The F Team

by Rawah Arja

  ‘There’s cameras?’ Matt blurted. I shot him a quick look.

  Captain Black took a seat next to Ibby, our weakest link. ‘You sure no one wants to say anything now? The punishment will be much less severe if you come clean.’

  Silence. I could see Ibby sweating bullets, but I was seriously impressed at how well he was keeping his shit together.

  Huss smiled. ‘If your cameras revealed anything helpful, you wouldn’t be here still trying to get us to confess.’

  Captain Black and Mr Archie looked at each other.

  ‘Okay, while that gets sorted, let’s not waste time and miss training,’ Captain Black announced, slapping his hands hard on his thighs and making Ibby leap a few metres off the couch. ‘I have just the perfect place you boys need to see.’

  Chapter 13

  BEN’S FARM, read the the sign we drove past. Orange- and brown-leaved trees and a white rail fence ran down the sides of a long driveway. We stopped at last in front of an enormous yellow barn. A bunch of sheep were scattered around the nearby paddock. Everything smelled terrible.

  Captain Black introduced us to an old man in a green plaid shirt and muddy black knee-high boots. He was easily eighty years old. I assumed this was Ben.

  He walked over to his ute and gave each of us a pair of boots and gloves.

  ‘It’s not really a farm,’ he said. ‘It’s just my house and a couple of acres. Barbara, my wife, hasn’t been well of late, and some of the workers are on leave for the week, so the animals need to be fed and tended to. I appreciate you boys volunteering your time to help an old man like me.’

  Volunteer?

  ‘Unless one of you tells the truth about what really happened, you’ll be working on Ben’s farm all day,’ Captain Black said.

  ‘Wait, what?’ PJ blurted ‘Why do you hate us?’ His frustration was making his afro puff higher.

  ‘We told you, we didn’t do it,’ I said, annoyed. ‘And what about all the other teams? Are they going to be doing this too? Or do you only suspect the Punchbowl kids?’

  ‘Actually, Tariq,’ Captain Black said, coming up close. ‘I suspect this whole team – not just the Punchbowl half. And I know my suspicions are warranted. So either you boys can save everyone a bunch of bother and tell me what I already know, or you can enjoy a day in the countryside.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Ahhh, just smell that fresh country air.’

  One of the sheep started taking a massive piss in the nearby field.

  Captain Black eyed Matt, who was looking at the sheep with complete horror. PJ grabbed Matt’s arm and pushed him away from the firing line.

  ‘Man, I love farms,’ Lee said, rubbing his hands together. ‘My grandparents had one in Vietnam before the American soldiers burned it down.’ He raised an eyebrow ironically at Captain Black. The ex-Navy SEAL didn’t bat an eye.

  ‘But wasn’t that, like, ages ago? Before you were born?’ Ibby asked. ‘So how come you love farms?’

  ‘Well, when they came to Australia with Dad by boat in the seventies and settled in Sydney, their backyard was like a mini-farm. Veggies and stuff everywhere, chickens. They had a goat, too, when I was a kid, but it ate all of Bà nô .i’s flowers, so she made Ông sell it. They kept a bunch of photos of the old farm in Vietnam too.’

  ‘Whoa, Nintendo,’ PJ said, taken back. ‘Your family came here by boat?’

  Lee nodded. ‘Yeah, most of my dad’s side were war refugees. Uncles and aunts and some of my cousins. A few of them died on the way. And I think Bà lost most of her sisters in the war.’

  PJ shook his head. ‘I thought refugees were all from Iraq and stuff. What about your mum? She a refugee too?’

  ‘Mum? Nah, she’s a full Eastern Suburbs princess. Her parents were totally posh Saigon socialites who moved here when they were pretty sure the war wasn’t going to end well for them.’

  ‘Well, we’re glad you’re here,’ old Ben piped up. ‘I prefer Australia now with all these cultures and different people than the Australia I knew growing up.’ I looked at him in surprise.

  He shuffled us across the paddock to a tin shed, where the smell of manure burned our noses. Matt swallowed a couple of nausea pills. All the while, Ben told us about the jobs around the farm.

  ‘The cows got milked this morning, so they’re all good. But I haven’t had the time to clean out the dairy, so that needs doing. Careful of the bull there, by the way, he’s a cranky old thing.’ He gestured to where a black-and-white bull stood glaring at us over a wire fence. ‘Best stay well out of that paddock.’

  Ibby swallowed nervously. ‘Um, is that fence strong enough?’ Ben thought he was joking and laughed. ‘I’ll need you to move the sheep over the road to that field over there. Take the alpacas too, of course.’

  ‘The al-what-as?’ Huss muttered.

  ‘The goats need drenching, so you’ll need to get them over to the race. I’ll show you how to drench them, it’s really easy.’

  ‘Um, Ben?’ Riley asked. ‘What’s drenching?’

  ‘It’s a worm treatment, mate,’ he answered, without breaking stride. For an old guy, he sure moved fast. ‘You syringe it into their mouths.’

  Ibby looked like he was going to pass out at the mention of ‘syringe’. I could hear Captain Black sniggering behind us.

  ‘Chook house needs cleaning too. Pretty sure there’s a rotten egg in there somewhere, from the smell, but you’ll probably need to get everything out because I couldn’t find it when I looked yesterday. It’s well hidden.’

  Well, that sounded awesome. I actually wished I was back at school, at Miss K’s poetry thing. At least then I’d be smelling Jamila’s coconut hair, not a hundred types of animal shit and – apparently – a rotten egg.

  Ben set us up as it began to drizzle lightly, then disappeared with Mr Archie and Captain Black. Probably off watching camera footage of our shitty farm day, laughing all the way. The dairy shed was covered in cow manure, a stinking, slippery sea in the rain. Our boots didn’t do much good as we slipped and slid across it with shovels, scraping everything off the concrete and into the next field. I could hear Matt gagging the whole time. At last we left Aaron to hose the cleared concrete down and made our way over to the sheep, who ran around like morons when we tried to move them.

  ‘Gotta work as a team, lads,’ Mr Archie called from over near the house, where he had come to watch us. ‘Think like a sheep dog.’

  ‘Did he just call us dogs?’ Ibby panted.

  The alpacas were much smarter than the sheep, and much more aggressive. They spat phlegm at us as we rounded them up, hitting Lee right in the chest. We raked away the leaves and the chicken shit and scraps in the chicken pen, where the stench of rotten eggs was really strong. I made an executive decision and ordered Matt to sit this one out – far out, away from all of us in case he lost the battle with his puke. The chickens flew around and pecked at us. One huge black rooster, the size of a small child, stood sizing PJ up, and I was pretty sure someone was about to lose an eye.

  ‘Someone’s going to need to go in there and find that egg,’ Aaron said, gesturing to the little chicken house at one end of the pen.

  ‘Be my guest,’ I retorted.

  ‘Hey, I’m not volunteering!’ he said. ‘Aren’t you the one who’s obsessed with being captain?’

  ‘I’ll go,’ Riley sighed. ‘Just don’t start fighting, yeah?’ He pulled off his beanie and covered his nose and mouth with it before climbing into the chicken house. He did eventually find the egg. Unfortunately, he found it by stepping heavily on it, so the foul, exploded thing covered one of his boots for the rest of the day.

  By the time we had to tackle the goats, we’d been at this crappy work for three hours. I was soaked to my skin with sweat and rain and aching from head to toe. That was when one of the goats decided he didn’t like Arabs and head-butted me in the groin.

  ‘All you have to do is admit that you boys made a mistake and all will be fine,’ Mr Archie said. ‘You won’t be punished f
or your honesty.’

  I blinked back tears and tried to focus on not kicking the goat in the head. None of us made a sound. I had to admit I was surprised and impressed not only by Ibby’s self-control, but also by the Shire boys’ loyalty.

  ‘Hey, Riley,’ Lee called out from across the race. ‘Look. You have a twin.’

  We turned to see one of the goats with a mohawk of white hair sticking up between his ears.

  Huss looked over at me. ‘You gonna tell him off for being mean to Riley too?’

  Before I could reply, Riley laughed. ‘It’s okay, we’ve been friends since Year Seven. He’s been saying that sort of shit to me for at least that long.’

  ‘Okay, lads, you can have a break now,’ Mr Archie said, calling us over to the back verandah of the house where he’d put down bottles of water and a plate of sliced oranges. ‘I need to talk to you about a few things.’

  We sat in our soaked clothes and muddy boots, breathing in the cleaner air and pouring water down our throats.

  ‘I need to address a few things moving forward so we all know where we stand,’ Mr Archie began.

  ‘Are we in trouble, sir?’ PJ was trying to pull bits of grass and dirt from his hair.

  Huss looked at him like he was insane. ‘What the hell are we doing here if we’re not in trouble?’

  ‘Just listen,’ Mr Archie interjected before an argument could start. ‘First, this animosity you guys have with Team A needs to stop, or at least be got under control. I understand that Hunter and his friends aren’t innocent in all this, but I expect Mr Wilson will be having this same conversation with them, too.’

  All the members of the Wolf Pack rolled our eyes as one.

  ‘That Mr Wilson guy is probably their leader,’ Ibby said, picking up a slice of orange. ‘He blamed us straight away without knowing anything.’

  ‘Regardless,’ Mr Archie continued. ‘Whatever they’re doing, I’m the head of this team, and I’m telling you to sort yourselves out. I don’t want to see any more stupid pranks that could jeopardise your places in this competition. Remember, when they go low, you go high.’

  ‘You haven’t seen how low they can go, sir,’ Huss argued.

  ‘Nor have I seen how high you can go, lad. Second,’ Mr Archie said, when Huss opened his mouth to continue arguing. ‘I know you guys have come up with nicknames for each other, but I’m worried that some of them might cross the line and start to make people uncomfortable.’

  My brain went through all the things we’d been through over these last four days and being uncomfortable was the least of our worries.

  ‘I get it, banter helps form bonds, but just be mindful that words have power. This competition was created so that you could play some footy with a new team and build relationships with different people. It wasn’t created so that you could come up with new ways to insult each other.’

  I rolled my eyes again. ‘Sir, have you met any guys like us before? Insulting each other is what we do.’

  ‘Ey, Nintendo,’ PJ said. ‘Would you prefer Nintendo or Wii? You know Wii rhymes with Lee but it’s up to you.’

  ‘He means no names at all,’ Huss said, shaking his head. ‘In case we hurt anyone’s precious feelings.’

  ‘So Ghostbusters is out?’ Ibby asked.

  ‘It’s alright, Mr Archie,’ Riley said. ‘It’s better than “freak” or “Snow Boy”. Ibby’s just kidding, not bullying me or anything.’

  ‘So long as there is mutual respect between you and you are all okay with it,’ Mr Archie said. ‘That’s all I’m saying.’

  ‘Do your parents have white hair like you?’ I asked Riley. ‘Is it something that’s passed down?’

  ‘Not sure about my biological parents, but my adopted parents have normal hair,’ he replied.

  ‘Ey?’ Ibby asked.

  ‘He’s adopted,’ Lee stage-whispered, making Riley smile. I thought he looked a bit sad, despite the smile.

  ‘Yeah I’m adopted. Worked out well for me. My parents are the best.’

  Mr Archie clapped once to get our attention back. ‘Look, lads, I’m not naïve. I don’t think everyone is meant to be friends and live happily ever after. But respect? That I do expect from each and every one of you in this competition and throughout your lives. I’m close to making up my mind about who will captain this team and what positions the rest of you will play.’

  I felt my body tense up immediately as I heard him say that the positions would be finalised in our first proper training session the next Tuesday. He left us there to chill for a bit longer before we finished up with the goats, then headed back to camp.

  Despite his loyalty to the team, Aaron and I still kept our distance. I knew he was slowly making progress with Ibby and PJ, talking to them about cars and footy games.

  ‘Wait, wait, wait,’ PJ interrupted him. ‘You support the Bulldogs?’ ‘Yeah, been a supporter since I was born.’

  ‘But aren’t you Jewish?’ Ibby asked. ‘Like, why would you support the Doggies, then?’

  Huss was sitting next to me and talking, but my attention was on the conversation on the other side of the bus.

  ‘Half-Jewish,’ Aaron answered Ibby. ‘On my mum’s side.’

  Ibby hugged him tightly. ‘First you didn’t snitch, and now you’re a Doggies supporter? Like, wallah, to think we almost killed you.’

  ‘Ey, Tariq,’ PJ called out. I turned around. ‘This Mayonnaise guy goes for the Doggies. We can’t touch him no more.’

  Aaron’s eyes met mine for a second before I went back to my conversation with Huss. I couldn’t let him see that he mattered to me in any shape, way or form. But in my mind I knew this did change things. I couldn’t be the guy that punched a fellow Bulldogs supporter. I’d just have to beat him on the field and hope that being captain was enough to get him off my back.

  ‘Who cares that he goes for the Doggies?’ Huss said to me then, like he knew what I was thinking. ‘He’s still that ranga’s friend.’

  I knew Huss wouldn’t get it. He wasn’t a Bulldogs supporter. Actually, he never watched any NRL games with Ibby, PJ and me at my place. He’d usually hang out with my sister Feda or even help Uncle Charlie with the bees. He had only joined the school team to hang out with us and miss classes on a Friday, and then he stayed because it turned out he was pretty great at footy.

  When we at last dragged our aching bodies off the bus, we found out that marshmallows, a campfire we didn’t have to build and an ‘open sharing session’ was planned to finish off the last night of the training camp.

  ‘You’ll cook your marshmallows and listen to your teammates and Mr Archie and I will help guide your conversations,’ Captain Black told us. ‘Just a warning, most boys your age find this the hardest activity and would rather do a thousand push-ups than talk about their feelings.’

  ‘Feelings?’ Ibby asked with disgust. ‘What’s that got to do with footy?’

  ‘Communication, lad,’ Mr Archie said. ‘If you’re going to play with a new team, it’s best you get to know each other a little. Believe me, it’ll make a huge difference to your game, especially for the captain.’

  Aaron and I straightened up.

  After the soaking we’d had on the farm all day, it was nice and warm sitting around the fire, hearing the river rush past. For the first time since we got here, I felt calm. There was no noise, no chaos, no running laps around the field, and especially no sign of Hunter and his team.

  Captain Black went straight for the deep stuff. ‘One thing you’ve never told anyone before.’

  We all looked around, unsure of who was meant to go first. This was probably my last chance to show Mr Archie that I should be the captain, so I decided to lead by example.

  ‘I’ll go first,’ Aaron and I both said at the same time.

  It was clear he was thinking along the same lines as I was.

  ‘Jinx,’ PJ called out.

  ‘You can go,’ Aaron said.

  ‘Nah, you go.’ I didn’t want him
to do me any favours.

  ‘Ya Allah,’ Ibby said, rolling his eyes and waving his marshmallow stick. ‘I’ll go first.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I want to be a chef when I finish school. I want to cook in the best restaurants and then one day open my own place in Punchbowl, making the sickest Lebanese food.’

  ‘Why?’ Captain Black asked.

  ‘I don’t know. I just want to,’ Ibby said, peeling the melted marshmallow off his stick. ‘Everyone knows I love food.’

  ‘You do know why,’ Captain Black replied seriously. ‘Let the group really know your reason.’

  Ibby chewed the marshmallow slowly. ‘I guess…I guess it’s because I want my food to be something that keeps, you know, like…families together. When Mum got sick, I felt like I was by myself. The only time I saw my brothers was when we had food on the table.’

  ‘I think you’ll make a great chef one day,’ Mr Archie said with a smile.

  ‘Maybe if there are boys who don’t have anyone to cook for them, like if their mums get sick, they can come to my place and I’ll give them a discount.’ Ibby then laughed, one of those laughs that covered up a whole lot of tears.

  I patted him on the back. ‘You good bro? We’re here, yeah?’

  PJ put him in a chokehold. ‘Man, I luv ya, bro.’

  Next up was Lee.

  ‘I first started my YouTube channel about my gaming videos just for fun. But then when more and more people started subscribing, I realised I could actually make money,’ he said. ‘I’m saving it so my parents and grandparents and I can go visit Vietnam.’

  ‘No one’s been back since they migrated?’ Captain Black asked.

  ‘No. My parents work all the time. But I also think my Bà has always been too scared to go back. Like, in her head, it’s still a full-on war there, or something?’ Lee shrugged. ‘But I reckon if we all go as a family, she’d be alright. And maybe we can try and find out some more about what happened to her sisters and the other people in Dad’s family who never made it out. If they wanted to, I mean.’