Lending a Hand

Sam kissed me good bye at the bed room door; really my first recollection of the day. Big lips, kisses like he loves me. A lovely way to start Monday, to start the week. It was nice being with Sam all weekend, without Shane home, it felt like a different house. Ours. Relaxed. No tension.

Not that Shane is hard to live, because he's not. He cooks for me.

I dozed. But say, 9.15 and I was awake again, comfy, warm, just one doona needed to keep me warm. The summer doona, we'd changed over. The weather has changed, we've moved, perceptibly, from winter to summer.

Shane got up and went to the toilet and then went back to bed. He didn’t scratch and rattle around in his room and then head lead-footed down the stairs. No, the door made its familiar clunk and then silence. Nothing. He’d gone back to bed. Clearly.

I rolled over and went back to sleep, if not total rem sleep, I certainly dozed. Cuddling pillows. I rolled over and looked at my clock, it was half past nine. Oh, please don’t tell me you are staying home? I mean, what kind of conference does an office manager need, I ask you. Go to work.

It was a beautiful morning, I rolled over in my bed, relaxed, free, as free as the wind. I got my book out and read for a while. Hands straight up in the air.

Shane made no more sounds, not a scratch, not a scrape, not even a cough. Shane can sleep, if he doesn’t have to get up, well into the afternoon. I read for a while.

The phone was ringing. Luke was asking me if I wanted my old Bette Davis videos. Like I'd part with them? I bet you never play another video in your life, says Luke.

Then Mark is on the phone saying he is really anxious, he doesn’t feel like he’s going to get it done. There is so much. I can’t sleep. I need help.

My first reaction was, get Valium. I'm not proud.

I looked over at the clock, it was 11.45. What? How? I look out the window, Shane’s car is still in the street. Oh what? He did stay home. What a beautiful day? He’s spoiling it, I was going to have alone time. What a nice drive to the country. What about the money you owe me? I just want to disappear, not explain. He could be up in a minute? I could honestly be packed in fifteen minutes. I don’t want it to look like I’m sneaking out. He easily sleeps to 2pm. If he has had a big day. Just pack and leave. Pull on clothes. Drag the necessities together, clothes, computer. Just start, you can have it done in the time you stop and say you can’t. Get the hell out. Get money out of the bank..

I left just after midday. In the car. The sun is shining. Into the day. Into the country, without a word to any one.

The Calder was well lit, the day sparkled, the countryside looked beautiful. That gorgeous warm day smell floating in the wide open windows of the car. I listened to Joss Stone.

Mark said it was a surprise.

We watched a doco about Christians and atheists. 

Apparently, Abby has found Christianity at an evangelical church whose congregation speaks in tongues and Abby thinks it is a perfectly normal Christian tradition.

Maybe a normal American Evangelical tradition

They buy her trips to Melbourne and Trips to Bali. It sounds like the same old Abby, relying on someone else to pay her way.

Apparently, she is already asking Mark to challenge her religiously. And she feels as though God has told her to do many things since she is born again. And she feels it is her duty to spread the word.

However, I must qualify my position here, as Abby and I have never really discussed her Christian beliefs, and the information I have I got from Mark.

Luke packed ornaments and knick knacks. Lots of bubble wrap, lots of boxes.

I packed the Pianola rolls. I drove the tractor. We packed quite a few boxes and we took them to the barn, the tractor packed full, ready to be picked up by the removalist.

Luke cooked diner. Chicken salad, it was yum.

I ate one of the violet crumble squares and Mark calls me fat. He is critical of me at the moment, any guesses why?

We watch the Xfactor and MTV Awards, Belfast. Justin Bieber sang, ah ha, he was okay. Lady Ga Ga sang, but the shots were long shots and bad, you couldn’t see her, she was too far away, which made me suspect she was miming. She had this big, stupid hat on. Queen performed, Adam Lambert sang, he didn’t really cut it, half the time he sounded a bit like a Dalek. I saw Paul Rogers from Bad Company front them, he was much better, he’s their man.

There was cute Irish boy streaking with his cock hanging out. It was nice to see his dick, it was nice they showed it in TV… but blanked it out on the Internet news.

Luke rolled joints.

Mark and Luke went to bed.

I stayed up to see Queen and rolled a joint. Then I went to bed. In the corner room and wrote this.

I played on my laptop. Checking emails.

My buddy LouLou is going to sell a cutlery set, which I was going to simply throw out, on eBay... Yeah, sure... sell the cutlery set, thanks LouLou, one million dollars would be great, I could retire. I did mean to ask my sister if she wanted it, just in case. You know. But, I forgot. I’m sure she wont, though. So yes, sell it.

I'm at Bolago helping the boys pack, they sounded anxious and I have nothing else to do. No, really I don't.

LouLou hasn't work for the period  that I haven't worked, but I'm not on to the credit card stage, as yet, like she is, so I'm sure that is good, perhaps not so good for her. But, I guess I'm going to have to get a job and am probably living in a fool's paradise, so who am I to judge. So there you go. It's a shame to see the cutlery set got, but it is of a different time. It was a wedding present to my mum and dad on their 17th December 1955 wedding, so I'm sure Xmas was mighty swish that year. It is solid silver? Or is it? I can't quite remember.