01x09 - Chapter Nine - Bees

[bunniefuu]

MATT: Charlie,

there's a lot I need to say to you,

but I'm gonna start with the bees.

[BEE BUZZES]

They get born,

then right away they're working,

getting the pollen,

bringing it back to the hive.

[SPRAY HISSES]

That's what they were born to do...

Look at that.

... work for the hive,

make it strong for the queen.

MUM: Boys!

'Cause, the queen, she's
the centre of everything.

Everyone knows a hive is
only as strong as their queen.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[SPRAY HISSES]

Sometimes she dies.

DAD: Kath!

Gets sick.

Kath!

Just gets jack of it all.

What are you doing?!

Can't we talk about this?!

And when she's gone,

stuff really starts to fall apart.

Shane was the one who
was meant to take over.

Oldest son, like Dad did from Grandad.

But now it was just me.

Last man standing, Matty.

And all I had to do was stay.

[ENGINE RUMBLES]

Thing is...

... sometimes...

... all I could think about was leaving.

[CROW CAWS]

[BEES DRONE DEAFENINGLY]

Ray up the road needs drivers.

Two or three.

I'm not sure how many
are in the dorm there,

but some of you boys who've
worked there will know.

Six to a room.

Six to a room.

It's better than here.

Parker's over at Mullewa. Four drivers.

And six mechs.

Let's hope for a better
outcome next season then, hey?

[SOFT MURMURS]

Oi!

Trent!

He's sorry, he's... he's just...

He's doing his best. It's crop failure.

- I know it's f*cked, but...
- Yeah, have you seen the bees?

- What?
- The bees.

You seen them in the last two days?

- I saw one the other day, but...
- Just go look at the bees,

then tell me this was
f*ck' crop failure.

Your dad...

I love the old c**t.

But he's f*cked us, Matty.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER ON TV]

MAN ON TV: And that's a good thing!

And we encourage every Australian...

How's Trent? He seemed a bit...

Yeah, he's fine, he's just a bit...

Hey.

- Hey, don't feed him in here.
- No!

He spotted a brown snake
today. Damn near saved me life.

Didn't ya, hey?

Good boy! Eh?

Here. [CHUCKLES]

Have you seen the bees this week?

Nah. Are they alright?

They've been better, I reckon.

Mites, maybe.

I'll take a squiz.

No, don't worry, I'll sort it out.

MAN ON TV: We must win for...

Look at this poofter.

No f*ck' clue.

MAN ON TV: The Yes campaign has...

Um...

I've just been wondering...

... the pesticides this year...

I saw them in the stock
room. There's no new barrels.

Same ones as last year.

What did Trent say?

Nothin'.

Just, like, if they're
old, shouldn't we have...

I told that f*ck the
same thing I'll tell you.

A year doesn't f*ck' matter.

[YELLS] Does not f*ck' matter!

It's no good spending money

when you've still got stock that's good!

Now, the crop f*ck' failed.

It's sh*t, but it happens.

And you can bet I'm as
happy as f*ck' Larry

that I saved 10K on
pesticides this year.

MAN ON TV: Running a vote,

claiming that it's going to protect...

[YELLS] Turn that sh*t off!

[QUIETLY] f*ck!

VOICEMAIL: You have reached
the message bank of...

[PHONE LINE RINGS]

VOICEMAIL: You have
reached the message...

[PHONE LINE RINGS]

VOICEMAIL: You have reached
the message bank of...

[EXHALES HEAVILY]

[PHONE LINE RINGS]

[ON SPEAKERPHONE] Matty,
I'm driving. What's going on?

Shane, Dad's f*cked something up.

- OK...
- He's really f*cked something up!

Oi, language, mate.
You're on speakerphone.

Augy's here.

Say hi to your Uncle Matt.

Hi, Uncle Matt!

Hey, Augy.

[SIGHS] What's wrong? What did Dad do?

You reckon you could
come home for a bit?

What?

Why?

Can we talk off speakerphone?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure,
but I'm pulling into school.

I'll give you... I'll give
you a call tonight, OK?

[BANGS] OK?

Sometimes, all of a
sudden, it got too much.

You there?

This feeling building in my gut.

[BUZZING ECHOES]

And I had to get away.

Anywhere I could.

Anywhere would do.

But usually it was the one place.

For a while it'd work.

But lately,

it didn't.

