Calypso Summer (23 page)

I followed Uncle Ray down the steps of my flat toward his old white Valiant. My slacks made me slip around all over the place on his vinyl bench seat. Uncle Ray turned the key in the ignition, revved the motor and he just flat-footed it out of my driveway.

He parked near the Ramsgate Hotel. It was hot as hell and people were everywhere. It was a pity the shop was closed. It was a perfect day for business. Uncle Ray opened the boot and pulled out an old vinyl Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club bag.

‘Just relax, neph,' Uncle Ray said as we walked over to the shop, but I could tell he was nervous. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his brow before we crossed the road.

It was almost twelve o'clock and I knocked on the door but Gary was already walking toward us. ‘This stuff will do all the talking,' Uncle Ray said.

‘G'day Calypso,' Gary said with a smile as if he hadn't fucked things up. ‘You must be Uncle Ray,' he said, shaking his hand.

Like Gary had said there was a spa positioned in the centre of the store. We walked over to the spa and this tall skinny fella with grey hair and trendy glasses. He was wearing Birkenstocks, trendy shorts and a black v-neck t-shirt. He didn't look like a
businessman but you could tell he was loaded. Gary said, ‘James, this is Calypso and Uncle Ray.'

‘How do you do?' James said when we shook his hand.

Uncle Ray put down his bag and took a seat next to the spa and James sat on its edge.

‘Gary tells me you have a product that would be of interest to us?'

Uncle Ray just nodded.

‘Do you know much about what we do at Connected Community Foods? James asked.

Uncle Ray shook his head.

‘I'm a grape grower by trade and when I was making wines on the west coast, it became apparent that people over there wanted to have a go at selling some of their bush tucker in addition to arts and craft.'

Uncle Ray nodded.

‘I don't know anything about arts and craft but I do know about wine and cuisine and how to get products on tables. At first we started with a simple condiment, a quandong sauce.'

‘How did that go?' Uncle Ray asked, looking real interested.

‘It's still one of our bestselling products. You'll even find it in restaurants in New York and Paris.'

‘We got plenty of quandong,' Uncle Ray told him.

‘Really?' James said. ‘We're looking for more suppliers.'

‘How does your business pay Aboriginal people and communities?' Uncle Ray asked, looking at James real serious way.

‘We only use supplies from Aboriginal people and communities. We pay thirty percent of the profit back to them. It might not sound like much but Connected Community Foods
takes care of administration, advertising and distribution costs. You can check around to see if you can get a better deal but I haven't found one.'

‘Well let us show you the stuff we've got here and maybe then we can talk about our quandongs and things,' Uncle Ray said, picking up his bag.

‘Of course,' James said rubbing his hands together. ‘I guess I better jump in the spa then.'

‘Here, let me get this spa sorted for you,' said Gary, getting up from his chair, turning the pump on and checking the water temperature.

James took off his t-shirt and shorts to reveal a pair of budgiesmugglers and Uncle Ray explained, ‘It's proper good stuff we've got here. It fixes up all sorts of aches and pains.'

‘Really?' Gary asked, excited.

‘Absolutely. It's what our old people used.'

‘They'll make you feel like a million dollars within minutes,' I told James, quickly trying out the sales lingo I'd picked up from Gary.

James leant back into the spa, turned on the jets and got comfy. Uncle Ray pulled three bottles of liquid out of his bag. ‘You mix these all together but I'll pour them in one by one so that you can see what each of them is like … Now this plant oil here has a lemon fragrance. See, you take the plant and you boil it for a proper long time to get the oils and minerals from it.' Uncle Ray rubbed some of the oil between his fingers and palm and held it under James' nose for him to smell.

‘Smells great,' James said.

‘Doesn't it,' Gary added.

‘Is it lemon myrtle?' James asked.

‘It's like myrtle but nah it isn't. Can use it for lots of things though,' Uncle Ray told him. ‘It's good for the skin, helps you relax and opens up the sinuses … It's an aphrodisiac too.'

