a short story.

I WROTE A STORY.

I’d never given much thought to the weather of March 12^th, 2011. It was lovely, so I should have been more attentive. When I say lovely, I don’t mean picnic-inspiring or the kind of weather that makes you wish the sky had a colour in the paint shop, because if you had to ever feel blue, that is the blue which you’d like to feel so you want to paint your kitchen it. It was dark and damp, the long grass surrounding the front veranda made my knees wet as I went to check the mail that morning. I dropped the water bill in a puddle and laughed at the irony.  Across the road, the old woman I’d named ‘Kettle Coleen’ was filling up her kettle using the garden hose. I’d never asked, but I’d assume she prefers the taste of warmed up hose rot than anything that came from, god forbid, the kitchen sink. A little further up, there was an old car under a gum tree, which had been there since I had moved in a few years back. It was a splendid mix of army green, rust and broken dreams. I like to imagine it was the getaway vehicle of two forbidden lovers, set to leave in the middle of the night for a church with lights, but were intercepted by an angry father with a shotgun. And now it sits there, under the tree, waiting for someone to turn it on with hopes of being wrapped with white ribbon, tin cans and new memories. I like to dream a lot. It frightens me less than reality.

I went back inside, placed my shoes by the fire and sat down, to immerse myself in the awkwardness of The Age. A few stories on government policies, changes to the youth allowance, a cat being saved by a koala, all general interest pieces that mattered little, but the point was that someone saw you read The Age, so suddenly you became this incredibly intelligent interesting person that didn’t mind that their newspaper was the size of an oven because you were an incredibly intelligent and interesting person. After I’d finished updating myself on events I’d soon forget, I decided that the lure of a sweet dark espresso was too much to bear, so I left the house again and began the stroll to my local cafe. An oversized coat and too-tight jeans were my staple outfit, a disguise if you will, so that if anyone were to look at me, they’d see someone who appeared to be rather large walking on stilts. It was a silhouette I was proud to confuse with and made me giggle whenever I passed large groups. My local cafe, a trendy inner city with light wooden floors and obscure band posters, was only a 7 minute walk from my mailbox but sometimes I took longer if I wanted to people watch or tie up my shoe laces. Today’s need for caffeine surpassed any eccentricities of the surrounding population and a mere 6 and a half minutes later, I heard the bell of the door as I entered.

“Morning Tom, double or triple?”
“Triple please, to sit outside.”
“Alrighty, I’ll bring it out it just a moment!”
“Thank you.”
I loathed that she said Alrighty with such chirp every morning. When I first saw her, I’d imagined she had this complete double life, and as soon as she left the cafe, she became this deliriously melancholic person that wore combat boots to kick kittens with and spent her spare time writing on walls in blood. I saw her at the 24 hour Coles once, at 3am, trying to find freaking cupcake mix. I thought maybe she was high, but with an almighty chirp she’d told me she’d been too busy helping her neighbours  move house to make any cupcakes for her mother’s birthday so she thought she’d pull an all-nighter. And I’m almost entirely sure she skipped out of the store. If she became a serial killer, I would not be surprised.

I pondered sitting at table 32 instead of 33, just to upset the natural balance of things. I don’t think I’m that important enough for it to make anyone lose their shit, but I like to think people find comfort in my regularity. I lit a cigarette and opened my tattered leather bound book, waiting for my coffee to arrive. I never really read my book, I prefer to look at the streets, so I made the extra effort to buy second-hand to keep up with the illusion of my intellect. A new girl had started at the cafe today, I didn’t recognise her as she brought me my espresso. She had brilliant red hair and a yellow cardigan on. There was a curiosity in her eyes as she came towards me.
“Triple espresso?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
She hesitated before she left.
“Do I know you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Do I know you? You look so familiar.”
“No, sorry, I don’t believe you do.”
“Oh, sorry.”
I sipped on my coffee, pretending to be interested in my book. I’m not entirely sure what this book is even about, I saw the word cat before so I’m guessing it’s about loneliness. The city skyline was almost invisible today, the clouds from the winter finally taking their place by the 34^th floor. It hadn’t rained for a good hour though, which meant I should be able to sit outside, undisturbed for a little while longer before the drizzle would force me to leave, or worse, sit inside. The brilliant red head came out again, with a little smile this time that I hadn’t seen before. She stared for a while and I made a subtle head movement towards here.
“I’m sorry, but I swear I know you.”
“No, I think I’d remember you.”
“Did you go to high school around here?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
I turned the next page of my book, puzzled and slightly apprehensive. She couldn’t possibly know who I was.
“OH MY GOD! I’VE GOT IT.”
“Please…”
“You’re the kid off Australian Idol! The one that sang that Whitney Houston song and then started crying!”.
March 12^th, 2011. The day I switched to tea.

dash and will.

