Page 88 of The Side Road
Oliver found a recipe with 489 reviews and an average rating of 4.8. Nutritionally, they were high in calories,cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrates. They were also addictive.
Oliver liked Mary – she was good-natured with a wicked sense of humour that came from being invisible and the youngest member of a large family. He added pretzels and bratwurst to the weekly shopping list.
‘Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind,’ Mary said.
‘Can you make it?’ Tash asked.
Oliver nodded. ‘I’ll figure something out. Manual or automatic?’
‘I think, manual. I can shave one side and then turn him over and do the other,’ Tash said.
‘Have you thought about what material you want for the ropes?’
‘We’ll leave that to you,’ Mary said.
Two days later, after a trip to the hardware store and the Men’s Shed, the Buttons Shaving Rack was complete. Tash tied the rabbit to a frame attached to a rotisserie element that Oliver had repurposed from an old BBQ. Ropes secured three paws, and Tash slipped the final noose over Button’s right leg. Gently, she tied it to the frame. The only thing Buttons could move was his nose.
They stood back and considered the splayed rabbit.
‘He seems comfortable,’ Oliver said.
‘He’s not complaining,’ Tash said.
Oliver agreed. Buttons looked surprisingly relaxed; the animal had submitted. ‘Get this done before someone calls animal cruelty.’
Tash collected her electric clippers. After switching them on, she looked Buttons in the eye. ‘Don’t move,’ she said.
With short, regular strokes, she trimmed the rabbit’s hair. When the underside was done, she turned Buttons over rotisserie style and started on the animal’s back.
Button’s appointment at the salon took less than ten minutes.
‘That went better than I expected,’ Oliver said. He looked at the wire rotisserie rack. ‘I could patent this.’
Tash collected the rabbit hair and scooped it into a bag. ‘I’m going to spin this into wool and knit something. He’s a sustainable bunny.’
The following day, Buttons escaped.
28
HOW FAR?
A searchof the house and backyard confirmed Buttons had not returned. Oliver suspected the rabbit had joined the band of wild relatives who lived in the mess of bracken and lantana that grew along the banks of the river. He consoled his daughter with the fact that rabbits had plenty of food, water, and companionship. The animal also had a strong survival instinct; he was now living his best life in the wild.
For a week, Tash walked around the house with a heavy heart, but her grief didn’t last long, and soon she was more worried about conquering the intarsia knitting stitch – she wanted to add brilliant pops of colour to her hand warmer project. While the technique wasn’t too difficult, it required planning. Oliver bought graph paper, and they plotted a curved, wavy pattern of contrasting colours.
That evening, they were expecting Mary for dinner and standing at the kitchen bench, Oliver was slicing potatoes for a salad he was making. One of Mary’s favourites, the dish was served warm and included a dressing made with baconfat. Oliver had also hidden spring onions, parsley, and lemon juice in the salad.
Tash, seated at the far end of the table, was readingRomeo and Juliet. Deep into the play, Oliver noticed she was halfway through the book.
When the doorbell rang, he looked at Tash, but she wasn’t moving. He took this as a good sign; she was hooked on the literature and may not have heard the bell. He threw the tea towel over his shoulder and headed down the hallway.
As he opened the front door, he flinched. Standing on the porch was a woman. The hazy afternoon light cast a copper glow over her hair. Her dark eyes gleamed and she smiled at him, seductive as always.
‘Cindy?’ He intended it as a statement, but it sounded like a question. He couldn’t understand why she was in Eagle Nest. It was five o’clock on a school night. She belonged in the Kimberley.
‘In real life,’ she replied. ‘Miss me?’
‘What are you doing here?’
