Trouble in Nirvana Read Online Free PDF Page A

straight for a good ten minutes afterward. Same thing happened without the pain. But he couldn’t string many words together, too busy staring at such a vision appearing in his house.
    She was different to the usual blow-ins they got over there. More refined, civilised and downright sexy. Very self assured and confident. Didn’t seem to have the earth mother thing going. She was clean for starters, drove a good car and wore stylish store bought clothes as opposed to garments she’d woven, knitted, stitched together herself or bought at the Salvos. Played the flute. Professional, she’d insisted, so she must have a brain and talent beneath the packaging.
    Funny—Danny had never mentioned a sister. He never talked about his family at all. Nirupam hardly talked about anything, poor girl. If ever there was a case for women’s lib she was it. Her place appeared to be in the kitchen if she wasn’t making her beautiful silver jewellery which as far as he could gather was their sole source of income. Apart from the peach crop. Not much profit there this season for anyone. So much for division of labour, equality of the sexes and everyone sharing the tasks in their brave new world.
    How would Primrose, with her painted nails, French perfume and lacy underwear take to her role? Kitchen drudge. A week and she’d be out of there. She didn’t belong in a place like that anymore than he did.
    He parked in the shed. Delilah waddled across wagging her tail. He roughed her ears then looked up at the sky. Still hot but a few clouds were building up to the south so with any luck there’d be a bit of rain later. He headed off toward the workshop and the pump engine he’d been dismantling when Primrose arrived. The radio had been on with the cricket so she’d managed to get in and take a shower without his knowing. And he wouldn’t have if she hadn’t used perfume and left dirty clothes lying about. What cheek! He laughed. She wasn’t going to own up, too proud. Too pretty to yell at. Much too pretty.
    Last a week in that dump? He lifted the cover off the engine and peered in. Something was blocking the fuel line. He picked up a spanner. They were all crazy. And he’d had another tirade from Kurt. What a tiresome man he was. Why on earth did Danny put up with him? Why did Danny put up with any of them? They hardly contributed anything and he was always short of money, hence the sale of chunks of his land. The way Danny was going he’d end up with just the few acres surrounding the house.
    Whatever the reason it wasn’t his worry and he was a ready purchaser of as much land as Danny wanted to sell. Chances were he’d own the thirty acre Back Block soon. He whistled “Uptown Girl” as he removed the fuel line. Primrose was one very attractive female.
    ****
    Primrose sat on the front verandah on the old couch. This side of the house was cooler now with the sun setting behind the hills on the far side. A ball of golden light, it hovered on the lip of the horizon, just visible between the trees by the sheds.
    Kurt was still down in the garden. Nirupam hadn’t reappeared. Neither had the other residents. Where were they and what did they do here? Although by the state of the place, no-body did anything much.
    Was this a mistake?
    Primrose stared unseeing across the paddocks. She knew her new life on the commune wouldn’t be easy, but she’d expected a modicum of organisation and efficiency. Not whatever this was. The local joke? Tom Fairbrother made it obvious he thought so.
    Danny had been here six years. Doing what? He’d never been good at organising himself. He’d never been interested in agriculture as far as she could remember. That’s why becoming a self sufficient farmer had seemed such a ridiculous and hopeless venture.
    The alternative would be going somewhere completely new and trying to restart a career. Very difficult, and she’d already done those calculations. Finding work as a flute player was tough. Not many