Fictitious Facts I; CH5 conclusion....

Fictitious Facts I; CH5 conclusion....

The time came to leave this beautiful place, it seemed the stay was as short as the drive home was to be long, and the thought of leaving induced a feeling of great sorrow shared by all. On packing the camping gear and thanking Pollie and Ernie for their hospitality, Ted and Rene expressed their desire to live in such a wonderful place.

       “It’s beautiful here. It would be good to live somewhere like this, wouldn’t it Ted?” He acknowledged with wishful hopes;

       “Hmmm. It sure would.”

       “Yes it’s so peaceful,” said Ernie. “We’ve been here for ten years now and have often thought about selling and going travelling.” He stretches out his arm and points towards an old caravan at the back of the property and nostalgically expresses his disappointment; “We’ve got that old van up the back there and haven’t even used it yet, not for travel anyway.” Ted and Rene glanced at each other, after an encouraging moment of silence Rene with gauche and inquisitiveness in approach blurted out;

       “How much?” Ted was astounded, not because of her candour but due the fact she wanted to know. Without any hesitation whatsoever Pollie replied;

       “Three thousand pounds.”

       “Can we ‘ave it dad, can we? Are we gonna live ‘ere?” pestered Don. Rene replied with sarcasm to conceal her real aspirations;

       “Yes of course Don, we’ll buy two, one for Saturday and one for Sunday.” Everyone laughed but Don, he was too young to understand ridicule. Ted and Rene took the conversation with ‘a grain of salt’ because they realised raising such a hefty sum of money was a pipedream; it was three thousand pounds more than they could afford, so once again they politely expressed their gratitude, said their goodbyes and made ready for the drive home.

A very happy holiday was now near its end. On the drive home the prospect of ownership of their own business planted a seed in their minds causing the trip back to be a little melancholy. A deliberation of a visionary future innocently implanted by Pollie and Ernie’s conversation of sale stirred their inner cravings. The entrepreneurial opportunity was exactly what Ted was looking for in lifestyle and security.

Back to the normal routine of ‘Hostel’ life made the time pass slowly. The holiday had taken the opposite effect to its purpose and they were now more disgruntled with their present situation than they were before being taunted by implausible opportunities and beautiful places. The drudgery of a repetitive daily toil and the need to progress onto a more satisfying existence continued to torment, they could not free their minds of the experiences encountered. It nagged them so much they discussed the possibilities of buying the business night after night after night. This went on incessantly for about three months after returning home; it drove them balmy. They could not obviate objections any longer and had to make an attempt to satisfy their curiosity. One morning Ted made an appointment with a bank manager to explore his prospects regarding a loan to buy the business. The first visit was promising, leading to further enquiry, then official procedures began, and finally formal legalities took place which brought beneficial outcomes.

Difficulties arose in negotiations due to the distance of about one hundred and ten miles between Sydney and the Wirrageen station. Ted was required to meet Pollie and Ernie on a few occasions to discuss the intended agreement, and although he was his usual resilient self, each obligatory trip completed in his old car would generate lots of stories surrounding the countless mechanical breakdowns. The car never once betrayed its right to have some type of operational failure in the middle of nowhere. If not for his mechanical dexterity, neither he, nor the car would have completed the journeys. He normally worked Saturday mornings and usually set out from Sydney straight after work; stay the night at Wirrageen and return home on Sunday afternoon. It was a stressful but exciting time for him, and the travel was crucial in finalisation of ownership; to his joy the deal had been done, the Scotsdon’s were now to all intents and purposes the proud owners of a service station, café (restaurant), and house, combined with acreage and had in their sights a prosperous future.

