I lifted the hard hat off and wiped the sweat away with my shirt sleeve. The dust was in my eyes, up my nose, down my throat, under my fingernails. But it didn’t matter because today was my last day on this site, my last day of work and my last day being Toby Watts, building supervisor. As of tomorrow, whenever I filled in a form with my job title, it would be Toby Watts, photographer.
A smile formed on my face.
I’d almost finished loading up the ute with my stuff and in the morning I’d be filling it up with fuel and driving across the country to Mission Beach, Far North Queensland. I was giving myself time to settle in before my first project shooting with Keith Rayner in the Daintree Forest. It was too good to be true, but it was true. It was!
In the end, it was so easy to leave. I didn’t even have to tell Dad I wanted to leave the building business – he was the one who told me I had to leave.
‘So six months, Toby, and then what?’ He tilted his head down and gave me a questioning look over his glasses.
I took a deep breath. ‘I guess it depends on how successful the six months are.’
He nodded slowly. ‘Well, I’m passing down a business to you. It’s completely up to you what kind of business that is. If this photography gig works out for you, I’ll sell Watts Building and set you up a studio.’
I choked on my coffee. ‘Dad! You can’t do that!’
‘Of course I can,’ he said with conviction. ‘It’s my money, I’ll do what I damn well like with it.’
‘But, Dad, you’ve always said you wanted to pass the business down to us.’
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. ‘Yes I did, and I never should have. That wasn’t fair to you boys. Life’s short, you need to do what makes you happy. Give the photography a go, God knows you’ve got the talent, and then decide what you want to do when the mentorship’s up. I’ll put that kid Damien on as supervisor for the next six months. If you decide photography isn’t your thing after all, I’ll sign the building business over to you. But if you reckon you can make a go of it, I’ll cash in Watts Building and set up Watts Photography.’
I found it hard to speak and just nodded my thanks instead.
‘So it starts in three weeks, you said?’ Dad asked.
‘Yes, three weeks. It’s not very long notice I know. I’m sorry. I only just found out about it myself.’
‘Forget the notice, Toby, just tie up as many loose ends as you can in the next day or two. Then you can get yourself over to Queensland and be good and settled by the time the new job begins. It’ll take you the best part of a week to drive there.’
‘Dad, are you really sure about this? I know it’s a shock to you.’
He leaned forward and rested his hand on my knee. ‘Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be all right. Just worry about yourself and go make the most of this opportunity.’
After leaving Mum and Dad’s, I walked next door to Marcia and Pete’s to let them know I was going away. I stayed there for all of five minutes before bolting out again.
Marcia, who looked as frail as a little old lady, was hysterical. ‘So cruel, Toby! You’re so cruel to leave after I’ve lost one child already. I can’t lose you too!’
‘Marcia, I’m sorry, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I’m not your child, remember? Luke is and he’ll still be here with you.’
‘Don’t you patronise me, Toby Watts. Don’t you abandon me and then patronise me,’ she hissed.
‘Not your mess. She’s not your mess,’ I said out loud to myself as I walked to the car.
I stopped at the bottle shop to buy some beers and handed them over to John when I got home. ‘Here’s a belated thanks for entering me in the competition and giving me the kick up the arse that I needed.’
There was just one thing left to sort out before I left. Lily. I hadn’t spoken to her since our fight. I couldn’t leave and not see her for six months on these bad terms.
I had a lot to tell her – I had to admit to her all the things she was right about. I should’ve stopped visiting Marcia a long time ago, and more importantly, I should’ve let Jen go a long time ago too. I should’ve been proud to introduce Lily to my family because, Christ, I was proud of her. There was nothing I wished for in a partner that I didn’t have in Lily. And I had to tell her that she was right about me being too scared to quit my job and chase my dream but that I’d finally found the guts to do it.
I understood that she needed space, which she’d be getting with me living on the opposite corner of the country for the next six months. But I wanted her to know that when that time was up, if she’d only give me another chance, I’d do it better. I’d treat her the way she deserved to be treated.
In the end it took me longer to pack than I thought it would. It had gone ten-thirty by the time I was ready to go to Lily’s. But it didn’t matter because she’d still be up watching Netflix for sure.
John was sprawled in front of a replay of the Rangers game. I put out my hand to help him up and gave him a hug goodbye. He’d be asleep by the time I got home and I’d be leaving at sunrise.
‘I’ll see you in four weeks, hey? Try and line me up a hot Queensland chick to hammer when I’m there, all right?’ he drawled.
‘Um, what about a small detail called Renee?’
‘She’s too needy for me, mate.’ He waved his arm dismissively. ‘It’s totally over with her. I’m as free as a bird.’
‘Oh. Right then.’ What kind of person broke up with his girlfriend and didn’t tell the brother he lived with? ‘How did she take it?’
‘Oh, haven’t got around to telling her yet. She’ll just cry and shit.’ He pulled a face. ‘I need to psych myself up for that. In the meantime though, I’m having a bloody good time being single! It’s awesome, eh?’
That was the kind of person who didn’t tell his brother.
I drove the loaded-down ute to Lily’s. When I pulled up to her house, there was a car I didn’t recognise in the driveway. I swore under my breath at the unexpected company and rang the doorbell. There was no answer so I rang it again – same thing. I knocked but she still didn’t come to the door, so I let myself in with my key.
All the living areas were lit up but empty. Then I heard Lily talking from somewhere deeper in the house so I headed up the corridor following the sound of her voice to the TV room. I was about to call out ‘Hello’ but stopped dead in my tracks when I heard a man’s voice.
My hands and feet went numb and I couldn’t move. Which guy would be here this late at night?
‘What was that?’ Lily stage-whispered.
‘It’s only me,’ I tried to call out but the words got stuck in my throat and a weird muffled moan came out instead.
Lily screamed. ‘Oh my God! Someone’s in here!’
‘Hey!’ A guy came charging towards me. ‘What do you think you’re doing? Get out!’
As he lunged at me, Lily shrieked, ‘Ben! No, stop! That’s Toby!’
My eyes met Lily’s and the look on her face was one of pure horror. Somewhere in my brain fog I noticed she was in her pyjamas. The sexy ones.
‘Ben?’ I asked in a strangled voice, not looking at him, but straight at her. ‘This was what you meant by needing space? You meant Ben was back?’ I couldn’t swallow. I turned and headed for the door as fast as I could go on my jelly legs.
She yelled after me, ‘Toby! No, wait!’
I broke into a run, smashing the screen door against the brick wall as I burst through it onto the front porch.
‘Toby, stop! Just listen! Let me explain,’ Lily cried out behind me but I managed to get in the car and slam the door shut just as she caught up to me. The woman who had just trampled my heart to a pulp frantically banged on my window with open palms, mouthing words I couldn’t hear. I looked away from her, slid the car into reverse and screamed out of her driveway and up the road.
I’d be getting to Queensland earlier than planned. The trip started now.