Talent

  ***

  Will worked on his car in the front yard. The car said Mercedes but when he had bought it, it looked less like a Merc than a scrap yard centerpiece. Slowly he was getting it in to shape, and by the time he got his license back, it would be ready. Maybe. Will wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked down the street. It was a mess of broken fences, unkept lawns and practically abandoned except for one old man who still gave enough of a damn to water his lawn. Will waved in greeting, and the man gave a solitary nod in return.

  Will and Tempest had had very little choice as to where they could live. One day, Will wanted to own his own home. Anise and he could have a couple of kids, live in a nice area where people cared enough to bring their bins in from the front, and one where the cops didn’t turn up across the road every second night. Tempest strolled out of the front door and broke Will’s train of thought. Tempest deserved better too, Will thought to himself. Neither of them had had choices growing up. Tempest couldn’t even remember his parents. Will wished he couldn’t remember his. Will’s last memory was a round table meeting where his mother was offered support if she took him back home. She had still refused. Tempest though, he had still held on to some kind of false hope that his parents were just misunderstood. They were under pressure, and would one day come back for him. That had got him through till the teenage years at least. Once the realization had hit home though, this was his life, Tempest had spent his teenage years in and out of mediation sessions, youth justice conferencing and alcohol and drug programs. That was until the Carters. The last foster family had been harsh, but not in the painful way. Beth had been a Social Worker, Mick a blue collar worker from a foster background himself. Their combined tolerance and real world practical explanations had been confronting for Tempest, who had been used to being punished, being passed on, or blamed for most of his actions. By the time he hit 17, he was actually back finishing school. That was when Will had come to them.

  The Carters had taken Will on just after Mick had had a mini stroke, and the home was a little different. They were winding down and had less time and patience than when they took on Tempe. So Tempest took it upon himself to help guide the way. Will was almost as headstrong as Tempe, and the two hit it off. Tempe had seen Will as a little brother from the start, and taken him under his wing at school. That made it easier for Will, and that was the point. Tempe didn’t want to see Will make the same wrong choices. By the time Mick and Beth told Tempe it was time to set up on his own, Tempe was close to 19, and Will was settled. Will had missed Tempest, and as Mick and Beth grew more tired, and Tempest needed someone to help with rent, Will had jumped at the chance of following his big brother in to the world of self sufficiency. It was a reality check for them both though. Good as the Carters had been, paying bills, balancing work, study and social relationships was a work in progress for both of them. Much like Will’s fixer upperer Mercedes.

  Will had inevitably blown of steam one night, resulting in him losing his license for drag racing. It hadn’t been the first offence, but it had been the worst, and nearly resulted in Will collecting a child and her mother on the curb. The fact he narrowly missed hitting them had been enough of a wake up call, he hadn’t even thought it unfair when the judge pulled his ability to drive, but it irked him to be catching buses and relying on Tempest picking him up all the time.

  It did give Will some downtime to get the car restored though. Anise tended to be shut up home most weekends under her aunt and uncle’s watch so she only had the week and weeknights to spend with Will. When they were together, they were inseparable. Tempest understood that. He wanted that as well, because deep down, he missed having someone give a shit about him. Tempe, though, found comfort with many good looking girls who found his charm and labouring body greatly appealing, at least until the morning when he would unceremoniously invite them to leave. That’s where Will was more mature than Tempe oddly enough.

  Will watched Tempest walk over to him with mail in his hand. As he reached the car he slapped a few envelopes on the car bonnet which Will had just closed, having finished his attempt to revive the car.

  “More bills.” Tempest announced as he leaned against the car. “Got this thing working yet?”

  “Not yet. I’ll need to get the jumper leads and use your car to give it some juice.”

  “May as well sell it. We could use the cash.” Will didn’t dignify Tempest’s comment with an answer, he just took a swig from his water bottle and picked up the envelopes ripped them open.

  “Will, I was thinking.” Tempest started more cautiously than his usual self.

  “Mmm..” responded Will.

  “I was thinking about you, and school. I was thinking, maybe I should go back, learn something that isn’t going to break my knees, my back, or my shoulders 40 years from now.”

  “Wow. Planning for the future – that’s not like you.” joked Will, stealing a glance at Tempest, who was looking the other way, seriousness cast on his face. Will wondered what could possibly have sparked this. It wasn’t bills.

  “I don’t know.” replied Tempest, clearly struggling. “Maybe it’s stupid, but…I feel like now’s the time to do something different you know. Something life changing.”

  Will opened the last envelope. It was blank and non descript. Will immediately got goose bumps. “Tempe?” he prompted.

