Crush

Twenty-Five

Tess pulled open the wooden door of the main shed and spotted Pop's feet sticking out from under Chitty. "Pop?"

"Yeah," he grunted.

"What are you doing with Chitty?"

"Putting in a spotlight. So you don't have to use that torch anymore."

Tess walked over to the benches lining the side of the shed. They were covered in grease and oil and red dust, but they were tidy. Pop never left anything on the benches and anyone who worked in there was expected to do the same. If he'd been working on something, an old motor, or bike part, he wrapped it in an old tarp or rag and put it under the bench until he could get to it next time.

Pop said, "Can you see the switch on the dashboard?"

Tess leaned over the steering wheel and spotted the switch Pop was talking about. "Yeah."

"Turn it on, will you?"

Tess flicked the switch and the spotlight lit up the door in a blinding stream of white light. "You might want to adjust the angle," Tess said. "It looks like it's a bit high."

She watched as the light dropped lower on the door. "How's that?" Pop asked.

"Perfect," Tess replied. She flicked the switch off and Pop pulled himself from under the car and stood up.

"Your grandmother can't complain about you not being safe at night now." He wiped his hands on the front of his coveralls and walked over to the bench to put his tools away in the toolbox. "I cleaned out the filter too, which is something you should do more often if you're going to start driving it again." He pointed at Tess with a spanner before he dropped it in the toolbox.

"Thanks," Tess said. "I'll try to remember."

"I taught you to service it so I wouldn't have to do it myself," he grumbled. He closed the toolbox, shoved it to the back of the bench and turned back to Tess. He leaned back onto the bench and folded his arms across his chest. "Your grandmother send you out here?"

"Kind of," Tess said.

Pop nodded. Obviously not wanting to talk about what Gran might've said, Pop asked, "Have you been talking to Will?"

"About what?" Tess remembered what Will said and decided to feign innocence.

"The festival."

"I was just talking to him. Why?"

"He came to see me with some harebrained scheme of his."

"Oh?" she said. "And?"

Pop shrugged. "I told him he was dreaming."

Oh, he's good, Tess thought. She decided to test how far Pop would take the lie. "So, all the trucks that are still in the yard. How come they're still here?"

"Buggered if I know. Probably too stingy to pay for a motel I suppose."

"So they'll be gone in the morning?"

"I bloody hope so. They're killing my grass."

Tess tried not to laugh out loud. "So, what are we going to do tomorrow night then, since we haven't got any other plans?" she asked.

Pop shrugged. "Hadn't thought about it to be honest," he said. "Might give your Gran the night off from cooking. Take her out for dinner maybe."

"Right," Tess said.

"Speaking of dinner, you're Gran'll just about have it ready by now. You should get inside and see if she needs a hand."

Afraid that she might let on that she knew what was happening, Tess decided to head inside. As she pulled open the door Pop said, "Tess?"

"Yeah?"

"You know you're my favourite?" Pop smiled.

Tess smiled back. He used to say that to her all the time until she realised that she was his only grandchild. "I know," Tess said.

The sky had gone completely dark and as she walked down the dirt road back to the house, a pair of headlights turned into the Big Yard driveway. Whoever that was, they were late if they were wanting to set up now. Tess wasn't sure why they wouldn't just come earlier tomorrow.

∞

Tess found Gran in the lounge room, knitting. "Dinner's in the oven," she said, not missing a beat with her knitting needles.

"Thanks," Tess said. As she turned to walk out to the kitchen, there was a knock on the front door. It was unusual because everyone knew to use the back door. Tess opened it and was blinded by a flash of white light. Before she could recover a man said, "Where's Indiana Rose?"

"What?" Tess scrunched her eyes to try to relieve her temporary blindness. The man held out a piece of paper. It took her eyes a minute to adjust but she was horrified to see that it was a copy of the photo that was in the paper that morning.

"Can you confirm that Indiana Rose was staying out here?"

Before Tess could say anything, Gran had appeared at her side. "Go away," she hissed.

"We just want to ask some questions," the man said. He had a pen poised over a notebook.

There was another flash from the camera and Gran stepped forward, threatening the men with her knitting needles. "If you don't get going right this instant, I'll set the dogs onto you."

"But-"

"Go let the dogs off," she said to Tess.

"Okay, okay." The man put his hands up in front of him and backed down the stairs. "We're going."

"And don't come back!" Gran slammed the door and locked it behind her.

"We don't have any dogs," Tess said.

"They don't know that," Gran replied. She pulled Tess into the kitchen and ordered her to sit at the bench. Tess sat on a stool, and Gran pulled a dinner plate from the oven, unwrapped the foil covering and placed it down in front of Tess along with a knife and fork. "Eat," she said.

Tess was a little worried about what Gran might do if she were to protest, so she did as she was told.

"There'll be more tomorrow, no doubt," Gran said, wandering around the kitchen, putting dishes and cutlery away. She pointed at Tess with a butter knife and said, "Don't you tell them anything."

"I won't," Tess replied through a mouthful of corned meat and mashed potato. She didn't know what she'd tell them anyway.

"I'll get your grandfather to call Sergeant Collins when he gets in. He'll clear them off quick smart."

"Clear who off?" Pop called from the laundry.

The smell of grease remover drifted into the kitchen and Gran said, "You know I hate it when you wash off inside, Jack."

"The bulb's out downstairs," Pop replied. He sidled up beside Tess and pinched a piece of corned meat from Tess's plate. She swiped at him with her fork and he laughed.

"Gran just fought off some reporters with knitting needles," Tess said through mouthfuls of food.

Pop laughed. Gran huffed and said, "I told them I'd set the dogs onto them if they didn't get going quick smart."

"We don't have dogs," Pop said.

"They don't know that," Gran said and Tess laughed.

"Crafty one, your Gran," Pop said, stirring the cup of tea Gran placed down in front of him.

"Don't you start," Gran said, swatting at him with a tea towel.