Carrier, Not Carter: Written in the StarsDrought was for him, though he'd never say so. He didn't need to; people said it for him. He grimaced and glowed at once. There were other water carriers in the district, but he was the oldest and most established. He was the King of Carriers. It annoyed him when people joked, King of Carters. He was a carrier, not carter. His wife liked to point out that he was born under the sign of Aquarius. He was destined to be a water bearer, or as it translated in the wheatbelt, a water carrier. Even when she was furious with him, she wouldn't stoop to calling him a water carter.He liked to sell himself as everyone's mate, boy-next-door even to those whose next door was miles away, and generally an easy-go-lucky kind of guy. Children could be trusted with him; your credit card details were safe in his keeping. He was parsimonious, though. He worked out the shortest distance between the standpipe and a customer, and he never filled a liter more than ordered. He made a show of generosity of spirit without ever actually being generous.But there was something about him. He wasn't what anyone would call handsome, but he did have a rugged, robust masculinity that made people feel safe in his presence. He would always tell blokes to keep their bad language out of earshot of the ladies; he was a mighty fine batsman wicket-keeper in the Forties Plus district cricket team, and he wouldn't tolerate cruelty or mistreatment of animals, though he called cows and sheep dumb beasts. When he was a young fella he'd been popular with the girls, and it was rumored he had some prowess as a lover-his wife encouraged and damned this at once, being a former semi-finalist in the state beauty pageant and now a successful businesswoman in her own right, running the town's beauty salon. She was a fully trained hairdresser. She was also good with money, and it was the carrier's financial responsibility that had attracted her to him in the first place.A Customer Who Didn't Add UpThere was one customer he serviced whose run didn't seem to make fiscal sense. A single lady of uncertain age who lived down by the coast where there was mains water on tap! Why on earth did she order water in, when she had plenty of cheaper water readily available? She was a hundred kilometers away from his fill-up point. And she went through a hell of a lot of water, it seemed.The carrier's wife didn't like it. Silly bitch, she'd say, why doesn't she get one of the local blokes down there to her, it'd be cheaper and She snaked her way through the word service and hit home hard with better. The carrier always tried to ignore these taunts, but by way of warding her off, he called to his son, I'll be doing the run down to the coast tomorrow after school, wanna come? And when his son replied, Nah, Dad, it's boring and I've got footy practice, the carrier would look at his wife and shrug his shoulders. She'd glare at him and he'd add, You could always come, dear. You like riding up in the truck. Idiot! she yelled. In the end, as always, the boy would go as well, and a strained peace was maintained.This year the carrier had been voted president of the Lions Club. He was a pillar. He was thinking of contracting his business out and running for state parliament. No-he had much to give the entire country-for federal parliament. Church lit up when he walked in. He fancied himself something of a lay preacher, and read the lesson as often as he could wangle it. No one could doubt his energy. But some of the congregation muttered about his lack of goodwill towards the town's less fortunate. Let them get up off their rears and do a decent day's work. If there aren't jobs, they should make them. I don't know how, don't ask me, that's their problem. I am busy enough. At such moments, he showed himself up, but he quickly quelled dissent by making a generous contribution when the plate went around, making sure it was seen. …