Taking Tom Murray Home by Tim Slee

Author:Tim Slee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

Geelong

Geelong isn’t like Colac, with people in their cars parked all along the side of the road as we come in, but Deb says that’s because Geelong is a real city and not everyone there even knows about Dad’s funeral and if they do, a lot of them don’t care. But after Winchelsea, as we pass the Ponds, the crosses start. Little white crosses down the side of the highway all the way to the turnoff into High Street. We pass one family banging their cross in and one of the kids is hanging a milk carton around it, just in case people don’t realise what it’s all about. Then I see quite a few of them have milk cartons hanging around them.

‘That’s a good idea,’ Ben says. ‘Doing it like that, showing it’s not some car-crash thing.’

It’s about four o’clock in the afternoon so people are still at work mostly, but there’s a group of people who look like farmers with their four-wheel drives and utes parked at the turnoff. They give us a big wave and hold their fists in the air. One has a sign, Geelong Says Welcome to Tom’s Funeral!

I figure we’re going to go to another footy oval or showground and I’m hoping, but I don’t say it out loud, that they’ll put us at Kardinia Park which would be awesome. But the police take us down High Street across the Barwon to the racetrack. Being in Deb and Ben’s ute is cool because instead of being the first to arrive, we’re one of the last, and when we get there, there’s a big crowd and almost more cops than there are people in the funeral procession.

‘Holy crap, more stormtroopers here than at a logging demo,’ Ben says.

‘There’s no banks or supermarkets in the forest,’ Deb says. ‘Got to protect the great Australian Vested Interest from the furious farmers.’

‘G’day mate,’ Deb says out her window as we drive through rows of police, all standing in the sun, looking hot and bothered. ‘G’day. Hi there. Howdy.’ Then she turns to Ben. ‘Hey, I got a great freaking idea, can you turn around? Have you got the telephone number of that reporter? Geraldine?’

‘Yeah, what?’

‘Just give it me, and see if you can get us out of here and find a shop or a petrol station. I need to buy some milk.’

I don’t know what they’re up to, but I jump out and watch for Jenny to come with the Albertis, and then we both wait for Mum by the fence. There’s people from the procession, and the people who were waiting at the highway have also come over and the cops and three camera crews and some other reporters hanging around smoking and talking into their phones or taking photos.

‘Hope Danny’s all right,’ Jenny says.

‘Yeah. What would we do if he isn’t?’

‘Mr Garrett said he could get another milk cart if he had to. Maybe he could get another horse.’

‘I wouldn’t want another horse.’

‘Me either. You reckon this place has wifi?’

‘You’re obsessed.

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