• • It’s a cliché to say that good things come in small packages, and this was proved overwhelmingly when pint-sized performers “Dash & Will” rocked the stage at the FreeZa Battle Of The Band regional finals on October 3rd. After sharing the stage with the winning Bands across the region, Charlie Thorpe and Josie De Sous-ray took some time out to talk about their new album “Up In Something”, Tokyo and fake eyelashes, all in the name of getting “Out of Control.”
    Dash & Will, released their first album in late August, titled “Up In Something” featuring their new single “Painful.” To celebrate this milestone in their career, they hosted a launch party at the Ding Dong Lounge in the Melbourne CBD, with a theme they knew only too well, “Dash & Will.” “It was pretty insane.” Said Charlie, the Dash half of the duo. “It was a fun show and everyone seemed to get into it.” Their launch party was not the first of the promotion needed to attain this much hype for their first album. “It’s the same when you bring out a single,” Says Josie, while adjusting her ripped tights. “You do press for everything in the months leading. We’ve brought out 4 singles already. It’s crazy.”
    “We have a routine of no routine.” added in Charlie, stopping for a moment to attach her fake eyelash back on. “Sorry, I’ve been at Parklife all day and I’m wrecked.” When complimented on her make-up, she replies with a smile “I’m obsessed with fake eyelashes!” And it’s no secret that the girls are into fashion, having recently appeared in photo shoots in Dolly and Fashion Journal. “We just go and buy heaps of crazy old leggings, just crazy retro things.” Says Josie. The girls are not only known for their fashion but for their harmonising and catchy pop rock songs, dubbed too rock for the mainstream, yet too mainstream for the indie rock scene of Triple J. “We want to hit the mainstream,” says Josie “But in our own way.” When asked where their inspiration comes from, the girls look at each other and smile, replying together “Everywhere!”
    ““It comes from everywhere. Growing up as teenagers, just listening to the radio made us write the style of music that we do. “
    For the video clip of their first single off the album “Out of Control”, Charlie and Josie travelled to Tokyo. “The theme of the film clip was to have fun,” described Josie. “”To just be ourselves and catch peoples reaction, jumping on trains, running around streets.” The trip lasted for 4 days but the talented duo did the entire video in just a few takes. “We did something crazy in each location and cut it up and there was our video clip” said Josie. “We had no idea what we were doing. But it worked because we had fun.”

i've spent the past four days.
watching greys anatomy. and being sick. and it really weirds me out.
because ruth is sick and watching greys anatomy.
and we didn't even discuss to do this at the same time.
i think we could be twins. and i'm not even kidding.

other news: i was asked to the triny college senior ball by one joshua ryan.
and i feel really old. but i know i'm not.
it's actually made my life. i thought that now i'd moved two hours away,
that everyone had forgotten about me. and then i get a call,
and i thought that josh was just using me to call emilie because her phone was dead and he knew she was at my house. but he actually wanted to talk to me. i mean, i know i'm not a first choice or anything,
but damn, i'm excited. people remember me. i mean something.

i finally, finally recieved a pair of lace up boots today.
and the most awkward thing happened.
and i'm writing it here because mother will never find it here.
but i don't want to be a teacher.
and i have to be. otherwise, well, i just have to be a teacher.
and i inquired about graphic design at a college in the city.
and the brochure came in the mail today
and i opened it right infront of my mother, not realising what  it was.

i had to tell her that my dream, was motherfucking junk mail.

every single day.
i wake up and i drink a coffee.
when i'm sad, i drink a coffee.
when i'm happy, i drink a coffee.
and every single day, i smile at how much it warms up my heart strings.
i'm in love. and i don't care that the love of my life chills in my stomach after our love making.
it's kind of weird. but then again,
so am i.