The Outback Read Free Page A

alcohol at
weekends. Do you have any questions?’
    ‘How much do we have to
pay for all of this?’ Matt asked.
    Joe had eight eyes fixed
firmly upon him as he addressed the question of cost. Matt guessed that he was
not the only one who entered into this endeavour with only a vague
understanding of the figures involved. Like him the others would have found the
prospect of an extra year on their visas to be a far greater lure than any
financial incentive.
    ‘The accommodation and
meals will be automatically taken from your wages, which will leave you with
$90 a day to take home. The beer comes out of your own pocket and I suggest
that you all drink responsibly. It’s expected you’ll want a relaxing drink or
two after work, but save the heavier sessions for the weekend, okay.’
    Joe made sure to
establish eye contact with each person in turn when stating the point about the
alcohol.
    ‘So we do get the weekends
off?’ asked Matt.
    ‘Depending on how
productive you are during the week, you may have to work some Saturdays. Sunday
will always be free though.’ He paused for a moment whilst considering how to
best phrase what he had to say next. ‘I won’t lie to you and tell you that the
work is not going to be tough – it is, but everyone will get sufficient time to
rest between shifts. I can promise you all that.’
    ‘I think that’s us
sorted then,’ said Colin. ‘If you’ve not got anything else to tell us I am
happy to start settling in.’
    Jonas was the first off
the bus and he immediately went to look over the caravans. He found that they
all lacked one feature, which was an immediate cause for concern.
    ‘There are no locks on
these vans. Where do we store our valuable stuff?’
    Joe was in the process
of removing everyone’s bags from the bus and he did not stop whilst answering
the question.
    ‘I recommend that you
keep your wallets and passports on you at all times, but everything else will
be fine. There are no thieves in this town. If you need anything else just give
me a call. My contact number is written on the evacuation plans in each of the
vans. For now though, I will wish you all good luck and expect to see you again
sharp and early on Monday morning.’
    The Englishman then got
back onto the bus and drove away. Colin picked up his bag and walked past Jonas
to enter the next van. Since Matt was yet to establish any kind of relationship
with the German he followed Colin.
    There were two beds and
Colin had already claimed his by placing his backpack upon it. As the Irishman
began to unpack, Matt noticed that his bag contained a large amount of what
looked suspiciously like weed. It was easy for him to guess at how his new
roommate planned to get through the next three months.
    After taking a seat on
the other bed, Matt removed his mobile phone from his pocket in order to check
for a signal. Not a single reception bar was showing.
    ‘Is yours dead too?’
asked Colin, picking up on his disappointment.
    Matt nodded. He supposed
it was too much to hope that his phone would have coverage in such a remote
location.
    ‘I guess technology is
pretty useless here,’ he said.
    ‘You just have to look
at the positives,’ replied Colin. ‘I don’t have a watch so I’ll still use mine
as a clock and the camera always comes in handy. Nothing is ever useless unless
you allow it to be.’
    ‘That’s all very well; I
only wish I hadn’t topped it up with $100 worth of credit yesterday.’
    He had only been in town
for five minutes and already he had made a rookie mistake.
    ‘I’m guessing you only
have a certain time limit to use your credit before you lose it,’ said Colin.
    ‘Three months,’ replied
Matt.
    The Irishman laughed.
Not to be patronising or condescending, but simply because he found it funny.
Matt wondered if it was a bad omen. He looked around for an excuse that he
could later use as a get-out clause should he wish to take an early retirement
from the harvest industry. The