The Passenger

Police stop ahead, road closed, the sign said. The flashing lights of police vehicles blocked the road ahead. An officer with a paddle sign indicated that he wanted me to pull over onto the verge. My passenger took in a deep breath, I felt his tension as we pulled over. Bent over looking into the car the officer gave a friendly greeting. ‘Good morning sir, I am afraid you will need to find an alternative route. The road ahead and a number of bridges have been washed away in the storms. You can do a U turn here,’ said the young officer. 

‘The alternative road will make the trip an hour or so longer.’ I said to my passenger as I executed the turn. The man next to me hadn’t said much since picking him up a few minutes earlier. 

‘Yeah that’s fine’ he had relaxed somewhat from earlier when we had stopped for the police, his arm now resting on the windowsill, his hand around the assist grip above the window.   I made my way down the main street of the town to the country road marked as the tourist route. I had often taken this road as a quieter, more scenic and relaxed drive than the quicker direct main route along the east coast, this would eventually link back to the highway. It would be another hour and half before we reached the Pacific Highway on our way to Sydney. The road was in fair condition but the heavy rains had eroded some of the bitumen surface which would make the journey slower. 

Visiting my parents on the farm was always a welcome break from my hectic schedule in Sydney and I tried to get up to see them as often as possible. They had a small dairy farm in the foothills of Barrington Tops in New South Wales and as with my previous visits it had been good to feel and smell the earth, my mothers home homemade cooking, as well as the early morning milking stints with my Dad.

On my last night before heading back to Sydney we had followed a long held family tradition of a visit to the RSL club. A pub meal, a few ales and a catch up with friends. 

I hadn’t come across Jock for a while. We had gone our separate ways once we had left school so it came as a surprise when he sidled up to me at the bar and after a short exchange of where have you been, what are you up to conversation he asked when I was returning to Sydney. An unexpected visitor of his needed a lift, his truck had broken down and he had asked Jock to arrange for it to be delivered to the garage after the weekend. ‘He is staying at the motel and I will give him the news and ask him to meet you outside at eight tomorrow. His name is Alan by the way’. 

‘So Alan, how do you know Jock.’ I asked to make conversation as we left the town behind and settled into the drive past the small cluster of industrial buildings and modest homes that lined the road and onwards past farmland and through the rolling green hills of country New South Wales. ‘I met him on the mines in Western Queensland, we were both sparkies and Fifo’s he replied. ‘I didn’t know that Jock was a fly in fly out contractor on the mines, I knew he was an electrician but didn’t realise he had worked on the mines, that explains why I hadn’t seen him around for a while.’ ‘Yeah he was surprised to see me but he had told me that should I ever be down his way to look him up. Glad he has been able to help out with my Ute as well.’ He had noticeably relaxed even more now that we were out of the town. He kicked off his boots by levering them off at the heel with his toes. I noted that his socks could do with a wash in fact overall he could have done with a good scrub. ‘Where are you from’ All over the place mate, wherever I can find work.’ ‘Family’ I asked. ‘Nah, had me a woman once but she was a bloody mess, booze and drugs and that sort of thing you know. Mind if I have a fag’ he said pulling a twenty pack from his top pocket. ‘No I don’t like smoking in the vehicle if you don’t mind but I will stop later if you want.’ ‘Perhaps at the next big tree, I need a piss as well.’ he replied with a chuckle.

We travelled in silence for a while as I started to regret that I had offered this character a lift, his clothes were permeated with tobacco smoke and I turned up the air con to refresh the air ‘Here we go’ I said as I eased off the road and pulled into a rest area. We both walked over to the toilet block and as we went Alan pulled out his pack of cigarettes pausing momentarily to light one. Back at the car I had opened the boot and pulled a couple of cokes out of the cool box. It was packed with fresh dairy products from the farm and a 6 pack of cokes and bottled water as well as a selection of chocolates and snacks. 'Alan’ I said, holding a can toward him. Alan leaned against the car, he had removed his socks and was walking barefoot ‘shit got me a bloody thorn’ he said as he raised one leg and crossed it over the other so he could see under his dirty foot and pull out the thorn. ‘That’s better’ he said, showing me the thorn held between his thumb and forefinger. ‘Big bugger’ he laughed followed by a chesty cough.

‘You got a woman’ Alan asked as we stood sipping our cokes and Alan lit another cigarette. ‘Yes she’s at home in Sydney and couldn’t make it this weekend as she had a number of work issues.’ ‘Where do you guys live.’ I felt uneasy and needed to think quickly and not be too specific. " We are on the Northern Beaches and you’ I said, trying to turn the conversation back to him. ‘Wherever I can find somewhere to shack up. I have some mates in Sydney and will probably find a bed with one of them for a while’ ‘’What’s up with your truck’ I asked, moving the conversation away from accommodation in Sydney. It was the last thing I needed for him to ask me for a bed for a night or two. ‘It's a load of junk, never buy a Ford I can tell you, Toyota anytime for me, bloody things go forever. My Dad had one and he clocked over 300 thou with it before he had a fight with a tree.’ He laughed, slapping his thigh ‘what a piss cat’ he sighed poor bugger is no longer here but Mum is still around somewhere in Queensland.’ ‘You must do well for yourself’ turning the conversation back to me. ‘Fancy wheels’ he said, patting the bonnet ‘Lexus top of the range mate.’

