He smiled, remembering. Kath and Kev had always been up for a camping trip away. Before theyd married, theyd take for the hills as often as they could throw their swags down, make a fire, feel themselves start to breathe again.

Sometimes, it was the only thing that made life at the steelworks bearable. Day after day Kev made the long walk from the car park, his bag dragging at his shoulder the way the day dragged at his soul. He endured the long hours, clad in rough blue wool. Often, his head ached with boredom, his mind numbed by steel and the bleeding furnace, his being lethargic. Some days it threatened to overwhelm him. Being up a mountain or next to a sleepy creek kept his head above water.

But as the family grew, so did the challenge to get away. With the first, theyd still managed it, albeit with a lot more gear thrown into the fourby. But by the third, it became a twice a year event at best. And Kevin sank. The drudgery of work and the pressures at home made him question it all.

One Sunday, Kev was in bed, beckoning for the strength to get himself up. The usual mountain of Sunday jobs screamed. Lying there, he saw himself slowly treading water. Then his head sluggishly disappeared beneath the surface, his arm reaching out and becoming shorter and shorter, eventually vanishing.

Kath looked in, sighed and left again. It wasnt the first Sunday hed wasted in bed. He knew she was getting fed up. And he didnt blame her. He felt sucked down by the sludgy silt at the bottom of his being. Then Kath sprang back into the room. Foods packed. The kidsll be ready in 10. Ill drive.

He knew he owed it to them. To her.

+++++++++++++++++++

KATH drove north. As the bridge rose over the forlorn river, Kev felt panic assault him. What if they went over and the brown depths swallowed them? But then Kath proposed hot pies and minutes later their teeth sank into golden pastry and fanned their mouths. Kev even managed a smile at Hayleys tomato-sauce beard. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently. Surprisingly, she threw her skinny arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest. Kev felt like bawling.

Heading north again, Kev watched the blur of bush until Kath turned right off the highway.

Why here?

Sign says The Cove. Sounds adventurous.

They turned sharply onto gravel. Bush closed in tightly around them. Driving along, sometimes they saw small shelters usually rusty. Kev realised these were camping blocks. Hope rose as the thought of getting one crossed his mind. But hope had a short fuse. They couldnt afford anything. Just the treat of the pies would mean baked beans for a night or two. There was no kitty, no secret stash, nothing for a rainy day. Their lives were governed by the mortgage every cent for the next 30 years was already spent.

They bumped down a heavily rutted trail stitched in by dense scrub. As the view opened, Kev was astounded. There, surrounding a shelter, was a grassy clearing with a gentle slope leading to an effervescent bay. Hell, it even had a cracked concrete path into the water a rudimentary boat ramp.

Kev went to the lean-to and found it in good order. The dust showed no one had been there for a while a long while. He found a pebbly shore with oyster-infested rocks littering the shallows. But the ramp was perfect for launching his little tinny a legacy from a late uncle that hadnt been loved lately. Seconds out, they could jump in, swim free of the slicing oysters.

Kev shook his head in disbelief that such beauty existed and cooo-eed with joy. He drove home negotiating the jigsaw of tracks instinctively.

After that, life got good. They cleaned the block up and left gear and supplies on make-shift shelves. Theyd invite others up and the weekends would be filled with laughter. Work became bearable knowing The Cove was only a few weeks or days or even hours away.

+++++++++++++++++++

KEV felt it before he saw or heard anything. Looking up, he saw a stranger striding down, older than himself, smart-looking. Rich. Kev walked slowly towards him until their bodies stood ajar.

Kev nodded with more bravado than he felt.

Jeff Cummins. Owner. Who the eff are you?

Kev felt slapped. He mumbled a reply.

Jeff Cummins nodded, looked around appraisingly. It looks good but whats with the gate and lock?

Kev stammered: We had to. Idiots kept dumping stuff. Kath soothed: The billys boiling. Do you want a cuppa, Jeff?

Id love one He winced. But, the wifes waiting in the car. Shes never liked this place prefers resorts with fancy restaurants. This was my first investment. Bought it for next to nothing. Thought Id wait it out until it was rezoned. Imagine what waterfront bush acres up hered be worth if you could build on em! Been waiting 20 years. Used to bring the kids up thats why I got the lean-to and the boat ramp. But the kids grew up. Jeff Cummins gaze caught anxious young faces peering from tents. I drop by whenever Im heading north. But Ive had other windfalls. Use it as much as you like. When you see a sold sign, youll know its time to bugger off.

With that Jeff Cummins turned and was striding back up the track.

Kev Thompson knew he had all that he needed.