  Tempest had not heard him though. “What do you think I should study? You know more about that stuff than I do. What do you see me doing?”

  “TEMPE!” yelled Will.

  Tempest looked back at Will and stood upright when he saw the look on Will’s face. ”What? What is it? Don’t tell me they charged us for more long distance calls we didn’t make?”

  Will continued to stare at the envelope transfixed. “What did you wish for last night.”

  “Nothing, it was a waste of fucking time. Why?”

  Will turned the letter he had been staring at around. “I just won a $3,000 flight voucher. I wished for the chance to travel.” Tempest grabbed the papers from Will for a closer look.

  Tempest grinned. “It’s a coincidence, but, that’s fantastic. Where are we going to go?”

  Will snatched the papers back off Tempest and sent him a mock glare that indicated how ridiculous the question was. “Anywhere Anise can’t find us if she realises I took you instead of her.” Regarding his brother again, Will could not help but ask. “Seriously Tempe, what did you ask for?”

  “Nothing. You know I don’t believe in that stuff.” Insisted Tempest.

  “Yeah, well I didn’t enter any competition.”

  “You sure this isn’t a joke?” Tempest asked, his mind ticking.

  Will thought for a moment. He slanted his eyes and turned to Tempest again. “Will you try something for me?”

  “What?” Tempest was suspicious.

  Will tried not to smile, mainly because he might start laughing at himself. He leaned over the car and put his hands on it. “Just, stand with me and put your hand on the car.”

  “What!?”

  “Just do it.” Will said as he cast a glance around them to make sure no one was watching. Tempest put a hand on the car. “Come on car, come on, fix yourself.” Will whispered to the car, much to Tempest’s amusement. “Fix yourself, so I don’t have to.” Nothing happened.

  Tempest put a second hand on the car, closed his eyes, and in an overly dramatic tone called out loud: “Oh great car gods, come down, touch this child and bring it back to life….Amen!”

  The car burst in to life, the radio blaring and Will jumped in to the front seat to turn it down while Tempest stood back, surprised. Will came back to stand next to Tempest who turned back to Will. The two shared a moment in quiet exchange before looking back at the car.

  “Let’s try something else.” Tempest finally said.

  “Hell yeah!” came Will’s response as they grabbed the papers, the keys to the car, and ventured inside the house, and away from prying eyes.


  As Will and Tempest were exploring their new skills, Anise had stolen a moment away from her cousin. They had gone shopping, and her cousin had got carried away with flirting with a shop assistant, so Anise had gone to flirt with shoes. She missed Will, but her parents were abroad, and her family here didn’t approve of Will.

  Anise tried on a suede grey pair she fell in love with. An assistant stood giving glowing reviews of how she looked in the shoes and Anise felt strongly she deserved them. She just doubted she could afford them.

  Think positive. She thought to herself. “I love them. I’ll take them!” Anise declared, crossing her metaphorical fingers that if she had just had the bill paid, she might be able to scrape through. The shop assistant packed the shoes in to the box and that was when Anise saw the price tag on the box. $30.00 more than she had thought. She winced, but it was too late to cancel and save face. The store assistant swiped the card through the machine. It was declined. Anise felt a hot flush rise up her neck to her cheeks. She should have abandoned ship (or shop) there and then, but she felt humiliated.

  “The card is declined Madame.” The shop assistant near whispered. “You want to use a different card?”

  Yes please, one with money on it. Anise thought to herself. Instead, and against her better judgment she heard different words leave her mouth. “I’m sure it is a mistake. Try again.”

  “Ma’am there is no mistake.”

  Determined, Anise tried not to grit her teeth. Maybe there was hope. She had wished for magic last night – this was it, now or never. “Try it again.” She pressed. A doubtful looking shop assistant swiped the card again as Anise muttered quietly into her hand. “Come on, Come on, cash up.”

  The charge rang through ‘APPROVED’ appearing on the screen. Anise tried to contain her amazement and anticipation. Overly polite she took the bag from the assistant and sang out a “Thank you.” As she turned on her heel. Anise had her mobile accessing her bank records before she even walked out the door. Seeing her account balance Anise gave an excited sound and started jumping up and down in the street. “K’Ching!” she cried out loud. Passers by stared at her as she walked with a skip in her step around the corner. There was another boutique she had been meaning to visit. Anise forgot all about her cousin. One more shop and she would call Will and see if anything as evocative had happened for him. “Ah, Paris here I come!” she said smiling, then she disappeared.

  When Anise re-appeared she was in a side street with a view of the Eiffel Tower. “Oh oh…Home, home. Take me home.” But nothing happened.