Double Dare

by Murray Peterson

  “Aren’t you going to use one of your dares?”

  “No. I need some time to think up something good.”

  “Oh.” Did she sound disappointed? Jim felt his chest tighten as a range of emotions twisted inside him. A part of him wanted to take the chance, another wiser part stayed him.

  “So, who did you like?”

  “That’s not how it works. Are you starting a new game?” she teased.

  He laughed. This wasn’t a good time for home truths.

  Chapter 10

  “You’re coming in a bit fast. Okay, engage the brakes. Red. I said engage the fucking brakes! Red!”

  “Oh shit!”

  Helena’s train of thought diverted just in time. She cranked the brake-line, the haul truck squealed then slowly pulled to a stop.

  “Are you kidding me?” Sam belted across the radio. He added several choice words before calming slightly, “Red, are you alright, what happened?”

  What happened? What happened?! Jim, the idiot, that’s what happened. When he kissed her five nights before, that’s what happened. She didn’t think Sam would want to hear that though. “Nothing, I think I’m coming down with a migraine.”

  Her hands were sweaty and her heart raced as she tried to ignore the kiss playing on loop in her mind twenty-four hours a day. What had Jim been trying to prove? That he was a good kisser? He could have just said it before he held her hand and put his lips on hers and kissed her so gently, yet so strong like he knew what he was doing and he wanted to do more. And the way he looked at her was so intense, yet so at peace, as though he knew her. Of course he knew her; it was Jim.

  Jim, just Jim, Jim with his dark brown eyes, Jim with his muscular physique, with his quick wit and stupid temper, his care, his stubbornness, his mischievous wink, his strong arms and shoulders and his cute behind that she had glimpsed that morning of the last break.

  Jim. Jim. Jim! Stupid Jim. It was all his fault.

  *****

  The fluorescent light flickered sporadically over her head. “You were in the red zone.”

  “I was barely an inch over. Come on Sam, I just had a pain in my neck.” More like a pain in the arse, she mused. “And I just lost concentration for a split second, it has never happened before. Come on Sam, it’s no big deal. It’s just a stupid migraine.”

  “I have to record it. You know that.”

  She folded her arms defiantly, “It was a couple of inches.”

  Sam matched her tone. “A couple more and you and that three million dollar truck would be down in the pit right now.”

  “Fine, do what you have to do.” Helena got up and attempted to leave.

  “Oi, Red! That’s not all.”

  She waited at the doorway.

  “Come back in and close the door behind you.”

  She raised her eyebrows. Surely this wasn’t that bad. Christ, most of the drivers had been in the red zone once or twice a year. Her nickname, Red, wasn’t just due to her hair colour. It was because, up to this day, she had never been in the red zone. Her perfect record was over, but surely it was no sackable offense? She was still the best driver in this dump.

  She closed the door and sat at the table, her eyebrows raised. Sam was about to say something, then thought better of it, and tried again, “Red, I don’t want you getting mad.” Her eyebrows rose even higher. “I know you better than anyone else in this place and I don’t want you doing anything stupid.”

  “Look, Sam, this was a one off…”

  “I’m not talking about your stuff-up today, you were more than due.”

  “Well, then, what the hell are you talking about?” Her emotions were on edge already and she didn’t like where this was going. Why was Sam acting so — what was the word?—apprehensive. Yes, he looked nervy. He had withdrawn into himself. He ran a hand through his greying hair, watching her like a zookeeper might look at a lion while holding a gazelle carcass in his hand. “So, what is it then?”

  “I’ve been hearing things. Things you won’t like. Now I know they’re not true, but you know how boring things are up here, small things become big, once people start talking.”

  “Christ, Sam, spit it out!”

