The next morning, I was out in one of the paddocks with Mick, herding the cows as some of them needed milking, when I mentioned my conversation with Emily the previous night.
“You invited her here?” he asked, laughing away.
“I don’t see a problem with that.”
“What the fuck would she know about farming?”
“She was rather enthusiastic the last couple of times she’s been here.”
“She was a kid then, Bruce. How old’s she now? 18? 19?”
“19.”
He groaned. “Ugh, I can picture it now. I’ve seen what girls her age are like on TV.”
“It was only an offer at the end of the day. And she hasn’t taken me up on it.”
“Yet,” Mick stated quietly. He removed his hat and wiped his brow. “Though I suppose it would nice to have another young’un around here though.”
“Things don’t sound good at home. I’d just like to be that safety net if things get so bad she needs to escape.”
“I’d ask but I don’t really want to know either.” Mick then paused. “I remember the arguments your sister had with your father, particularly after your mother died. The man was grieving and she treated him like shit. I’ll be honest with you, Bruce. I was happy the day she left. It gave your old man some peace in his final years.”
“I remember.”
I understood why Mick sounded bitter. I think he was still convinced she drove my father to an early grave. Losing his wife at a young age diminished the zest for life he once had. Years of crossed words with his daughter, until she finally walked out of his life for good, destroyed him further. I did what I could to support, and I know he appreciated it, but I noticed that he seemed a little lost, I guess would be the right word for it. When he eventually dropped dead from a heart attack, no-one was surprised.
We didn’t talk every day but, after being told things were so bad at home, I put in the extra effort to keep in touch with Emily over the next few days and weeks. She made no mention of anything untoward happening again though there was no doubt life was miserable for her, mentioning that she always left early for work and tried to come home as late as possible. I suggested she try and move in with a friend but apparently that wasn’t even an option. She said that all she could do was wait it out and hope for the best.
Miles from home one morning a few weeks later, I was with a few of my farmhands as we were marking sheep ready for the start of the shearing season. So busy yelling instructions, or enjoying a laugh and the banter I always had with the young lads, I barely heard my phone ring in my pocket.
“Boss, phone’s ringing.”
“Shit!” I managed to fish it out of one of my pockets and looked at who was calling. My stomach fell as I couldn’t remember the last time I’d even heard her voice. I clicked answer. “Emily, what’s wrong?” I heard nothing but sobbing for around thirty seconds. “Emily?” I asked quietly.
“He tried to… He tried to…”
I knew exactly what she was trying to say. The temptation to get in my truck and drive to pick her up was almost overwhelming. “Where are you right now?”
“In the bathroom at work.”
I had to take charge of the situation. She needed to get out and she needed to get out now. I would have driven there if I could, but it would take longer than a day. “Emily, I’m going to tell you what to do. You need to follow these instructions. Okay?” I stated as gently as possible.
I heard her sniff. “Okay,” she said quietly.
“Go home. Grab yourself a bag. Pack your things. Go to a hotel tonight, somewhere near the airport. I’ll get online and book it for you, send you the details soon. Tomorrow morning, go to the check-in counter where you will be given a ticket. It will be a two-legged flight, as the local airstrip can only take Cessna’s, so you’ll swap planes about halfway. I’ll be waiting for you at the airstrip when you land tomorrow.”
“What if he’s there?”
“Call the police. Tell them what happened. Let me know if he is as I’ll change the details. But you’re coming here, no matter what.”
“But Mum…”
“Fuck your mother. If she’s stood by as this happened, she’s just as responsible. Go home now, Emily. Tell your boss you won’t be in tomorrow, perhaps never again.”
“Okay,” she said quietly.
“Em?”
“Yeah?”
“You’ll be fine. Remember, if either your mum or him is there, call the police.”
“Okay.”
“Call me when you get to the hotel.”
“I will.”
“Good girl. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll go now.” I thought she was going to hang up. “Brucey?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
I smiled despite the situation. “No problem, kiddo. You just get here safely.”
“I will. See you tomorrow.” I heard another sniff as she disconnected. I noticed the looks from some of my farmhands. “I’m heading back to the house. I have things to organise. You boys will be alright?”
“Sure thing boss,” one of my farmhands, Phil, replied, “You go make sure she’s alright.”
I raced back to the house, Mick wandering out of the garage as I slammed on the brakes, the truck sliding along the dirt. He could obviously see my mood and took a guess what it was about. “She’s coming, then?”
“Swear to God, Mick, I’d drive there and kill him if I could. Never met the man. Wouldn’t know him if he passed me in the street. But I’d wring his neck if given the opportunity.”
“What are you doing now?”
“I have things to organise.”
I sat down at my desk and sent Emily a text, asking if she was safe. She replied back immediately, stating no-one was home so she was packing a bag. I found a modestly priced hotel right next to the airport, booking a room and sending her the details. I then looked for a flight and, while there were not many options for the second leg, I managed to get her onto something reasonable. She wouldn’t land until late the next day but I didn’t think she’d mind. I sent her a text of all the details once everything was booked.
Online later that night, I saw she was logged on, figuring she maybe had a laptop and had connected to the hotel wi-fi.
BruceAlmighty: Are you okay, Em?
xxEms95xx: Feeling a little better knowing that I’m leaving.
BruceAlmighty: Have you heard from your mother?
xxEms95xx: Amazingly, I have. Though she was just wondering where I was, making absolutely no mention of what that bastard tried last night.
BruceAlmighty: What did you tell her?
xxEms95xx: That I’ve left and won’t be coming back. I also made a call to the cops. She mentioned there had been a visit.
BruceAlmighty: Good.
xxEms95xx: Thanks for everything, Brucey. It means a lot.
BruceAlmighty: As I said, no problem. You’ll be safe and sound here, on that you have my word. Once you’re settled in, we’ll figure out what you can do.
I spent the morning working with Mick in the garage before sorting out one of the spare bedrooms. I had nothing that would make it ‘girly’, though considering she was 19, I still didn’t have a clue. But I’d take her into town after picking her up and let her pick out a few things to give the room a little more character. It could have done with a good paint but I’d have to do that later, if she wanted it.
After a late lunch, I headed into town as I needed to grab a few things anyway, heading into the pub for a drink afterwards. Mick had joined me as he wanted to see Emily too, though he still wasn’t entirely sure how she would adapt to life on the farm. I wasn’t overly concerned as it would have to be something we’d discuss rather quickly.
We arrived at the airstrip rather early, Mick and I simply leaning back against the front of the truck, watching the sky for any sign of the plane. We didn’t talk much. Neither of us needed to fill the silence with meaningless words. The silence was finally broken by the sound of an approaching turbo-prop engine, shielding my eyes from the sun to see the Cessna, a speck on the horizon.
Once landed, the Cessna parked up as the pilot disembarked and opened the door. Only one passenger stepped out. She placed a hat similar to mine on her head, an Akubra. She wore a long-sleeved check shirt, though had tied up the bottom of it, exposing her stomach. Figure hugging jeans while, rather sensibly, she wore a pair of boots. She reached back into the plane to retrieve a large rucksack, flinging it over her shoulder as she approached us.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” Mick said quietly.
“You and me both…”
Then she saw me, squealed my name, dropped the bag and ran. Before I even knew what was going on, she’d jumped on me and nearly squeezed the air out of my lungs. After a few seconds, I figured I should probably complete the hug so wrapped my arms around her in return. Eventually she released me and I lowered her to the ground, looking up at me with wide brown eyes and she actually smiled.