to watch Robin sitting there with his head down … Dave wondered if Nicholas was remembering, as Dave himself was, so very strongly, the first time he'd driven Nicholas down this road. That visiting Englishman had stared out the window, not wanting to miss a single detail of the scenery. This one seemed more concerned about not missing his friends' updated Facebook statuses.
Nicholas snorted. "Well – if you must – enjoy it while you can," he advised. "There's coverage in Charleville, but once we get near the waterhole, you won't get any signal at all."
Robin looked up at him with a woebegone face. "Not even a single bar?"
"No."
"Oh my God! How long are we staying there … ?"
"Five or six days, I think." Nicholas glanced at Dave to confirm this.
"We're leaving a day earlier than I'd planned," said Dave, "so we can spend six at the waterhole – as long as Charlie's okay with that."
" God …" Robin grumbled.
Nicholas turned around in his seat so he was facing the front again. "This is a privilege, you know. I hope you appreciate it! David hasn't taken anyone but me and Charlie to the waterhole in all these years."
"Oh." That had caught Robin's attention. "Why not?" he asked Dave.
Oddly enough, Dave found that he didn't have a ready answer. A beat of silence passed.
"It's a very special place," Nicholas supplied. "You've heard David and Charlie talk about the Dreaming … ? The waterhole is a sacred site."
"So, like … Aboriginal people go there?"
Another beat of silence.
"Well," said Nicholas. "It's quite difficult to find. Only David really knows the way."
"Not even you, Nicholas?"
"I don't drive, remember? Well, David taught me, but only for emergencies. And it's too far from anywhere to walk there. I've never even tried to get there on my own. I've never had to!"
"Oh." And Robin gazed out the side window rather pensively, his phone lying forgotten in his cupped hands.
If Dave had thought Robin looked afraid of being so far distant from civilisation, he would have offered reassurance. As it was, he let the peaceful silence grow. Nicholas quietly reached to rest a hand on Dave's thigh … and they drove on into the Outback.
They took their time with the journey, and reached Charleville on the second day. Once they'd checked in with Marge at the hotel, Robin started bouncing around insisting they go meet Charlie – " Now . Right now. Come on , guys."
Nicholas exchanged an indulgent smile-and-shrug with Dave, and obviously they had no objections to the plan, so they all headed down to the pub.
Charlie was sitting at their usual table, as if he'd known when they'd show up. He stood to greet them, and returned Robin's enthusiastic hug in kind. "Look at you!" he marvelled once they'd parted, looking over Robin from top to toe. "You're a man now."
Robin snorted. "I was, like, eleven last time we met!"
"So you were …" Charlie equably agreed.
"Charlie, I'll get us a beer," said Dave. "Nicholas?"
"Yes, please," said Nicholas, with a smile happily anticipating a treat. He didn't drink very often at all, but Dave knew well enough there was something about being in the Outback that called for a cool pour of amber.
"Robin? What d'you want to drink?"
"I'll have a beer, too, please. May I?"
Dave nodded, though he asked, "Have you got ID?"
"I have my driving licence. English, though."
"That's fine. Come to the bar with me, all right? Rosie will want to check it."
They drew a few stares, of course. Dave still attracted a bit of benign bemusement, and had done ever since he'd taken up with Nicholas; he'd long been used to letting that be. Robin, though, was a new face to ponder, and almost everything about him declared he was a visitor – not least the fact that he refused to wear his new Akubra indoors. This was despite Robin thinking he looked pretty cool in it, with which Dave had to agree. The young fella had insisted on the Graphite Grey, which Dave felt was too dark for practical purposes