  She didn’t mean to snap at her manager, but his warnings were getting on her nerves and she knew whatever people were saying wasn’t good. It had been tough earlier on, being surrounded by blokes all the time. Helena was used to her brothers at home, but here it was men, men who didn’t give a shit and respected no one. She learnt quickly to hold her own ground, just like at home. She let nothing slide. Every snide comment directed at her was met with a nastier one in response. She identified the loudest idiots and cut them down with the insults of her own, ones that would leave a boy like Jim white in the face. But these guys just laughed and swore and would say things like, “I feel sorry for the poor bastard who marries her”, which Helena took for a compliment. If people were talking about her, she could handle it. She always had before. “Just tell me before I hear it from some other boofhead.”

  Sam sighed, “That’s why I thought I should tell you, I can’t have you punching some moron with a big mouth. Two strikes on one day wouldn’t be good.” He held her gaze.

  “Fine, I promise I won’t hit anyone… today.”

  He smiled briefly, then it fell away. “There’s been talk that you had some wild sex party on the weekend.”

  “What?!”

  “It gets worse…”

  Finally, she understood. She raised straight to her feet, her fists clenched into tight balls. “Alex! That little piece of…”

  “Red, sit down, you’re not going anywhere until you calm down.”

  She refused to sit, ready to explode. “What else did he say?”

  “We don’t know what was actually said, rumours are like Chinese whispers up here, someone says one thing then everyone’s adding things for fun.”

  She shook her head. No, it was Alex. All Alex. How had she ever fancied that creep? Sam continued talking, assuming her pause was a sign that she was in control of her temper. “There is talk of you with two guys and that you were paid for it.” If two guys weren’t bad enough, the thought that she could be paid for sex would be catastrophic. As angry as she was, fear seeped through her skin and turned to lead inside her. Her whole-body felt incredibly heavy, the slightest movement causing great discomfort. Sam was saying something else, but it was all just white noise.

  She watched the light flicker above her head again and again. The mine might be a workplace, but in reality, it was a prison. There was nothing but desert for hundreds of kilometres in any direction. She had navigated her time here carefully, she had been in control and the men had learned to respect her. That could no longer be the case. They would see her differently now, like a piece of meat, how long until one tried his luck?

  Helena shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts threatening to overwhelm her. Sam had stopped talking. He was on his phone and looking at her wearily. She knew she should say something, but still couldn’t move. Moments later, a health nurse walked into the room. She helped Helena to sit down. She gave her something to drink, though Helena found it hard to swallow. There was no fear now, no anger, just a strange sense of detachment as Sam escorted her to her room. Even as they walked she heard them start, like a pack of wild animals, one by one the chorus of high pitch whistles following her and then the crude laughter. She couldn’t see their faces, but she could hear them. Helena locked herself in her room after Sam left. She’d always considered herself tough, like Teflon, everything just slid off, but Helena had to admit this was bad. Things would never be the same and all because of that stupid, stupid kiss.

  Chapter 11

  After the day’s constant clatter and bustle, the silence of the empty classroom had an eerie quality. Jim stared vacantly at the crooked desks and untucked chairs. He slowly wandered the classroom tidying the desks and picking up any unloved stationery. He noticed a red pencil on the floor and was about to put it
in one of the colouring tubs when a compulsion to draw overwhelmed him. He took the tub to his desk and began layering on a blank sheet of cartridge paper. In moments he had the red hair, the cheekbones, small nose and wide smile on paper. He shaded the pale skin colour in bright apricot and used night sky blue on her eyes. Jim became so entranced that he didn’t hear the footsteps approach from behind.

  “What’s that?”

  Jim dropped the pencil and covered the picture instinctively with his forearms. “Just a drawing. Have you forgotten something, Angus?”

  The boy cocked his head to one side, “Was that a girl?” His eyes grew double in size. “Is she your girlfriend?”

  “It’s just a drawing.”

  “Can I see it then, if it’s just a drawing?”

  Damn little smart arse. Jim smiled politely, “Maybe when it’s finished. What are you doing back here?”

  The boy stared at the hidden drawing beneath Jim’s arms undeterred.

  “Who is she?”

