‘How was it?’ Sidney asked.

‘The party? You know. Alright.’ He shook his head. ‘Bloody Sharon, though. I feel sorry for her, married to that useless git. But it’s her choice, isn’t it?’

‘Did he make a speech?’

‘Not a word, mate. His own son. I said the bloody words. Somebody had to. Amazing that boy turned out alright. Mongrel dad, useless-as-tits-on-a-bull mum.’ He drank, and looked around the shed. ‘You alright with all this? Doing it by yourself? You want a hand?’

‘You never help with this part.’

‘I know. Starting to regret offering.’

Sidney laughed. ‘No. I’d love the help.’

‘You going to do the rest of it tomorrow before pickup?’

‘This isn’t all of it?’

‘Nah, mate,’ his father said. ‘This is just the boot-full. Brendan didn’t tell you we were filling the back up this time too? And there’s new plants we need to tend to, get them in the humidifier.’

‘No, he didn’t.’

His father nudged him. ‘Don’t look so bloody downtrodden, mate. You don’t work that hard.’

‘You’re in a good mood.’

Normally Sidney blamed his father for everything, stoked the resentment like a bonfire. His mother’s unhappiness, his brother’s dominance. But, he realised suddenly, his father was trying his best. His father was a crook, but he cared for his family. They were wholly sheltered beneath his outstretched wings. Never mind what violence the beak was rendering beyond them. Painful to think about, that. He didn’t want to disappoint him, though. Sidney thought about all the compromises he’d made each day of his daughter’s life. Weren’t his father’s actions an extension of that?

‘Did you ever think about getting out of all this?’ Sidney finished the beer and chucked the can in the oil drum beside the fridge.

‘What, the plants and Melbourne and all that?’

‘Yeah. You know, on account of having kids?’

‘You kids were why I started. I haven’t been doing it that long.’

‘I can’t remember when we weren’t growing.’

‘I suppose,’ his father said. ‘We started when you were little.’

‘You didn’t think this would be bad for us?’

‘How would it be bad?’

‘Because it’s illegal? You didn’t think about if you got caught? What if you got caught? We’re all little and we’re left alone without a dad. You ever think about that?’

His father sighed. ‘You asking all this thinking of your daughter?’

‘I am, a bit.’

‘I bet you look at her little face while she’s sleeping and think to yourself you’d do anything for her. That she has your whole heart in her chubby little fist. I bet you think that.’

‘I do.’

‘Well. Same deal. I’d do anything for you and your brother, your sister. Your little girl,’ his father said in his soft voice. He did not look at Sidney. ‘I wanted to set you up and farming is a bloody garbage life to lead. Up at three o’clock every damn day, milking cows, in at night at seven. No rest. No weekends. I worked that for years, watched my old man work it too. I didn’t want that for you kids.’