[EXHAUST HISSES]

[YELLS] Does not f*ck' matter!

[JARRING MUSIC PLAYS]

[GASPS]

[BRAKES SQUEAL]

Dad?

[SOFTLY] Dad?

Ruby.

I'm so sorry, girl.

[SOBS SOFTLY]

Oi. Are you okay?

Come on.

Here.

Who's Ruby?

Hm?

Last night you called Jesse 'Ruby'.

Did I?

[SCOFFS]

Must've been half asleep.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Ruby was our old farm dog.

Kelpie cross.

Before Teeny and Tiny?

Before you.

Before Shane. Before your mum.

Best dog - Ruby.

But she got sick.

So, your grandad...

... actually...

[CHUCKLES]

He got me to put her down...

... myself.

sh**t her.

I was...

... 9, 10.

f*ck' hell.

Did me good, though. [SNIFFS]

Maybe I should've got you to
do the same with Teeny and Tiny.

Might've hardened you up a bit.

Hey.

[SMOOCHES] Oi.

They say that nobody knows

the weight of the straw
that broke the camel's back.

The weight of... responsibility.

To do the right thing.

To be the good son.

Even when everything was crumbling down.

That night was probably the
closest I'd ever been to leaving.

Like, for good.

But then I met you.

And there was a reason to stay.

At least for a little bit longer.

[PANTS]

Every day was f*cked.

Each one worse than the last.

But then I'd see you.

And it would almost be OK.

You had this light.

Nice eyeliner.

Shut the f*ck up.

Even though you tried to hide it.

Or maybe you just
didn't know you had it.

But then that feeling would return,

pressing down on me.

- [KEYS CLINK]
- Dad?

You here?

f*ck!

[YELLS] Dad!

Jesse!

[PHONE LINE RINGS]

[BREATHES SHAKILY]

- Dad. Where are you?
- [WARWICK CRIES ON PHONE]

Have you got the g*n?

- [BREATHES SHAKILY]
- What's wrong, Dad?

[CRYING] I can't do it.

- Please don't do anything.
- She won't run away.

Just tell me where you are.

[PHONE LINE BLEEPS]

f*ck!

[PHONE LINE RINGS]

- G'day. This is Warwick...
- f*ck!

[YELLS] Dad!

Dad!

[g*nsh*t]

Dad!

Dad?!

[SHAKILY] Dad?

She won't run away.

Dad, how about you give me the g*n?

I can't.

Not until I do it.

Jesse. [WHISTLES]

[YELLS] Don't!

Ruby.

[SINGSONG] Ruby.

That's not Ruby, Dad.

That's Jesse.

And... [GULPS]

... you don't wanna hurt him.

You love Jesse, remember?

Well, I've gotta.

Or I can't go back in the house.

[BREATHES SHAKILY]

And it's dark.

I know it's dark, Dad.

But you CAN go back in the house.

I'll take you.

- I can do it.
- I know you can do it.

- [YELLS] I can!
- Oh, jeez. Come with me.

[YELLS] No!

[BIRDS TWITTER]

DOCTOR: Very good, Warwick.

Now, let's go back to the three objects

I asked you to remember at the start.

Can you tell me what they were?

- Car.
- Great.

And the other ones?

- And it was f*cked...
- [PHONE DINGS]

... 'cause I knew I
should've been thinking,

"This is how I'll help him.

This is how I'll make him feel OK."

But the thing is...

... all I could think was...

... "I just wanna leave."

But I can't.

I can't go anywhere.

Not now.

What c**t thinks that?

What kind of a c**t
thinks that about their dad

when he's sick and old and needs help?

[DOG BARKS]

Howdie, old boy!

Don't look too happy to see me, Dad.

Oh, my goodness.

You know, I was thinking that, um...

... I could road-trip it
down to Perth for Dad's MRI.

But if it's what they reckon, um...

... Ness and I were thinking of a carer.

I am sorry, Matty.

- I know I haven't...
- It's OK.

You met Ness and you had to...

The two of you had to...

And I can't talk, anyway.

Oh, yeah?

I haven't told Dad, but...

... I've been thinking about leaving.

Oh, you've met someone, have ya?

Maybe.

Yeah.

What's her name?

Charlie.

And what's Charlie like?

I don't know.

Smart.

Heaps smarter than me.

Oh, couldn't be hard.

f*ck off. [CHUCKLES]

[CLEARS THROAT] You...

