Chapter 59
Russell was sitting in a lawn chair watching his wife. He knew this was a really big moment for her. This was as big a week as she had ever had. In a seven day period, Kate had defended her thesis, received a teaching degree and a doctorate degree, accepted her dream job in her first choice location, right near her best friend, and learned she was going to be a mother to twins. Russell loved watching her in her element with these people who loved her so much.
He was excited about the move too. He grew up in a major cattle district and liked being in the open air. He knew he didn't love the city at all, or have a desire to spend the rest of their lives there. He just moved there for his education and stayed when he met Kate, because she needed to be there while she finished school. He felt sad about having to leave some of the mates he had made in Adelaide, but he felt he and Matt had gotten to know each other pretty well and Russell sincerely liked him. He didn't know Ben as well, but he seemed like a good bloke to him. At least Matt thought highly of him. He knew he would make some new friends, too, and maybe find some blokes to play music with. He was more excited about becoming a dad than anything else. In his opinion, the country was a perfect place to raise a family and the timing really couldn't be better. Gungellen would be really good for them as a family.
"So, twins! That's big news!" said Ben as Bobby handed Russell a beer and gave him a toast.
"Yeah, we only realized Kate was pregnant at all a couple days ago, so doubling the number of children to expect is a big deal, but I think it's awesome. I never had any brothers or sisters, so I'm glad my children will have at least one sibling. With all the changes that are happening in our life right now, what's one more? I'm excited to get to raise my family out in the country too." said Russell.
"Congratulations, mate, and welcome to the neighborhood. A few of us from around here play cards once a month or so. You should come next time," Ben offered.
"Thanks, I will. That's the only bad part of leaving Adelaide. I had some good mates there. We played music together every week. I'll definitely miss them and that." said Russell.
"You're a musician? What do you play?" Bobby asked. "I'm a drummer."
"I play guitar and sing a bit. Maybe we can jam sometime. I usually play classic rock stuff, but I'm pretty open to whatever. Being in a band, for me, is as much about the social aspect, working as a team with other people, as it is about the music I play."
"Sick. I've been here less than a year, but I haven't found too many guys around here who play too. I found a couple, but they live really far away. I've got a drum kit over at Killarney, so consider yourself invited over for a jam session."
"Thanks. You guys are so welcoming. I really appreciate it," said Russell.
"Stevie loves Kate like a sister and we love Stevie like our sister. Somehow, I think that makes us like family." Ben said "What do you do for work anyway? Are you looking for a job out here?" Ben was thinking about Killarney needing more help.
"Actually, I'm keeping my job. I'm a software engineer. I work for a company out of Sydney that designs mechanical engineering software programs. All I need is a strong internet connection and I can work anywhere. Hopefully, we can put together a home office for me when we figure out exactly where we are living. Speaking of that, do you guys know much about this old Kinsella's property? I know Kate really has her heart set on it. We drove by today, just to see if we could drive up to the house and see what some of the buildings look like from the outside, and it's got a pretty extreme security set up. The gate had a bunch of pillars cemented in and then chained shut. The fencing seemed kind of extreme too," said Russell.
"Yeah, Killarney and Wilgul both have pretty long borders with it. They've got barbed wire and electric fencing all the way around it. I don't think I ever met the current owners and it doesn't seem like they are ever there. As far as I know, it's totally uninhabited." said Ben.
"I'd be interested in riding some of those borders. Would I be able to borrow a horse at some point? When we get settled somewhere I'm definitely getting my own horse, but that's a ways down the road, so I'll need to borrow for now."
"I didn't realize you rode," said Bobby. "I thought you were from Adelaide."
"Yeah, I haven't ridden much lately living in Adelaide, but I grew up in Rockhampton, in Queensland, the cattle capital of Australia. I worked as a field hand as a high schooler. I spent a lot of my childhood on a horse and I'm pretty excited to get back to it." explained Russell.
"Come by Killarney tomorrow after lunch. I was headed in the direction of that border anyway. I'll ride out there with you." said Ben.
"Cool. Thanks mate."