Shopping

Sam and I go shopping in the city. All we have is coffee before we leave, no breakfast, nothing to eat. We want to get moving, you know, things to do. We chat to Mark for a short moment before we leave on Skype. I love Skype. We are hungry by the time we walk out the door. Grrrr!

It is another beautiful day in Melbourne, sunny and warm, blue skies and crystal clear street vistas.

We walk to the city – up Brunswick Street, down Gisbourne, down Albert through the Parliamentary Reserve and down Bourke Street. There are plenty of people around, being that week of the year where everybody, well practically everybody, has time off. It must be the most non-worked week of the year? Surely? Out dated Christian holidays withstanding.

We go to the White Tomato for a Korean breakfast. I am really thirsty, or is that hungry, by the time we are seated and are ordering? I order a Fanta, it was the first thing that catches my eye in the drinks fridge. You know what they say about orange and hunger? Sam disapproves. I practically disapprove myself, I rarely drink soft drink, but I need a little something, my sugar levels are dropping, I can feel the shakes coming on. We both have spicy pork.

Sam is so lovely... have I said that lately?

We head up Russell Street to QV and to Sam’s favourite shop Harvey Norman. I look at toasters, Sam looks at headphones. He tries to get a discount, but the shop assistant informs him that the head phones were just recently discounted and that she couldn’t now discount them because of that.

Sam has his hair cut at 2.30 and I buy a coffee and a newspaper and wait for him... right outside the salon, like a possessive boyfriend. Ha ha. No, I do and that is what it looks like. I wonder what it must feel like to be that? Tiring, I imagine.

We head to the phone shops next where Sam wants to buy a sim card cutter. What the hell is that? Apparently, iPhones have smaller sim cards. The phones shops are busy, we have to wait for a while. People and phones, what is with that?

My mouth is dry again and I want a slurpee, but Sam just thinks this is piggy. But I want one. I had one the other day, practically, for the first time ever and I have got the taste for them. Mmm mmm mmm. I’m sure it is just a phase and I wont even think about them again soon, but I want one now. That strange painful freezing sensation is oddly appealing.

We go to Swarovski in the Bourke Street Mall, looking for gifts for Sam to give to his sisters for his return visit. We head to Myer to buy them as Swarovski has a shop in Myer and Sam has his $500 gift card to use. Sam thinks he is SO clever that he bought a $500 gift card and got $550 worth of value. Clever, clever boy. He buys necklaces for his sisters and his sister in law. It's is really generous and I am touched for them, with them, I wouldn't do the same.

I suggest to him that he is not buying anything for his mum. He shrugs and says she is hard to please. But, we head to the bag department to look for a bag for her.

Then we head to the men’s department to buy him some work shoes for Sam, his new job requires more than casual clothes. He buys shoes after trying on many pairs and nearly doing my head in by not keeping track of the ones he is interested in. He wants me to find pairs for him to try on, but when he points at a huge pile of them in front of him with a shrug as to which ones he liked, I get snarly.

I decide I want some new shoes too, however, I have on my old Dunlop Volleys without socks. Sam lends me his socks, which he isn’t so happy about. It is a hot day. They smell just a bit when I take them off. Sam says they smell fucking awful and insists that I move them away from him. I'm (mock) insulted. He moves away from me when I haven't moved. He says he is embarrassed, that I am stinking out the whole department. "You stink!" he says.

I buy new the shoes. Sam holds his hand out for the socks, his other hand holding his nostrils shut. His eyes look hysterical.

When we leave Myer he makes me sit down and change shoes. He insists I throw my old shoes into the bin in the mall... with an outstretched arm and extended finger.

He can be a little bossy.

My feet hurt with my new shoes without socks as we walk up the mall. I don’t feel like walking home risking blisters, so I suggest we catch a tram.

"Really?" says Sam.

We have just crossed over Russell Street and I want another slurp. Sam looks at me as though I am nuts.

"But I'm thirsty. Come on sweetie, just one more slurpee." I want to get off the tram again to get a slurpee. Sam is not happy about the idea. "We'll be home soon."

Bugger it! I decide to get off the tram, forcing him to get off too. He'll follow, of course he will. That's what boyfriends do.

I get lemon, lime and bitters. Bourke Street is completely empty of trams, when we look back down the hill to the city, me with the large cup in my hand. So we sit at the tram stop and drink the slurpee. The sun is lovely; nothing is as nice as the late afternoon sun. The bags are around our feet. We smile at each other, kind of sneaking grins.

We make garlic bread from the remains of the old bread stick, dried up as it is, from just a few days ago when we made garlic bread last. It is actually like rock and only just works. It has softened up on in the areas where we layered on the garlicky butter. It's a little gross, maybe we're a little gross. Fat boyfriends are happy boyfriends... after all.

We eat the last of the vegi/chicken soup in the freezer.

We watch teev.

We head to bed, where I want to watch The Late Show, but Sam is incredibly naughty, wanting to go to sleep. "I'm exhausted!" He insists on the TV being switched off, like he does when he has to get up for work in the morning, even though he doesn’t have to get up for any reason tomorrow morning.

"You don't have to get up tomorrow."

"I don't care, I'm exhausted."

He is so selfish, and wants his way. When I wont let him, he proceeds to talk all the way through the program, non stop, over the top of Dave, very time Dave speaks, it is very annoying. Then he gets his pillow and puts it on the other side of me and lies on top of me. He laughs and thinks he is very funny… when he is NOT funny AT all. Nor is he clever! I give in and turn the TV off, I'm cross with him being sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo (fucking) selfish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't speak any more. I don't wish him sweet dreams. I don't hug and kiss him.

His little finger quietly slips around my little finger, not long after.