Charlie doesn't give a
sh*t what people think.

Doesn't get scared, just
says it, does it, you know?

The way they see the world...

... is just...

... it's just...

I think that's f*ck' brilliant, Matty.

Ness and I, we...

... we worry about you,

stuck out here...

- I like it out here.
- Yeah, I know you do.

But it doesn't change the fact...

I just think it's dog of us to
leave him out here on his own.

Some nurse or carer?
He'd f*ck' hate that.

Well, he's not gonna be on his own.

- But he would be.
- Not necessarily.

Me. Ness. Augy.

What? Visit once every three years?

[SIGHS]

Augy's starting high school soon.

And that's f*ck' weird in Sydney.

You've got drugs and creepy
kids with names like 'Gyoza'...

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

I don't know, I want him to have

a normal childhood like we had.

Kick the footy out in the fields.

Run away from pedo priests.

So, you'd move back?

Not forever.

But for a stretch?

Yeah. Maybe.

You're not a sh*t person, Matty.

But you can't keep
living for someone else.

And all of a sudden
there was this lightness,

because he was right.

It was time to leave.

I couldn't lock you up here.

[SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

Because, even though it felt so warm

standing in your light,

it was YOUR light,

not mine.

And I didn't wanna take that from you.

'Cause when you met me,

I was already gone.

But that's how it could go.

Everything good.

Everything right.

And then out of nowhere...

- [g*nsh*t]
- No!

[JARRING MUSIC PLAYS]

And it was weird.

That morning, at that time,

I knew it was the end.

[MUFFLED] Since when do you cook?

You think I don't have what it
takes to survive on this farm?

But I'm still sorry.

[SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

I'm so, so sorry for what I had to do.

'Cause everything you said,

I wanted it just as bad as you.

[SIGHS]

Maybe more.

SHANE: Dad!

[CAR DOOR SHUTS]

Oi, what happened?

Dad!

- You're supposed to be in Perth.
- Yeah, I know, I tried, Matty.

- I...
- Dad...

Don't you f*ck' touch me!

Either of you f*ck' snakes!

What's going on?

You're f*cking off, then, are ya?

- Hey...
- What?

Matty, don't. Shane's gonna stay.

Shane... Shane and Ness, they're...

He's sellin' it!

What?

They wanna f*cking sell it!

Fracking, f*cking fracking...

I already told you,
there's been some interest.

It's a lot of money.
That's all I've said.

They're rippin' the
place up and guttin' it!

Everything dead!

[WIND HOWLS]

Oh, come on, Matty.

Someone's gotta fix this!

Someone's gotta fix the
mess that YOU'VE both made!

Are you hungry?

Nuh.

I can make you something.

Chops.

Nuh.

How did the MRI go?

We didn't make it that far.

Angela's giving me a
lift tomorrow morning.

I can take you.

[SIGHS] Nuh.

Hey, Dad, I... I just...

I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry.

And I need you to...

I really need you to forgive me.

[VOICE BREAKS]
Can you please forgive me?

Please.

Maybe.

One day.

It needs to be today, Dad.

It needs to be now.

Please, Dad.

Please.

OK.

OK.

[INSECTS CHIRP, BIRDS TWITTER]

[CAR DOOR SHUTS]

[CAR DEPARTS]

Dear Charlie...

... there's a lot I need to say to you.

But I'm gonna start with the bees.

SONG: ♪ I want him to know... ♪

Sometimes, all of a
sudden, it got too much...

... and I had to get away.

For a while it'd work.

[CHUCKLES]

♪ I want him to know... ♪

But then I met you.

♪ It's bad... ♪

And there was a reason to stay.

At least for a while.

♪ I want him to know... ♪

I guess we both needed to leave.

♪ Right now... ♪

My way was just a little
different from yours.

[STARTS ENGINE]

[HAUNTING MUSIC PLAYS]

I don't think there's
anything else I have to say.

Except thank you

for the time we got,

for everything you shared with me.

I know you're gonna have
the most amazing life.

And I wish I could've
shared it with you.

[BANGS]

[FAINTLY] G'day, Charlie.

Good to finally meet ya.

But...

... I just couldn't see it.

[LAUGHS]

[POIGNANT MUSIC PLAYS]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

I just couldn't see it.

I just couldn't see it.

[BIRDS WARBLE]