Page 71 of Wings Above the Mallee

Amelia held up the tooled leather boots. ‘Aren’t we the same size? You take them.’

Charlee ran a finger over the embossing. ‘Nope. They look perfect with your dress. I’ll find something else before the big do. Tracey is a whizz in the op shop. Which reminds me, she wants me to go look in some old shop on Main Street after the class today.’

‘I think all the shops on Main are old,’ Amelia replied, tugging her jeans on beneath the dress. Charlee didn’t believe in giving her much privacy, but she recognised the need in the younger girl, her desire for contact and solace. And that was okay. ‘Which one in particular?’

‘Across from the cafe that’s closed down.’

‘You mean Tractors and Tarts? There’s nothing in there.’

‘Nope. That’s kind of the point. Apparently Daideó has got Tracey all worked up about opening a new shop.’

‘A cafe?’ Amelia was surprised. Her neighbour certainly had a ton of energy, but surely she was too old for hospitality work.

‘Not food.’ Charlee fidgeted and Amelia realised the teen was barely able to contain her excitement. ‘She reckons she might start an up shop here.’

‘You mean an op shop?’

‘Nope.’ Charlee grinned. She’d obviously been hoping Amelia would correct her. ‘Anupshop. Kind of like an op shop, but we’d be really picky and upcycle the clothes.’

‘I’m not even sure what that means.’

‘Basically, you can recycle, downcycle or upcycle.’ Charlee loved the opportunity to direct, teach, or lecture. ‘Recycling is reusing, downcycling is when something is broken down into original components, like when you take your empty bottles to the bottle yard. And upcycling is the opposite end of the scale, where you take something and give it new life, so it’s worth more than the original.’

‘How does that work for clothes?’

‘See, that’s the thing. Tracey reckons we could do a bit of a road trip and trawl the tiny op shops in some of the real country towns.’

Amelia tried not to smile. Charlee made it sound like Settlers Bridge was neither tiny nor ‘country’.

‘She said Tailem Bend and Tanunda and Karoonda have really fabulous op shops,’ Charlee continued. ‘Where the stuff is cheap as, and there’s a huge variety because it’s donated by a whole range of people. We figure we could pick up funky retro gear and maybe some designer pieces from places like that. Then Tracey will get the old ducks in the CWA to work their magic. Like, imagine a cute little floral skirt sewn onto a denim shirt. Maybe a crocheted hem at the bottom. Or jeans cut off at the knee and a couple of centimetres of an old lace tablecloth added. Men’s oversized suit jackets with the cuffs rolled back and lined with a contrast fabric, like, say, shocking pink satin on a pinstripe.’

‘But why would the CWA get involved? Surely those women have enough on their plates? I know Taylor was telling me they’re endlessly fundraising for a whole variety of causes.’

‘That’s the thing,’ Charlee said triumphantly, ‘the up shop will be the ultimate fundraiser. Tracey plans to sell all the CWA stuff that is usually only on the weekly street stall—you know, the edged tea towels and the knitted coat hanger covers and stuff. Plus she’ll sell the upcycled clothes. And now Ploughs and Pies has closed down, she’s even thinking of selling takeaway baked goods. Thenallthe profit will go back into the CWA. Tracey has some great ideas on how we could set up the layout of the shop, too.’

‘We? You’re joining the CWA, then?’ she teased, but the sense of community would be no bad thing for Charlee.

‘Not a snowflake’s. But—’ Charlee looked suddenly shy ‘—Tracey thinks I have a good eye for putting clothes together.’

Amelia smiled secretly. She was positive even Tracey wouldn’t have said that about Charlee a few weeks ago, but now the young woman was blooming. Generally in Amelia’sclothes, but that didn’t matter. And Charlee did have a knack for making her utilitarian gear look quirky, which would no doubt appeal to Tracey. ‘Sounds like you’re going to be busy. You’ve gone off the travelling farmyard idea, then?’ She hid her disappointment. After all, the plan had been to give Charlee a focus, which the younger woman had apparently now found for herself.

Charlee gasped. ‘Of course not! The upcycling is a side gig, because, let’s face it, Tracey’s too old to do it alone. But I have an idea for a name for the travelling farmyard. What do you think of Wild on Wheels?’

‘Sounds a little like we should be appearing at the Murray Bridge Speedway.’

‘Okay,’ Charlee said so readily, Amelia suspected she’d just been played, softened up for the real suggestion. ‘Then how about Fur and Feathers Farm?’

‘Potentially.’ Amelia thrust her head through an undershirt and sweater at the same time. A couple of weeks ago, she would have said that she didn’t care about the name of their business; she’d encouraged the notion of a travelling farm purely to help draw Charlee out of a dark place. But now the idea was growing on her. She liked animals, she liked Charlee, she liked Settlers Bridge. Her mind darted to Heath. Yeah, there were other things she liked about living here. So why shouldn’t she pursue a job that might bring some real joy back into her life? Focus was as important for her as it was for Charlee.

‘Done,’ she said.

‘What’s done?’ Charlee asked suspiciously, still stroking the boot.

‘The name. But I need you to get on to the correct government departments and register it, and take care of anything else that’s needed to make it official, okay? I won’t havetime for any of that stuff till I’ve finished in James’s office. Put your name first on everything, so you’re the primary contact, okay?’

‘My name,’ Charlee repeated slowly.

‘Sure. We’re equal partners, aren’t we?’

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