I Can Swing A Hammer

Johnny received his meal and moved to a table, "What kind of place is this?" he asked looking around the tavern and across the hallway to the stairway.

"It’s a boarding house. Looking for a place to stay? It’s not bad and rates are reasonable. I’m the cook here my name’s Andy."

"Johnny, Johnny Ryan…you cook this?" he asked holding up his burger for a bite.

"No, Millie does burgers she’s one of the owners, her and Steve Moran." Andy picked up the tray, "Need anything else?"

"No man, I’m set…well maybe another beer." Johnny gave him a half grin.

Andy deposited the tray on the end of the bar and pulled another beer from the cooler. "If you’re looking for a room I can tell Millie, Steve’s gone into Coffs for something, Millie can get you registered."

"No mate, thanks, I haven’t made up my mind if I’m stayin’," Johnny took a bite of his sandwich , "I never heard of this place before…course I never heard of a lot of places…haven’t been anywhere," he mumbled to himself.

"It’s a new community," Andy offered setting the can of beer before Johnny.

A new place…a new start maybe, Johnny took another bite, he’d have to find a job doing something. "Any work around here?" he asked

"Hey I don’t know, I rarely get out of the kitchen. What kind of work do you do?" Andy asked

Johnny thought about that for a minute, what did he do? "Odd jobs I guess, I’m pretty handy…what the hell I was a farmer." He looked up at Andy and picked up the beer.

"Not much call for them anymore unless you own a big spread." Andy hugged the tray to his chest "Is that what you were doing, working on a farm?"

Johnny pushed the beer can around, "I was trying to for my Mum you know but I ain’t no farmer…no future in that," he picked the can up and took a drink.

"I wish you luck Johnny…gotta go prep for dinner…maybe I’ll see you around?" Andy smiled and backed away

"Yeah…Maybe," answered Johnny finishing off the beer. He watched Andy’s back disappearing through the swinging door. He decided to have a walkabout The Glen .

He noticed the trees, the green spaces the little park, it wasn’t crowded like some of the small towns he’d been through, neither was it dying out like others, there were a few storefronts around the square and it looked like more being built. Surely there was something he could do with his limited background. He could at least swing a hammer, perhaps he could get on with one of the building gangs. Johnny headed down the street toward the construction on the corner.