  Jim tried to put on a stern face, “No one. What do you want?”

  Angus saw through the act. His questioning continued unabated, “Do you love her?”

  “Why are you here, Angus?”

  “Is she why you’ve been so grumpy lately?”

  “I haven’t been grumpy.”

  Angus threw out his palm, doing his best talk to the hand impression. “Whatever. You yelled today.”

  “I yell all the time.”

  “Yeah, but not proper, and you said we were terrible.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “No, but you meant it. You shouldn’t yell so much.”

  “I said you lot were being apathetic, that doesn’t mean terrible, it means uncaring. If you were listening…”

  “Whatever. Does she know you like her?”

  “Who?” Jim rubbed his eyes wearily. Stupid pesky kid.

  “The girl in the picture. She’s really pretty.”

  “It’s just a drawing.”

  “It’s pretty good though, Mr Murphy. You should be an artist or something.”

  Jim shrugged, “Maybe one day. For now, I’m teaching you. When would I have the time?”

  “Now who’s being apa-whatsies?”

  “Apathetic.”

  “Apathetic,” the boy smiled, obviously pleased with himself. “Is that why she won’t go out with you?”

  Jim slammed his palm on the desk in frustration and the boy flinched taking a step back. “Angus O’Brian, why are you here?”

  “I missed my bus.”

  “Did you go to the office?”

  “I was going to, but then I remembered I left my diary in my desk.” The boy tiptoed away theatrically, slowly retrieving the book from his desk before letting his desk lid slam shut of its own accord.

  Jim’s eyes flicked down to the picture then back to the boy. “Got your diary?” Jim asked.

  Angus nodded, “Mr Murphy, you should teach us how to draw like you.”

  Jim raised his eyebrows, “It would take forever.”

  “Still, I wish I could draw like that. She looks almost real, like a photo. She’s really pretty.”

  Jim stood up and walked towards the door ushering the child out, “I guess so. I’ll tell you what, we’ll have a go at sketching this week. I’ll show you a few tricks.”

  The boy nodded, “Okay, cool. Can we draw her?”

  “She might be just for me. There are plenty of other people you can draw.”

  The boy thought about the moment and shrugged, “I guess so; I’ll leave her to you. Does she know you like her?”

  “Angus,” he warned.

  “She might like you too. Then you would be less grumpy.”

  “I’m not…”

  “I’m just saying, if you’re happy, then we’re all happy. Is she really that pretty?”

  “Prettier,” Jim admitted.

  “Are you scared?”

  “When you get to my age, you realise girls are nothing to be scared of,” Jim lied pointing at the door.

  Angus thought for a moment, “You’ll be alright, Mr Murphy. See you tomorrow.” Then he was off. Jim was quick to lock the door behind him.

  Bloody kids, it was bad enough that they acted like experts on everything, it was even worse when they were right. He went to his desk drawer and picked out his mobile. Looking at his drawing of Hels, he dialled her number.

  Chapter 12

  The first time Jim figured she was just busy. The second, he guessed maybe he had done something wrong and gave her some time to herself. But after the third time Jim rang Hels’ number he thought, sod it, and tried again and again. And again. Every time there was no answer. It went straight to message bank again. His annoyance began giving way to worry. He rang administration at the mine site.

  “That’s right, Helena Williams. She works at the pit. I’ve been unable to contact her for several days. Yes, I know they are not allowed mobile devices on shift. Yes, I’ve been trying after hours. Look, could you please just get a message to her? Tell her to please ring Jim. Thank you.” He looked out the kitchen window at the empty night sky, doubtful she would ever receive his message. Still, all she had to do was power up her phone and she would get half a dozen voice messages to call him and another dozen text messages of varying degrees of concern. Maybe her phone was broken.

  The stars were bright and the waxing crescent of the moon hung low in the sky. No matter how hard he tried, Jim couldn’t stifle his growing dread. Every minutes’ worry added to the next, the accumulative anxiety was making basic things difficult. He couldn’t settle in front of the television, books didn’t hold his attention, exercise was frustrating. This was not good. He needed to do something. The time for waiting was over.

