He attempts to cooperate.
I think back to the time Annie managed to get him from the creek paddock all the way to the house by herself. It would have been pure stubbornness more than strength.
We make it back to the house, and I lay him on his bed to sleep it off. I remove his muddy boots before going to shower, then check on him before I leave. He hasn’t moved at all.
‘I’m going out for a bit,’ I say, knowing I won’t get a response. ‘Sleep it off, old man.’
It’s after six when I pull into Sammy’s driveway. He jogs out of the house and jumps into the passenger seat. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ he asks.
I wave to his mum, who’s just pulled up beside me, then turn the car around. ‘Usual.’
‘Ah. Kev not in a good way?’
‘Nope.’
He fiddles with the radio until he finds Triple J. ‘You know, there’s a rehab place in Turram. Might be a bit of a wait to get him in, but the sooner you put his name on the list, the sooner he’ll get help.’
I focus on the road ahead. ‘He has to want the help.’
‘You have to do an intervention so he knows there’s a problem.’
I glance sideways at him. ‘Oh, he knows there’s a problem.’
Sammy leans his head back on the seat. ‘Tell him you want him to go. Maybe he needs to hear that. Then he’ll get sober, have a proper look at himself, and come looking for forgiveness.’
‘I think I’m busy that day.’
He chuckles. ‘Don’t really blame you. You’ve put up with a lot more than most people would.’
It’s not like I have a choice.
The party’s on a quiet section of the foreshore far from the main beach. The nearby car park’s already full, so we park on the side of the road. From the moment we step down onto the beach, it’s clear that most of the partygoers started their celebrations well before we arrived. There’s a fire going with a hotplate laid over the top. A cooler sits nearby containing everything one needs for a barbeque: cheap sausages with ingredients you should never question, fresh white bread, and a few bottles of cheap sauce. Nirvana blares from a portable CD player.
I spot Tamsin seated on a towel, an open Strongbow in hand. She turned eighteen in the middle of the exams, so this is her first social bash since ticking over to legal age. She waves us over when she sees us.
‘Coming?’ Sammy asks when I hesitate.
I reluctantly follow him over to the group. The girls greet us with a high-pitched drunken ‘Hiiiiii’, which confirms that I absolutely do not want to remain here past a few basic pleasantries.
Tamsin stands and drunkenly hugs us both. She smells of bourbon and menthol cigarettes. ‘You caaaaame.’
I roll my eyes in Sammy’s direction. ‘I was just dropping Sammy off.’
‘You can’t go yet,’ Tamsin says. ‘This is technically my birthday party.’
Sammy gives me a look that clearly says stay.
I ignore it.
‘Are you at least going to say hi to Annie before you head off?’ Tamsin asks.
That was well played. I take the bait. ‘Annie’s here?’
‘She was a moment ago.’ She’s swaying a little as she looks around. ‘Wait, I remember. She went off with Andy somewhere.’
I try very hard not to react to that statement. ‘Andy Collins?’ She doesn’t even know the guy.
‘Yeah.’ Tamsin turns to the other girls. ‘Did they go in?’