The last few months of Hostel living was a long-drawn-out period as is always the case when someone is anticipating something they deem to be worthwhile. In one way the wait was beneficial because it allocated time to get specifics in order and prepare for farewells to friends. On the other hand, as the interval allowed thought towards the reality of the task ahead it had the danger of provoking quarrels in the family. The time given and plausible negativity from ‘cold feet’ had the ability to substitute enthusiasm with trepidation. And to make worse their final preparation was the job of informing the children of the news of certainty in relocation; not an enviable position to be in. Although the job of easing this news should be classed as a labour of love, it was not going to be an easy liaison because as much as they enjoyed the holiday away from the ‘Hostel’, moving away permanently from their friends was another matter already tested in the past and received poorly. They had been displaced from friends, relatives, schools and familiar surroundings in England and only begun to settle within their new environment in Sydney. Don’s feelings were of no consequence to his parents, before or now because he was too young to remember or have an opinion, and being unfledged in years meant he would make friends quickly no matter where he moved to. The concern was more-so for Tim and Zoe. Zoe had grown very close to Bing and would dread the thought of being separated from him. The kids knew prior of their parents plans and grumbled a little about the possibility of moving but never thought it would come to fruition so remained relatively passive up to now. Ted and Rene knew the moment of truth was better done as soon as possible before they found out from other sources; they sat them down and explained the specifics of their plan.

Don was happy with the news because he thought it was just another holiday and could get to see all the great places again. Tim was not perturbed one way or the other and took the news with a ‘grain of salt’, but when Zoe was told she was deeply antagonised by the ruling and rebelled with tears and uttered sentiments in protest before running out of the unit screaming like a banshee;

       “It’s not fair, it’s not fair. I’m not going. You’ve already dragged me away from my real friends at home and now you want to do it again, I’m not going.” The selfish side of Zoe’s immaturity neglected to take into account the gamble and risks involved by her parent’s undertaking such a risky enterprise. They are once again putting ‘everything on the line’ in a venture and a dream of fortuity and will again have to adapt, feed and provide a stable environment for themselves and their children; not an easy grind without money. But in reality, whatever the children’s cogitative faculties perceived to be correct was irrelevant because their parents signed the contract and were now compelled by a covenant to move and make the deal binding. Zoe knew she had to abide by her parents wishes, but saying goodbye to Bing was to be a poignant reminder of her feelings for him and before the final move they spent as many a precious hour together as they could. Ted was sad for her emotional state, yet on the other hand he was relieved the distance to be formed between her and Bing, who had to stay due to his army commitments, would see an end to their relationship; so he thought.

In hindsight, when Don was old enough to form a process of rational inference in relation to his own upbringing, he realized he had a great admiration for his parents. To leave England and tackle a mystifying land was one huge risk, then to once again mount the courage to undertake another such move involving living in the bush with no support, no money, no doctors and miles from any main town, took a lot of audacity, spirit, perception and trust in each other. In his own mind Don could justify the decision if it was only husband and wife but with three children in tow he imagined the vision, acumen, and grit for such a daring exploit could not be obvious to anyone but themselves.

BUY BOOKS:         http://www.amazon.com/author/dennisdurant

GOOGLE BLOG:    http://dennisdrnt.blogspot.com

MY WEBSITE:       http://dennisdrnt.wix.com/fictitious-facts

CH 5 CONTINUED...........

CH 5 CONTINUED...........

The petrol station was called ‘Jack’s Roadhouse’. The fibro edifice was built on stumps as a single level structure. ‘L’ shaped it stood on a level piece of ground surrounded by ‘Gumtrees’ and scrub which bordered more ‘Gumtrees’ and scrub and sat about 70 feet off the highway. The double glass door entrance was set in the form of a concrete patio proudly flowered by steps giving access both sides. Both flights of stairs were partly fenced by a deformed steel railing on the outside and dwarfed by a large window on the other side. Sitting proudly at the front, on entry to each staircase, was a solid concrete golden coloured lion statue about three feet in height. The perimeter of the stair’s substructure was lined with small advertising blackboards promoting food and other merchandise such as; ‘meat pies’, chips’, mixed grills’, ‘frankfurts’, ‘ham and egg salad’ sandwiches, cigarettes and other items. A sign above the entrance under the awning, made distinguishable by bright red paint, displayed the word ‘CAFÉ’, so publicising the buildings purpose. And written on the window in big white letters was; ‘OYSTERS 3/- bottle’. On the side of the building for display to the south bound traffic read; ‘Penguin Ice Cream’.

