Fin drove the old station wagon over the potholed road towards home. Her father was asleep in the back. She wiped her face to remove tears and rubbed her eyes to clear her vision.

It was dark. One of the headlights had blown. Crying was pointless and just made it harder to see. If she hit a kangaroo, she'd get more than a slap on the face.

There'd been a stranger at the bar tonight, he'd been hard to see in the shadowed corner.

It was tough enough, having the locals witness one of her father's outbursts, let alone someone who didn't know them. Fin thought about the stranger. He'd stood when her father hit her, but Snake stopped him. He was tall and could have kicked her father's butt. That thought made her smile.

She wondered what he would have done if Snake hadn't stopped him.

She wondered what she would have done if he'd hit her father.

Fin didn't like men. They scared her. Expected things she didn't want to think about. Now that the Gallos were back it was hard to keep those thoughts from her mind.

She parked the car near the house and wrenched on the handbrake. The dog's loud repeated bark resonated from the shed.

Leaning out of the window, Fin slapped the door. "Shut up, Jules. You know the sound of the car."

More tears rolled down her face. She slumped in the seat, hung her head and cradled the steering wheel. She wanted something more. Every day was the same. Her father's drinking got worse each year. It hurt her to watch him, but she'd given up trying to stop the destruction. An ache sapped strength from her core; she wiped her eyes, took a large breath of air, and dragged herself from the car to be greeted by Jules wagging her tail.

"I'm sorry, girl." Fin scratched the dog's blue-grey ears. "You're protecting the place, aren't you?" Jules let out a growl of pleasure. Fin grinned at her antics, crouched and said, "We'll try and get him going tomorrow, huh? Sell a few steers because the dole monies spent on drink, again."

Jules flipped on her back. Fin smiled and rubbed her stomach. "I've got a better chance of getting you to help me out because I can't get that drunk to do anything." She stood and went around to the back of the vehicle to open the tailgate. Fin looked to the sky, clear and bright with plenty of stars so there'd be little chance of rain. She left her father where he was. "Come on, Jules, let's go in," she said as the dog trotted at her heels.

Thank you for the wonderful response you've given me with this story.

Photo at the top is of a male kangaroo. The big buck's ears are torn because he's been fighting other males.
Photo at the bottom is an Australian Cattle Dog or Blue Heeler. One of the hardest working dogs in the world.

I really appreciate all your support ♥ Comments and votes most welcome.

Copyright © 2025 by Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved.