I point vaguely in the direction of the access track. ‘Got a lift with a miner.’
He snorts. ‘Pretty foolish place to leave you.’
Fear roars inside me now, the fear I thought I’d left behind. This man doesn’t believe me. A stranded girl on the side of the road, looking like I do? It’s suspicious. He’s frowning.
‘My car broke down,’ I stammer. ‘I ran out of fuel. I just need to get some more, that’s all.’
He nods, a smile creeping lazily over his wide face. ‘Why didn’t you say that, instead of pretending? Tourists are always running out of juice up here, always getting into strife. I got a couple of jerry cans in the boot, always carry them. Where’s your car?’
Something inside me unwinds a little. ‘You’ll help?’
As I look at his eyes, diluted grey and watery, he gives me a wink.
‘Always help a damsel in distress,’ he says. ‘That’s what I’m here for.Aww, don’t be embarrassed, love.’
I nod. I know how to play this. I need to be the stupid young girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing. I stare at the ground, feigning embarrassment. I know the role well enough,but this time it’s less comfortable to slip inside.
‘Wanna hop in then, love?’
I glance back to the company name on his van, the logo a cartoon camel in a sombrero galloping across the sand.
‘You’re a tour operator?’
‘Not yet.’ He grins. ‘Starting up soon, though. It’s just so underexplored out here, you know? Well, I guess you do know now!’ He laughs through his teeth, a kind of whistling. ‘Anyway, you getting in or not? It’s hot with the window down.’
I toss the empty water bottle in the footwell and jump into the passenger seat. I hope I don’t stink too much or look too weird. I hope this man doesn’t realise how out of it I really am. I hope he doesn’t murder me.
‘Just take me to the petrol station down the highway,’ I say. ‘I’ll sort it out from there.’
After he puts his van into gear, he turns and looks at me, crossing his arms and making a face as if he’s offended.
‘Aww,what kind of bloke would I be if I just left you there? Nah, I’ll help you out.’
‘Honestly, I’ll be fine. I’ll—’
‘Don’t you worry, I got the jerry cans in the back. I’ll get you going again, missy.’
The car moves off before I can say anything else. It’s clear I can’t argue with him. He wants to play the hero, and I don’t want to make a scene.
The whole way, he talks about how stupid I am. ‘What on earth were you doing out here anyway?’ he says, enjoying himself a little too much.
I shrug. I may as well indulge him; I need his petrol, after all.
‘Taking photos,’ I say, sighing. ‘It’s so beautiful up here, don’t you think? So…spiritual.’
I don’t know where I pull this lie from, and I don’t know if he believes me, but he doesn’t ask about my camera or where it is. He nods and makes a clicking noise as if he’s communicating with a horse.
‘You one of them godly types? We get a few of them up these parts too.’
I nod and smile. Maybe if he thinks I’m religious he’ll pull fewer moves on me.
‘You’re so lucky being up here,’ I say quickly. ‘You must have a lot of material for your publicity shots, for your new tour business?’
And that’s all he needs. He’s off again, talking about the places he’s going to take tourists. I resist the urge to tell him how I could run his business for him without even trying. I tell him I’m a gap-year student and talk about hitchhiking around Australia. I play the clueless young blonde.
‘I’m Tony, by the way,’ he says. ‘At your service.’
I smile thinly, then lean my head against the cool glass of the window and bask in his air-conditioning. I’m not sure I’m ready to give him a name. I watch termite mound after termite mound flash past, blurs of orange and brown, as he drones on about the website he’s building and how much he’s going to charge for each trip.