Antony Comes To Visit

I was awake at 7.30am. It was a cool morning, overcast and still. Buddy was tucked away at the back of his kennel and didn’t stir a muscle when I called his name.

I’m trying to quit the fags this morning, as I have been trying to do every morning since the week of pot a few weeks ago. I’ve got to try and take it seriously, I’ve got to try and pull it off, as it is not making me feel good, it is only making me feel bad and what is the sense of paying twenty dollars a day to make myself feel crap and to give myself a head ache.

The birds call outside.

I make myself coffee. I clean up the kitchen and the touch of milk flows into my cup. I get distracted as I put the plates in the dishwasher and I get a latte instead of a macchiato. It tastes like milk and not coffee when I sip it, so I add another shot. Then the water needs filling as do the beans and the whole coffee process seems interminable.

I decide to massage David.

I just had a thought, is it toilet rolls for tampons when you are face down under the blue blanket barking like a baby harp seal about to be clubbed to death.

Some sort of baby pacifier, when baby isn’t feeling altogether too chipper

I’m sure you’d have strange rituals that you do in private that none of us know about. 

David:

You are too funny. Rituals? Wouldn’t you like to know.

I chatted to Loli on Facebook. She posted a picture of iced buns. No, not the eighteen year old twink with (cum) glazed butt cheeks, but the baked goods type with white icing with walnuts.

Then (my long estranged mate) Esther messaged me

good morning Chriso Greece has a new small party called river the head of the party was in kalamata I went to hear what he had to say Im on the front page of all the kalamata newspapers then in the afternoon i went to an event on Cuba an art gallery exhibition and an event about the beginning of cinema. how was your Saturday – Esther

I messaged Esther

I washed my dog's paws with medicated shampoo, as he gets growths between his toes. He's good though, very laid back and he doesn't complain. I ate shanghai noodles and beef skewers in Thornbury and then shopped at the Preston Market for meat fruit and veg followed by a quiet night at home – Christian

(Oh, er, when I read that back that is the most boring message, isn’t it. I’d not be surprised if she’d glazed over before she got to the end of it) 

I wonder if I bore people to death and I just don’t know it? That’s what comes to mind when I read that back. I mean, how do you know? It’s not as if people are really going to tell you, now is it? 

Sometime around 10.30am, I remembered that Antony was coming over. Stupid me when I was awake so early. I was making a chocolate cake that had to be iced, so it had to be made so it could cool and get iced. So, it was off to the supermarket.

Anyway, it was good that I remembered when I did. So, I put some music on and got cooking. A bit tricky with lasagne and cake to cook at the same time.

I made the chocolate cake and the lasagne.

Antony arrived after 3.30pm. Actually, a bit late for him, he’s normally bang on. He arrived at the door and wanted to park out the back, of course. Of course? I’m not sure why this annoys me so much? How many people have to provide parking to people when they come to visit? I ask you? Okay, I know it is difficult to park in Fitzroy, but, how come, there are certain people who never have trouble and never complain, and then there is the same people over and over again who can never find a car park? To be fair, Antony isn’t usually one of them.

Antony arrived with a cool bag of booze, of course he did. 

I was just icing the cake, so we chatted while I did that.

We smoked up a pot storm, of course, between the lasagne and chocolate cake courses. 

We laughed, of course. Antony and I always laugh. We have the same sense of humour, black as they come. We laugh at the misfortune of others, naturally. We laugh at the same stupid things. I don’t think anyone gets me so instantly as Antony does.

Antony is the greatest source of gossip that I know. He always knows what’s going on in our friendship circle. I’m still not exactly sure how he knows the stuff he knows.

“How do you know all this?” I ask.

“I have my sources,” he always replies rather secretly. 

By the end of the day, Antony is chain smoking cigarettes and drinking never ending cups of tea. 

Antony left after midnight. It was a calm clear cool night. I had to back his car out from the back of my place for him, as poor old nan can’t back a car now in her advanced years. I parked it in the street and he left not long after.