'How was your first week of being a bricklayer?' asked Big Jake, sliding a half frozen prawn onto his hook.
'Long,' replied Ned, winding in his line to reveal a soggy and sad looking bit of prawn meat draped in creek weed. 'I'm pretty sure I've destroyed my spine and got skin cancer.'
Big Jake flicked his line out into the middle of the creek. 'It's good for ya mate, makes ya strong, you'll get used to it.'
'I'd rather not' Ned replied, rolling his head from left to right to emphasise his discomfort. 'You ever thought of leaving, doing something else?'
Big Jake gave a big, deliberate nod of the head, 'Yep, plenty of times mate. I didn't think I'd still be here at thirty-two. I shit myself when your sister got pregnant; I was ready to do a runner back to Wellington.'
'Really?' Ned was shocked.
'I was fresh off the boat mate, just a young rat looking for a good time. I definitely wasn't thinking about kids.... I was still a kid myself.' Big Jake was focused on the creek, his eyes hidden behind a pair of wrap- around sunglasses. 'Yeah... time's got away from me a bit, been busy looking after Jakey and working, it flies past mate. I wanted to get out of here, get our own place, but Jodie wanted to stay. She's running the show back there anyway, she's just waiting for the rest of you to fuck off.' Big Jake flashed Ned a grin, before lifting a foot out of the creek and flicking a fat clump of mud at him.
Ned jumped up, dropping his fishing rod, 'Oi! Watch it buddy. I'll have to come over there and sort you out.'
Big Jake let out a blast of laughter.
Ned repositioned himself back in his divot on the bank, picked up a frozen prawn and lobbed it at Jake, 'or maybe I'll just let the diabetes get ya.'
YOU ARE READING
Tip Rats
General FictionNed wants to make something of his life, he's just not sure what that something is. He's watched his father rot in front of the television for as long as he can remember and he's afraid he'll end up doing the same. That's what the little town of Bun...
