ONE
Every weekday morning just after 7:00, Jimmy Rogers would pick up Mr and Mrs Smith as his first passengers. During the 12-mile journey to the Ferry Terminal linking the city he'd pick up other passengers on his feeder service, ending up with as many as thirty people.
At the end of day after working six hours washing dishes in a restuarant, Jimmy would arrive from the city on the 5:20 ferry. He'd start up his feeder ferry and five minutes later would commence the boarding and be ready to leave when the 5:50 ferry arrived with his final passengers.
The journey would commence up the muddy waters of McCracken River, with passengers returned back to their jetties.
Jimmy's last passengers were Rolf Smith and his much younger wife, Gwen.
During that last fifteen minute leg to the Smiths jetty Gwen would join him in the wheelhouse, make three cups of coffee and take a mug back to Rolf who'd be reading a book. Gwen would rejoin Jimmy in the wheelhouse for coffee and a chat for the last few minutes of her journey.
This was the routine, day in day out, every week day of the year apart from public holidays.
On this particular Wednesday evening Gwen had some news.
"A helicopter is coming on Sunday evening to take Rolf out to Lander's Island for a law conference, returning late on Monday evening."
"That's exciting," said Jimmy. "You're a lawyer, are you going?"
"No, too boring for me. But look, Monday is a public holiday. I'd like to charter you and your small boat to take me up the river to somewhere refreshing."
"Jackson's bend."
"Been there, somewhere more exotic. I am told that you know of secret places."
Jimmy looked at her and she looked right through to his soul. He was hers to obey.
"If we started at 5:00 in the morning we could get to Musters'Landing and get back out again on the falling tide before the water level drops too low to be home by nightfall."
"Oh Jimmy, really!"
She darted forward and kissed him on the cheek. He could feel the stifness of her trussed up breast against his arm.
"I don't want any other passengers, bring your wife by all means, but no one else."
That request pleased Jimmy – no other passengers would mean they could cut the departure finer and they would draw less draught.
He wouldn't take his wife Jennie, either. In fact he wouldn't tell her where he was going to save bothersome questions. He'd say he was going out into the gulf for a day's fishing. She hated being out in blue water and he could by-pass his jetty on the way up the river by taking Jessop's fork.
Jimmy, watching the lovely butt of Gwen disappearing from the wheelhouse, was surprised at his thinking, believing Jennie would call it devious and she'd wonder if he had a thing going with the attractive young lawyer.
Well, dream on Jimmy Rogers. She was married to a millionaire and was well-heeled herself. There was no room in the pants of Gwen Smith for the likes of Jimmy Rogers. All she wanted was to be taken on the unique journey to Musters'Landing. Only five boaties in the entire region besides himself knew the unmapped route up the multitude of channels to the landing.
That night Jimmy went to sleep with a monster hard on, which really meant it was slightly stiffer than usual when Jennie had it in her hand. Gwen dressed in a bikini was in his mind; he was sure she'd wear one. She was paying him a flat fee of $100 to cover the cost of fuel and would do the catering. He'd reckoned that was too generous, but she he was worth it.
Worth what he didn't know but next morning when he picked up the Smiths everything was exactly the same. Normal greetings, normal backchat. That evening it was the same, except when Gwen left the wheelhouse to disembark she winked at him; she'd never done that before.
On Thursday there was no mention of the trip up river and no wink. But on Friday when Gwen was finishing her coffee she said casually she'd be on her jetty at 5:00 on Monday wet or fine.
Jimmy said yes, and that was it. Except she blew him a kiss as she left the wheelhouse. That puzzled Jimmy who thought perhaps she'd been drinking either at lunch or on the main ferry.
TWO
At 5:00 next morning the pretty woman who always was the last passenger off Jimmy's ferry on weekday evenings was waiting on the jetty. Being a woman she'd forgotten something, but as it was the liquids Jimmy didn't even bother to reprimand her. He loaded all of her bits and pieces, almost enough for a week's cruise, and was ready to move off as soon as she stepped on board.
They departed, the twin outboards throttled back to the 5-knot maximum speed through the National Park which began at the entrace to Jessop's fork.
Lauding the beauty of the day and after tidying up her provisions, Gwen came over, kissed him on the cheek and popped a boiled sweet into his mouth.
Jimmy thought this was a little sexy.
With the motors only ticking over it was possible to talk at normal conversational volume.
"Aren't you cold?"
Jimmy was wearing a pair of clean but very worn white shorts and a black bush singlet, his normal weekend boating gear.
"No, but I was hoping you'd be wearing a bikini."
She smiled.
"Why would that be?"
"I like nice scenery."
"Really, that's almost an evasive answer. How old are you, Jimmy."
"Thirty-eight."
She grunted, turned her swivel chair to face him and pulled the zip of her tracksuit top three-quarters way down, pausing so he could see she was wearing a bikini top, then pulled up the zip again.
"A rum spiced coffee?"
Jimmy nodded and thought his pecker was telling him there was an outside chance that it might get lucky this day.
Frowning, Jimmy wondered what his client would think of that idea.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
She was handing him his spiked coffee and he almost dropped it. Well, he was entitled to his thoughts so there's no need to be defensive.