  *****

  Jim knocked again.

  Silence.

  Maybe he shouldn’t have come. Why was he here? The flight alone cost him half his weekly salary, the bus-ride from the airport had taken three times the length of the flight and now he stood outside a small door, Hels’ door. Jim knew her shift should’ve finished hours ago, but still there was no response.

  It was as though Hels had stopped existing. The silence was killing him. No answer on her phone or at the door. Jim tried to convince himself he was here because he was worried, it wasn’t some grand romantic gesture, no, just a matter of care and concern for his best friend.

  “Hels, for Christ sake, are you in there?”

  Still no response. Maybe she’d swapped shifts? That would explain why he kept missing her and why she wasn’t here. Of course, that would mean she would have swapped to be with Alex’s crew. All the pieces fell into place and Jim whacked his head at his own stupidity. The thought of her, out there with Alex, having fun, telling Alex how annoying Jim was, how stupid he was. As unrealistic as the story might be, in his tired mind, it all made perfect sense. Shaking his head, he turned to walk away.

  “No good mate!” A big voice sounded behind him. “She is not working tonight.” Jim turned see a triple-extra-large bearded man with tattoos cascading down his arms.

  “Where is she then?” Jim asked.

  “Gees mate, you’ve really got to have it. She costs a lot I hear,” the man laughed.

  Jim couldn’t understand so repeated himself, “If she’s not working and she’s not here, where can I find her? I’m her friend.”

  The man guffawed, “Oh, she has lots of friends, couple at a time I hear.” The man slapped him on the shoulder and walked away roaring with laughter. Jim watched him go trying to make sense of what he had said. Maybe this is just part of the macho miners’ humour that a normal guy like Jim couldn’t understand? Alex had proven that humour wasn’t their strong suit.

  “Okay,” he muttered to himself, “What do I do now?” The long grey hallway gave no answer.

  *****

  It had been on the second walk around the mine site that Jim finally found someone who could give him a straight answer. Most people laughed out right when
he said her name, often with raised eyebrows. They said he might need to bring some cash with him. None of this helped ease the sick feeling he had in his gut. He finally found someone who lacked the baffling miner humour, a woman with square shoulders and short hair, who answered, “Red? Why do you want to know?”

  “I’m a friend. She hasn’t answered her calls for a few days now, so I’m up here, but it’s like she’s disappeared and everyone here seems nuts when I mention her name.”

  The woman nodded, “You’re a friend?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him.

  “Best friend,” he stressed. “Do you know where she is?”

  She shrugged, “No, but I know someone who would.”

  *****

  The grey-haired man looked up as Jim knocked on the door.

  “I don’t know you, do I?” The man said looking up.

  “No. I’m Jim, I’m a friend of Hels’, I mean, Red’s. I’ve been trying to get in contact, but she’s gone off the grid. I’m hoping you can help me find her.”

  The man looked unimpressed, “Is this a joke?”

  “What? No. I only came up to the mine today, she hasn’t answered my calls for two days now. I was getting worried and this place is crazy, I just want to see her to make sure she’s okay.” Jim was surprised to hear an emotional waver in his voice, the words sounding much weaker than he would have liked. “Please,” he added.

  The man rubbed his forehead, “Sorry, you come a long way for nothing. She went home a couple of days ago, she wasn’t… well.”

  “But she hasn’t been home. We share a place back in Perth, Hels and I, I haven’t seen her and she’s not answering my calls or messages.”

  “Listen…?” The man raised a questioning eyebrow.

  “Jim,” he filled in.

  “Listen Jim, when she left here, she needed some time to herself, things got a bit stressful for her.”

  “Why, what happened?” He was still unable to keep the tremble out of his voice.

  “Come in Jim and close the door. This is better kept private.”

  Jim did as he was told and readied himself for what could only be bad news.