PT to Mums

SMS. 7.33. Well Miss, I now have a feeding tube up my nose and down my throat. Attractive! And what of you this fine morning? – Tom

SMS. 8.34. I’m good, still got a sore foot, so I’m tramming it. It’s annoying! But I’m good none the less – Christian

SMS. 8.42. Glad to hear it. Get that foot seen to, it’s been sore for ages xxxx – Tom

SMS. 8.45. Yes it has, a few weeks. Grrr! – Christian

SMS. 12.09. City Peugeot reminds Christian – XXX 155 – due Thurs 29th Sept. No need to reply. Service dept: 9341 4444 – City Peugeot

Mum’s street was in darkness when I got there; mum usually has every light blaring. I often wonder if that’s how she has the lights every night; a fear thing. It was strange. I thought, as I walked up the front path, imagine if she was dead on the floor? I could see the flash of television light inside, so I didn’t worry so much. She’d be asleep in the chair, nodded off and not realised the time.

“What time is it?” she said, as she opened her blue eyes. She looked sleep. She looked old. She looked momentarily bewildered.

“Seven o’clock,” I said.

“Seven o’clock,” she said. She sat up and tried to wake up. “Goodness, I sat down at 4pm. I was tired, I did a double shift in at the cottage.”

“Do you want me to go down and buy fish & chips?” Always a help in an awkward moment.

She stood up, straightened her skirt and headed to the kitchen, “Oo no, I’ll put the dinner on.”

When I was leaving the first spots of rain were hitting. You could smell it in the air, it was about to pour.

“Got to go.” I kissed mum on the front veranda. She has a face thrust forward, kind of kiss. “I’m going to run to the car.” As I started down the front path, I realised how prophetic my words were, as it began to pelt down with rain. I would never have thought that I’d be leaping into the car to get out of the rain, as I started down the stairs.

Mum tried to say something to me from the front porch, but the rain drowned her out. She kept trying. I called her on the phone and she momentarily decided to answer the ringing phone, but decided against it just as quickly, to see me until I drove away. I waved out the crack in the window, pointing to her answering the phone – like that would have been clear to anyone. She thought I was waving, so she waved more enthusiastically.

Her Liberal government is about to get draconian laws passed using terrorism as the excuse. They deny Muslims will be targeted, but then I hear that the new finger print and cornea identification will only be applicable to people of certain types.

Human beings have not evolved, zip, nothing. Racism rears its ugly head again. Those who invaded Iraq feel vindicated in their killing.