‘Sounds like a wonder drug. I better get my wife onto it, I need all the help I can get,' James reckoned.

Seconds after the oil hit the water we could smell its lemony fragrance flat out. Smelled lovely! Heaps better than the crusty incense we sold. ‘Very nice,' said James rubbing his hand across his wet arm. ‘Feels good on the skin.'

Uncle Ray dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief and unscrewed the lid of another bottle and poured its contents into the bath. ‘This oil doesn't have much of a smell but it is full of good salts and nutrients. The salts soak into your skin and the oils soften it up. Bit like aloe vera. But better, 'ey.'

James closed his eyes and the spa jets shook his body. Uncle Ray, Gary and me just stood there waiting to see what James thought. ‘Our old people used this plant to treat aches and pains,' Uncle Ray said.

James just lay back there getting all comfy and I thought he was going to go to sleep. ‘I can feel it, it's great. And I can smell the minerals too, all of the salts.' Uncle Ray, Gary and I smiled at each other.

Are you ready for the last ingredient?' Uncle Ray asked.

James opened his eyes and said, ‘Go for it.'

Uncle Ray poured a good amount of the last of the oil into the spa. ‘This is the magic ingredient James. It's effervescent and will push the other oils into your bones and make your skin tingle.' I
didn't know what effervescent meant. Uncle Ray told me later he read the word on a bottle of soda water.

‘So it's alright then, James?' Gary asked.

‘It's bloody magic,' James said and Uncle Ray, Gary and I all looked at each other, happy … and relieved.

‘Can you give me a moment?' James asked, ‘I just want to chill out in this for a while ... had a few too many last night, this is doing me the world of good.'

‘No worries,' I said.

‘You fellas want a cuppa?' Gary asked.

Uncle Ray nodded and we walked over to the counter to take a seat. Gary went to switch on the kettle and when he came back giving him a dirty look.

I said, ‘I guess I'm not getting that bonus you were talking about?'

‘I reckon you're doing business with James now. But we'll stock whatever you come up with.'

‘If we're still in business,' I said. I didn't have a bloody clue what to say to James to get a deal happening. It wasn't like I was trying to sell ganja to one of my mates.

Gary boiled the kettle while Uncle Ray and I just sat there waiting for James to jump out of the tub. When James finally came over to the counter with a towel wrapped around his waist, Uncle Ray asked, ‘So what you reckon, we can do something?'

‘Absolutely, but before we do anything, we'll need to experiment a bit, work out what it takes to get the product from the bush to the shelf.'

I felt this really dumb-arse smile spread across my face.

‘We can do that,' Uncle Ray said.

‘We'll need quite a lot of the plants.'

‘Easy done,' I said almost laughing.

‘But our lawyer is working through a few things with us first, James,' Uncle Ray said.

‘Like what?' James asked, looking surprised and a bit put out. I started to get worried.'

‘Our old people been using these things for thousands of years. We want help to sell it but we don't want it taken away from us just like that. We want it patented, you know … to be protected.'

James sucked air through his teeth and scratched his head and I thought he was just going to turn around and walk straight out the store then and there. Then he held his hands out in front of him and said, ‘I reckon we can do this, there is a precedent. We sell other products where the communities they're from have maintained their intellectual property rights.' I didn't really know what James was saying but it sounded alright. I stopped shitting myself.

‘That's good,' said Uncle Ray.

‘And have you thought about an option?' James asked.

Uncle Ray and I just sat there looking at each other not knowing what James was talking about. Uncle Ray was stuck. He didn't know what James was talking about either, but didn't want to let on. Then James said, ‘Five thousand dollars is the usual fee.'

‘For how much?' Uncle Ray asked.

‘Do you know what an option is, Uncle Ray?' James asked.

Uncle Ray shook his head.

‘Our company pays you a fee to develop the product through to commercial stage. It's still a contractual arrangement, protecting your community and my company, so that you won't take your product to another company.'

‘That sounds real good,' Uncle Ray said.

‘Yeah, that sounds real deadly,' I said nodding my head and smiling at Uncle Ray.

