"Hey there, stranger." A heavy hand rested on Cody's shoulder.

He looked into Maude's beaming face and laughed. "Time for that vodka I owe you, Maude."

"Yes. Music to my ears."

"Snake!" Cody called, "Can you get Maude some vodka?"

Snake nodded and went at it while Cody helped her onto the stool next to his.

"I never feel safe on one of these," she said as she shuffled onto the seat. "Not with my weight but I'll give it a try."

As Cody held her steady, he said, "Shane's not with you?"

"No, he dropped me off when we saw your four-wheel drive. He's gone to see Mandy. Can you give me a lift home if he's not back in an hour?"

"Yep. No worries." Cody grinned. "Has he asked her to be his girlfriend yet?"

"He's doing it tonight. If he's back in thirty, it'll mean she said no. You can work the rest out for yourself." Maude twinkled her eyebrows. "I got a sense it'll go well."

"So, he's built up the courage." Cody laughed. "I thought he asked her when we finished the Hope Vale job."

"Yep," Maude said. "Me too, but the chicken shit didn't."

They talked in general about Hope Vale, hens, the state of his roof and the monsoons that had been predicted.

"They're saying we're in for a few cyclones this season. La Nina or Nino or something they're calling it. Have you ever been in a cyclone, Cody?"

"No. Rare, where I come from. Been through some strong wind storms and heavy rain though."

"Where did you say you were from?"

"I'll be back in a minute." Cody ignored her question and stood. "I need a piss."

Maude nodded and grinned. She followed him with her eyes and then indicated to Snake that she'd like another drink. He put the glass in front of her. Maude moved her head in the direction of the men's toilets. "He don't like answering too many questions, does he?"

"Could be he's the private type, Maude?" Snake laughed and shook his head. "Women always want answers to everything."

"Not right for a good-looking young bloke like him to live locked away where he is. At least, not in my mind."

"Maybe he's just lookin' for a change. Stop being such a girl, Maude. Analysing everything so deep." Snake patted her on the back of the hand and laughed.

Cody returned from the toilet. To his relief, Chastity waltzed through the door. She waved to Snake but came straight over and squeezed between him and Maude.

"Hey," she cooed. "I saw your truck in the car park and came to say hello."

"Hello." Cody nodded and lifted his stubby to his mouth to hide his grin.

"Don't you think about asking him for a lift home because he's giving me one?" Maude said.

Chastity put her hand on Cody's thigh, turned to shield her hand's movement with her body and gave Maude a bewildered look. "Oh... I was going to ask Cody to come and look at something for me."

"I'm sure he'd be happy to, Chas," Maude said. "Some other night perhaps, because I want that lift." She leaned around Chastity to look at Cody and said, "Shane's been gone over an hour. It looks like things have turned out well. Are you still okay with giving me a lift?"

Chastity moved her hand up his leg and squeezed his inner thigh. Cody jerked so she giggled.

"Yeah, Maude, I'll give you a lift."

Chastity spun to face him and gave him the devil's eye.

He grinned, shrugged and added, "Maybe you could give me a minute to catch up with Chastity?"

"Okay," Maude muttered. "This stool's hurting my arse anyway." She got on her feet and blew out her breath. "You can buy me another drink while you're at it."

Chastity moved closer. She ran her fingers along his leg. "Why don't you tell her you're too busy and come to my place with me?"

"Because I promised earlier and I don't break promises."

"Maybe I could make you break that promise." Chastity leaned forward and squeezed her arms against her body. Her breasts surged to the top of her blouse. She fluttered her eyelids and pouted.

Cody chuckled, took a mouthful of his beer and looked at her cleavage. "I think you might be too much for me to handle, Chas."

"You did alright."

"Just about killed me." Cody tweaked his shoulders and grinned. "I couldn't walk the next day."

She laughed and pushed his hair behind his ear. "Poor baby."

"Chastity!" Snake frowned at Cody.

She dropped her hand and stepped back as she said, "What are you grumbling for?"

"You ain't doing the right thing, miss."

"I'm just saying hello to Cody," she simpered.

Snake pinned her with a glare. "Have you said hello?"

"Yes."

He nudged his head toward the door. "Now you can say goodbye."

"Uncle Snake!" she drawled and pushed out her bottom lip.

"You know your mother doesn't like you in here unless you're working. She'll skin me alive if she knows I've let you. Now say goodbye."

Chastity huffed and turned to Cody. "Maybe I'll see you soon."

"Maybe." He grinned and took another mouthful of his beer.

Snake turned on him. "One in your sights isn't enough. You gotta have two."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Snake?"

"You know what I'm talking about. The thing is. One bites and the other doesn't. Which one will you choose?"

Cody roared with laughter. "Which one's the biter?"

"Oh... I'm pretty sure you've worked that out already." Snake huffed. "She might be my niece, Cody, and she thinks I'm a blind old bastard but that one will eat you alive."

Cody spat beer everywhere and coughed into his hand. "You are so full of shit, Snake. First, you've got me hunting down one, and then fooling with another. What sort of man do you think I am?"

Snake tapped the bar, pinned Cody with a penetrating look and said, "I haven't worked that out yet, Mister Compton."

Terms that might need explaining.

Bloke – man.

Cyclone – Hurricane, Typhoon – large scale weather systems where air is sucked inwards and rotates around a stronger centre. The difference between hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons is the location of where the storm occurs. The term hurricane is used in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific. Typhoon is used in the Northwest Pacific and the term cyclone is used in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean and yes they do rotate differently depending what hemisphere they are in.

Australia's largest cyclone was Queensland's Cyclone Yasi (see meteorology pic above copyright weatherwatch.co.nz) which hit the coast between Cairns and Townsville in February 2011 with winds between 250 and 290 km/h (155 to 181 mph).

Copyright for below pic belongs to abc.net.au

This cyclone was as powerful as Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in 2005. Yasi was 600 to 650 kilometres wide (404 miles). It was large enough to engulf the UK.

The cost of the damage made Yasi the costliest tropical cyclone to hit Australia. Unlike Katrina, whose death toll was 1800 only one person died in Cyclone Yasi. A young man who'd used a generator to run power, died of suffocation from the exhaust fumes, as he slept.

The cost of the damage was $3.5 Billion AUD $3.6 Billion USD (2011 monetary value)

Below photo copyright owned by Richard Dinnen.

Areas affected by Yasi were, Tuvalu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Australia.

The deadliest cyclone in recorded Australian history was Cyclone Mahina which struck Bathurst Bay, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland on 4th March 1899 killing more than three hundred people. My short story 'Desire' features this cyclone.