Free Calypso Summer by Jared Thomas Page A

reckons we could sell these things.’
    Vic suddenly jumped up from his seat. ‘Sell these things!’ Whitefellas are selling our things all the time. Problem is they don’t pay us for these things.’
    â€˜Well that’s the thing Vic, Gary said he would pay me, and family that help us out,’ I said quickly, hoping it would calm him down a bit.
    â€˜If a whitefella knew we had something worth selling, he’d steal it from us or at least try,’ Vic responded.
    â€˜Look, it’s true, sometimes Gary has no idea but he’s alright to me and I reckon he’d do the right thing by us.’
    Vic just raised an eyebrow and took another sip of beer. Sensing his agitation I didn’t think it was worth pushing the issue. Uncle Ray picked up his guitar again and began strumming. Just before he was about to start singing he suddenly stopped and said, ‘Neph, you know you’re really putting me in a hard position here.’
    â€˜What do you mean?’
    â€˜Well it’s an uncle’s business to teach his nephew things. It’s real shame job having a nephew with no nindee.’
    â€˜No what?’
    â€˜Knowledge,’ Bruce interrupted. ‘Nindee,’ he said pointing at his forehead while Vic laughed.
    â€˜You can’t tell him nothing Uncle Ray. He’s only stepping foot on yarta after all these years. Last time he was here he was just a baby, still crawling,’ Vic protested.
    â€˜But he still comes from this yarta, he still Nukunu. Or do you fellas still want him lost there in the city?’
    â€˜I don’t reckon you could even live a week away from the city,’ Vic said looking directly at me.
    Before I could answer Vic said, ‘Anyway, I’m going to bed … all this talk of white men stealing things has made me tired … like it always does.’
    Bruce said goodnight and followed Vic into a shed where some swags were laid out. I just sat staring into the flames, feeling kind of angry and shame. I didn’t realise that asking about bush medicine would be such a big deal. I couldn’t work out why Vic was being such an arsehole. Earlier in the day he seemed happy about running sheep belonging to white farmers on the property, now he was accusing me of stealing. I thought I was offering something that might help us all out … that’s all.
    When Vic and Bruce were out of sight, Uncle Ray turned to me and said, ‘Kyle, don’t worry about those boys. They just don’t know you yet, that’s all. Spend a bit of time around here, come when you can and I’ll teach you a bit here and there about country and so will the rest of the mob, even your cousins there.’
    I looked at Will who had fallen asleep still holding his beer and said, ‘Look, I just want to know where I’m from.’
    â€˜I know that neph. As soon as we knew you were coming your Aunty Janet and I started talking about how to bring you back to this place.’
    â€˜But I’m here.’
    â€˜You’re here but you don’t know what being here means yet.’
    â€˜I don’t understand.’
    â€˜Exactly. See that ring around the moon there,’ he asked, placing his guitar gently on the ground, ‘what does that mean?’
    I looked at the moon dumbfounded. I could see the rabbit in the moon but had no idea what the ring around it meant. I shrugged my shoulders.
    â€˜That moon can tell the biggest mobs of stories. Right now it’s telling us that it will rain tomorrow.’
    â€˜True?’
    â€˜Yep. And what do those clouds over yonder mean?’
    â€˜What, those wispy ones?’
    â€˜Well they’re the only clouds there aren’t they? Yes, the wispy ones, what do they mean?’
    â€˜I don’t know but I know they’re not rain clouds.’
    â€˜No they’re not. The rain clouds are coming tomorrow remember, the moon told us that already. Those ones,