James said, ‘I understand you will want to discuss things with your community, and your lawyer, but I really look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with you.' The fella slapped us on the back.

For a little while there kicking back drinking that tea I felt like I'd won the lottery … but then my heart tightened up thinking about how Clare was going.

°°°

‘You bloody beauty,' Uncle Ray said when we stepped out onto the street. ‘You did well there, neph.'

‘You reckon he's alright, that James fella?' I asked.

‘Yeah, he seems alright. And our lawyer will check up on him to make sure. And we'll just take it easy with him. We'll see how we go with one thing, and then if he's okay we might talk about another … the thing is, we might want to start making some things for ourselves.'

‘He loaded, that fella, saying he was going to hand over five grand like that?' I said.

‘Yep. And it's probably a good thing 'cause you're going to need that money if you lose your job.'

‘I can't take all of it,' I said.

‘You'll be able to take most of it ... Probably only fair you take at least three grand. That's what your boss was going to pay you, wasn't he? We'll get things sorted our proper way later on.'

We jumped into Uncle Ray's car. I handed him a hundred bucks. ‘I hope you can take this for a start … to cover your petrol.'

‘Thanks neph … you wanna go straight home?'

‘Can you drop me at Clare's?'

‘Yeah, no worries.'

°°°

When we were on the road I said to Uncle Ray, ‘Can you do me one last favour?'

‘What is it?' he said.

‘Can you go see Mum and tell her that the ganja Run was arrested for wasn't mine? I don't even smoke no more … haven't in ages. I just been trying to help Run out but that little prick won't listen.'

‘I was going to drop in and see her anyway. And don't worry about Run. Maybe getting arrested is just what he needs. We'll get him home sometime and sort him out.'

I thought it was better to try to set things straight with Clare and her parents sooner rather than later, but when Uncle Ray pulled over to the side of the road out the front of Clare's place, I started shitting it. ‘We'll talk soon 'ey Uncle Ray,' I said as I opened the door to get out of the car.

‘Yeah, no worries, neph, you come up home soon. Bring Clare too.'

I watched Uncle Ray's old Valiant rattle along the street and then I noticed Clare's car wasn't in the driveway. Frankie and Linda's car wasn't there either. So I just sat out the front of their place against the fence. I had a bit of shade from one of their
trees but it was way too hot to be wearing a shirt and that. I loosened my tie and undid some buttons.

Frankie pulled up about fifteen minutes later. I opened the gate for him but he didn't even look at me or anything. I thought about turning around and going home. But when he jumped out of the car with his paper, he said, ‘Come on bloke, it's bloody hot out here.'

Frankie held the door open for me and as soon as I walked into the house I said, ‘I thought I better come and see you to apologise.'

‘Damn right,' he said. ‘Just go through to the back there, Calypso and I'll be with you in a minute.'

So I walked out to the backyard and sat at the table. It was still bloody hot and I just wanted to flake it. Frankie walked out a few minutes later with a cup of coffee. ‘So what you got to say for yourself, Calypso?

‘I'm real sorry, Frankie. But it wasn't my gear, honest to god, it was Run's.'

‘That doesn't change things, Calypso. My girl was still in trouble. You and she were still arrested.'

‘I didn't know the gear was in the flat. I've been trying to get Run to give that shit up.'

‘Those coppers could have done anything to Clare and you fuckin' know it, Calypso. They could've fucked her up for good.'

‘You don't know how cut I was seeing Clare like that …'

‘How do you think I felt?

‘I won't let it happen again, I promise.'

Frankie wiped the coffee from his moustache and asked, ‘How you going to do that?'

I knew exactly what to say. I'd spent a lot of time thinking about it in the lockup. ‘I won't mix with trouble … not even Run, I don't care if he's family. He's not living with me and I'm having nothing to do with him until he gets his shit sorted.'

‘That would be a good start. What else you going to do?'

I wasn't going to shrug my shoulders but I didn't know what else to say to Frankie.

‘It's alright Calypso, I know you'll do your best,' he said.