The shop bore the cachet of warm homely charm. In it were three small tables with four chairs belonging to each and a long counter with a round glass front from top to bottom displaying chocolates, confectionary and other ready-to-eat food products. Next to the counter sat the fridge which housed cold bottles of drinks, ice cream and other dairy products, and behind the counter three long wooden shelves held items like; tobacco, matches, ‘lactogen’, biscuits, cans of soup, coffee, tea and other saleable provisions. The living quarters were situated at the rear of the building and were very large compared to what they were accustomed to on the ‘Hostel’. It boasted three bedrooms, a good sized lounge, and an open brick fireplace in support of a long thick wooden mantelpiece. Featured was a very large kitchen with a kerosene fridge, a wood fired combustion oven and a ‘BBQ’ plate to grill steaks and other customer choices.

Next door to the main building was a shed measuring about twelve by twenty feet in size. It was used for the sole purpose of storing the oil bottles, bric-a-brac, batteries and mechanical tools. Out front on display next to the barn type doors was a steel rack holding a row of automobile tyres, about six tyres in total was on sale with a sign advertising ‘Golden Fleece Tyres’ fixed above them. Further towards the road stood side by side two ‘bowsers’ (petrol pumps). Their position at the front of the land was in the middle of a large empty space with more than enough room to park four bulky semi-trailers.

The property itself consisted of seven acres, but only two of the seven was cleared, contributing more than enough space for the business to operate effectively. Most of the driveway surface between the road and the residence was a blend of light gravel and a road-base mixture, but this mix was not firm enough to stop a quagmire from occurring during the many rainy periods. The ‘rest room’, or ‘thunderbox’ as they were commonly known, was a hole in the ground with the ‘dunny’ precariously positioned over it. It was housed in a small, unlined fibro shed under a rusty old corrugated tin roof. One could never eliminate the ‘shitty’ vapour completely and there were always spiders and their webs to contend with, including the odd snake, and many moths, but overall they were maintained in a clean and hygienic manner considering the remote locality.

Ted got talking to the elderly owners who were both well into their seventies; they called themselves ‘Pollie’ and ‘Ernie’. It was getting late in the afternoon so he asked if there was a caravan park or camping ground somewhere in close proximity where he could pitch a tent and camp for the night. They were very hospitable people and offered them the option of pitching their tent, free of charge, on the grassy side of the house where the galvanised iron water tank stood. The tank was uncovered and collected run-off water from the roof, it was not a big tank but the amount of precipitation falling annually proved sufficient for collection to service the shop and the residence, and the design was a bonus because it had a tap on the bottom which allowed for personal washing and drinking. The owners did not bother the Scotsdon’s while they erected their tent and made comfortable the campsite. On completion a well deserved rest was afforded with the slurping of a cup of tea before the cooking of sausages and eggs on the wood fired BBQ built specifically for customers in the expanse of the visitor’s grounds. After eating and vegging around the naked flames for a while it was not long before total exhaustion from the busy events of the day meant it was time to extinguish the kerosene lamps and retire for an early night’s sleep.

The morning sun offered shadows abound from trees lining the property boundary, and together with the clean crisp air it extended the hours for the dew tipped grass to be allowed to bask in the warming environment. It was a haven for the kangaroos; they came in droves to graze on moist sweet pastures. The Scotsdon’s saw kangaroos on the ‘Hostel’ where the bush met the cleared grounds but not many and certainly not as big and healthy as these, it was the first time away from civilization they could enjoy seeing so many congregate in a ‘troop’ in such a wonderful and free environment. They were magnificent specimen’s which to some extent tolerated humans without the stress and fear of association and this made even more pronounce the absence of imposed restraints and the bountiful space this area had to offer.

BUY BOOKS:         http://www.amazon.com/author/dennisdurant

GOOGLE BLOG:    http://dennisdrnt.blogspot.com

MY WEBSITE:       http://dennisdrnt.wix.com/fictitious-facts