot Nate a sidelong glance, amused. Nate just shook his head and smiled. It was all new between them, but not invisible. Phoenix and Ethan had reached that stage where they knew they were more than friends, and were now testing the waters as to what that truly meant, with neither of them caring about being subtle about it.

They carried on like a pair of gangly colts, full of bravado, while climbing rocks and diving, daring each other to jump higher each time. When Ethan hesitated at the middle ledge, Phoenix stood close behind him, murmuring something in his ear until Ethan finally leapt, half in fear, half in trust, but in the end totally in joy.

Soon the clearing rang with laughter, shouts, and the smack of bodies hitting water. Nate wrestled with Ethan, while Danny and Phoenix hauled themselves up onto a flat rock just near the water that was tumbling down beside them, as water ran off their bodies in rivulets.

Phoenix nodded toward Nate and Ethan in the water. ‘What do you reckon? They’re worse than us, eh?’

Danny raised an eyebrow. ‘You reckon?’

‘Yeah,’ Phoenix said with the certainty of a confident teen. ‘But at least we’re honest about it.’ He flashed a cheeky grin before cannonballing back in, leaving Danny laughing and shaking his head, before following the boy into the water.

Danny and Nate were soon floating together in the middle of the pool, while Phoenix and Ethan explored every ledge and rope swing they could find, egging each other on. Every so often their laughter broke into something softer – Phoenix brushing a hand through Ethan’s dripping hair, Ethan clinging to him a little longer than a friend might. Nobody commented; here, at the Falls, there was no need to explain.

Presently, a couple of locals drifted in as well – two girls from the neighbouring farm, and an older guy with a guitar slung over his back, who gave the lads a wave, before setting himself up beneath a tree on the far side of the waterhole and began strumming aimless chords. Nate was surprised as the girls stripped down to nothing and dived in, then were soon swimming in circles around them all.

The day drifted on in a summer haze. Bodies were hauled from the water, collapsing in the grass, some in the shade, some in the sunshine. The troubadour skirted the waterhole, crossing the top of the waterfall and presently joined them.

A half-empty bottle of rum appeared and was passed around with no ceremony. The foreign taste was bitter on the lips of the younger ones.

Nobody bothered with clothes. Nate’s mind seemed blown. Phoenix and Ethan lay side by side, still damp, their shoulders just touching as they swapped private jokes. The guitar was passed around, the girls sang off-key, then Danny stretched out flat, one arm flung over his eyes.

Nate sat beside him, hugging his knees. He listened to the waterfall, the chatter of their friends, the buzz of cicadas in the trees. He thought of all the summers he had seen before this one, and how different the next one would be. And a year from now he’d be somewhere else entirely – boot camp, barracks, up to his elbows in grease most likely, or maybe even overseas. But for now he was here, in this moment, with Danny and the others.

And when Danny stirred and reached out blindly, resting his hand against Nate’s thigh as if to confirm their connection, Nate let it stay there. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, just allowed that quiet touch to say everything that words couldn’t.

* * *

Phoenix and Ethan were the first to head back towards their homes, pulling on their shorts and shoes and waving the others farewell.

They all watched as the two boys headed for the path that would lead them back up the hillside, seeing them bump shoulders a few times, or gently touch one another’s back, letting their hands slowly slide down until resting on the waistband of their shorts. It was obvious to all that they were together as more than just friends.

‘Those boys have it bad for each other,’ the troubadour, whose name was Clayton, remarked.

‘Well, I think they look good together,’ one of the girls, named Kara, added.

‘They have beautiful aura’s,’ the second girl – Sarah – also remarked, before turning to Nate and Danny and adding, ‘Just like the two of you. Are you together?’

‘What? Oh, no . . . we’re just friends,’ Nate quickly replied, which received a smiling response that reeked of scepticism.

‘What he means,’ Danny interjected, is that we’re old school friends. We grew up together and Nate is just visiting for the week, before he joins the army.’

‘So, you’re going to kill people?’ Kara replied, suddenly looking quite angry.

‘What? No!’ said Nate. ‘I’m just going to be a mechanic. Jesus, the war’s over, isn’t it?’

‘There’ll always be other wars! And even mechanics have to learn how to shoot guns and stab people with their bayonets! You should be fucking ashamed of yourself!’ Kara spat at him, before getting to her feet.

For a few moments Nate was worried he was going to be attacked, or something, by this curvaceous, naked girl with a tattoo of a flower on her thigh, but was relieved when Kara simply stormed off, still naked. With some amusement, Nate remembered that their clothes were still on the far side of the waterhole.

The other two also got to their feet to follow her, but not before Clayton said to them, ‘You’ll have to forgive our friend. Her brother was killed at Long Tan, so she doesn’t think very highly of wars, I’m afraid. It’s been good hanging with you both, though. Peace, man!’

Then, with a nod, he and Sara set off after their friend.

Nate and Danny could only watch as they walked away. When they reached the top of the waterfall, Clayton and Sara waved back at the boys, then jumped across the stream and kept going.

Kandanga Falls roared on, an indifferent witness to it all.

Nate could only stare after them. When they had disappeared from view he turned to Danny and said, ‘What the fuck just happened?’

‘I think you were just protested against,’ Danny replied, with a smirk. ‘I wouldn’t let it worry you, mate. You’ll probably never see her again.’

‘Nah. Probably not.’

‘C’mon, we better head back. Jake should be home by now.’

* * *

Walking back up the hill was a good deal more difficult than walking down it had been, so when they reached the bench at the lookout point they sat down and gazed out over the valley.

‘I really can’t get over how beautiful this place is,’ Nate said to his friend.

‘Yeah, it is, isn’t it?’

‘Do you ever think about how close we came to losing him that day back home?’

Danny did remember. How the hell could he forget? It had been the start of everything: the friendship, the interest in art, and eventually the love between Danny and Jake that had carried them all the way here, to this odd little commune in the hills.

Danny’s smile flickered. He didn’t need the whole story told again.

‘Yeah. I think about it more than I should. But he’s still here. And that’s all that counts.’

The heaviness between them lasted only for a heartbeat, before Danny stood and held out his hand.

‘We better keep going,’ he said.

To be continued . . .