'Let’s get going’ I said 'we have a way to go.'

The damage from the heavy rains of the past days were now even more evident, road conditions had detoriorated, it was slow going avoiding wash-aways and some fallen branches. ‘Not another detour’ I said exasperated as we passed slow down signs and were directed onto a small unpaved track. ‘We need to keep going, surely we will be directed back onto a better road.’ I thought as I negotiated the rough surface and larger puddles. The farmlands we had passed for most of the journey had now given way to gum forests and there was little evidence of habitation anywhere.

 ‘We’re in the middle of nowhere mate’ Alan said.

Like I didn’t already know that.

‘Yeah sure feels like it’ I replied, holding my voice in check from sounding impatient. I didn't need any sort of confrontation, becoming increasingly annoyed with my passenger.

I was beginning to have a sinking feeling that we were getting lost and perhaps the detour signs had actually taken us in the wrong direction. We had no cell phone reception either so there was no way to check google maps and try and get some idea of our location. We were heading away from a southerly direction in a more westerly direction. I pulled over on the verge in a clearing and decided to conduct a reconnaissance from a higher vantage point. ‘Thank shit’ Alan said ‘I could do with a smoke while you decide where we are. It seems you have got us lost up the creek without a paddle.’ 

I could clout this guy. He was really annoying me now and was in no way being helpful. I wanted to walk through the forest to find higher ground but there was no way I could leave Alan alone with the car, by now I felt I could not trust him.

‘I need to walk a way through there’ I said pointing to a fire trail. ‘You go mate, I will look after the car while I have a smoke, I have to be careful not to cause a fire’ he said chuckling in a sanctimonious manner. ‘On second thoughts’ I said as I opened the cubby hole and pulled out an old paper map that I suddenly recalled having just in case such a situation ever arose.

I spread the map on the bonnet as Alan walked off smoking and whistling some unknown pointless sounding tune.

He returned a while later ‘Figured out where we are yet.’ I was confident that I had worked it out, telling him that we would carry on.

‘Got anything stronger than cokes in the cool box’ he said. ‘Sorry no but help yourself to another coke or water if you prefer.’ He grabbed a coke and a Kit Kat popped the can and opened the Kit Kat without offering any to me as he put the chocolate wafers into his mouth two at a time and threw the wrapper onto the floor of the passenger side as he took his seat.

Hairpin bends curved endlessly around the forested hills and our pace was now even slower as the road wound its way downward, Alan had stopped his annoying whistling through his teeth, he was fast asleep, mouth open in his unshaven face and straggly hair curling on his shoulders, it had been a welcome respite and given me time to think.    

 I was confident this would eventually lead to the valleys below but with the swollen cumulus clouds now threatening rain I was doubting we could carry on traversing the slippery road if we had a downpour. Large drops of rain hit the windscreen and with the accumulation of dust and mud, the wipers at full speed smeared the windscreen and we could not safely proceed. I pulled over once more to wait out the storm.

‘’Journey from hell’ I cursed. Alan woke up with a start. ‘Would have been quicker by train I reckon’ Alan quipped.

 ‘So what do you do for bob’ he said as he leaned the back of his head against the window and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. ‘No smoking please’ ‘It's bloody raining mate, I can’t go out in this’ his voice was now threatening and worried me. ‘I reached over the seat and handed him an umbrella. ‘Use this.’ ‘Bloody snob’ he muttered under his breath as he opened the door, holding it open longer than needed and letting in more rain. I watched him walk off into the rain to a tree sheltered clearing. 

My phone pinged several times letting me know that we were now back in cellphone range. I opened the messages, ‘Your passenger is a fugitive and on the run, dump him and call the police. Dad’. ‘We are worried the police are trying to track you down.Mum’ ‘NSW Police please make contact soonest.’ Alan had wandered off and I could make out that he was obviously relieving himself next to a tree further down the clearing. I reached over the seat and pulled his bag over to the front, started the car, opened my window and threw the bag out as I pulled away. 

The rain was pelting down but I had to take the chance, even at the safe speed there was no way he could catch up. The storm was short lived and the road was winding its way down into the valley and a straight road ahead. Pulling over to the side of the road I called my Dad first, he told me that Alan was on the run. He was suspected of murder and other crimes in Queensland and was now also wanted for questioning by the local police, Jock had been found seriously assaulted earlier in the day.. 

The flashing lights of police cars were in the distance coming toward me. I sat back and waited.

I noticed Alan’s muddy boots and dirty socks on the floor of the passenger seat.