Read Online Calypso Summer by Jared Thomas - Free Book Online Page A

plants and medicines and things.
    â€˜So you staying here tonight, Calypso?’ asked Vic, between picking at bits of meat stuck in his teeth.
    I looked at Vic not knowing what to say. ‘You’re more than welcome, dear,’ Aunty Janet said and then Bruce said, ‘Stay and then you can grab a ride back to Adelaide with us tomorrow afternoon. Not too early though.’
    â€˜That’ll be good,’ I said.
    I wiped my mouth on the inside of the collar of my t-shirt, the crab was burning my mouth a bit. I was starting to worry what it would do to my arse.
    â€˜Good feed, hey bruz?’ Bruce asked.
    â€˜Excellent.’
    â€˜You should go to one of Shanti’s family feeds. Indian mob know how to cook a feed that’s for sure,’ Bruce said.
    â€˜They do proper tandoori style and all,’ Vic added.
    â€˜Alright, who’s up for a game of cricket?’ Ray asked.
    Bruce moved slowly from his seat and the kids that were sitting at the other end of the table got up to scout around theyard. Vic stayed sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him and his hands resting on his guts. Two little fellas dragged the bin to the middle of the backyard and one of the older kids walked to the wicket with a bat. I got up and followed Bruce to join the game.
    Aunty Janet’s backyard, like her front yard, was huge but it wasn’t covered in plants or lawn, just dirt. It was flat though and made a good wicket. Her high fences made good boundaries too, you just had to watch out for some farming equipment, an old car body and the fire pit.
    The first batsman was my cousin Mat, Vic’s son, the bowler my cousin Josh, Mel’s son, and the two girls in the field were Bruce’s daughters Shae and Brea. I figured that Mat was about eleven and it didn’t take me too long to realise that he was a wicked sportsman.
    Josh commentated as he bowled, pretending to be Pakistani fast bowler Imran Khan, and for a young fella he wasn’t doing a bad imitation, whipping them through to Mat. Occasionally one of the balls slipped through to Vic who was wicketkeeping, and I stood at slip seeing and hearing the tennis ball whiz along. Mat did a good job of smacking the balls all around the yard. If shots didn’t hit the fence on the full, Shae, Brea, Josh and Bruce were in hot pursuit of them.
    Mat also started commentating with each shot he made, imitating Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, the Little Master. ‘A beautiful drive through the covers,’ he called out, ‘Unbeatable … the Little Master hooks another six,’ he bragged. After Shae and Brea had bowled and Mat was close to making fifty runs, Vic decided to bowl. He set me, Shae, Brea, and Uncle Ray deep in thefield and Josh behind the wicket and delivered high arching spin. Mat managed to place a couple of balls on the fence but before too long he mistimed a ball, it lobbed up to Bruce and he easily caught it.
    Shae and Brea batted next and, although not near as good as Mat, they were also a challenge to get out. I thought my sister Evelyn was good at sport but she’s not half as good as Shae and Brea. They stood at the crease like fellas their own age and both managed to give the ball a slap that shot the ball racing along the ground.
    When both of the girls had been bowled by Vic’s deadly spin, Bruce called out, ‘Give Calypso a bat.’ Shae walked over and handed me the bat.
    â€˜Quack, quack,’ Vic called out as Bruce tossed Mat the tennis ball.
    Mat swaggered up to the crease as if he were going to bowl a spinner but released the ball with real energy. The ball swung inwards, bounced and met me at guts height. I played the ball down and Brea who was fielding in close caught it in one hand. Shae and all of the other kids jumped up and down shouting ‘How’z that!’
    I looked at Vic and Bruce to check that one-hand-one-bounce was not the rule. ‘Quack, quack,’ Vic