The
man at the gate
t h u r s d a y j u n e 1 5 2 0 0 0
| Melbourne.
One day suffocatingly white hot, the next, a stalactite of ice forming out of your nostril. I got over the rat shit
head cold, coughing my guts out all the way.
I have suffered on and off with this for around 22 years. I get it around twice a year, always at the start of winter, after I have been blasted in the face with a southerly. I put drops in every hour
for one week, then every 2 hours for the following week, 4 times a day
the next 2 weeks after that. When it's bad, (which is rare these days)
the pupil has to be dilated. If it's real bad. Then the good Dr Reich whacks
a whopping big needle in. THE FINAL SOLUTION.
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The Queens birthday weekend, had me inside most of the time. The weather was hardly inspirational for going for jaunty walks in Armadale. Though I went for a quick one down to the shop, for some essentials and a coffee or six. As I was returning, I noticed an erratically moving male figure rushing up my street with a desperate look on his face. I took no more notice and headed round the back of T H E H O V E L as I was just turning to close the gate behind me, I had the shit scared out of me as a crazed face was pressed against the paling of the gate. About 5'11 thickly set, with bloody grazes across one side of his face and neck. Smelling slightly of booze he said, "Maaate, canya' help meeout mate, please mate can ya' . I don't drink or smoke or nuffin mate. I wanna visit me mum in Frankston" I was so freaked by the suddenness of this guy in my face, I could only say, "err sorry mate, no I can't." Only thinking straight away where the money was going to go. But realizing that he had followed closely behind me on to the property without me hearing him, also had me thinking that maybe, I was about to be mugged, if I didn't bolt the gate straight away. Which I did. He then turned around robotically like I was a very faint distant memory and went off in his desperate way to hound down anyone else who crossed his path. I
had a feeling of slight guilt in the way I passed him off like all the
other street beggars I come across on the Melbourne City streets. It is
rare to come across that situation in the precinct where I live. Should
I have given him money ?
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Last night I enrolled for the Certificate in Software Development. All done with speed and NO interview. Pick the modules. Pick the day, pick the time, queue for a fucking hour to pay the bastard fees and i'm outta there. Only
if the daily running of my life was as simple.
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