Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER.
Once upon a time there was a young man who had X ray vision. He’d inherited it on his mother’s side of the family, which probably explained why he was distant from his father.
His parents grew up in Melbourne, met at work and moved to Hobart, where he was conceived. The boy never met his mother’s parents until he was a young man. In the first instance this was because they refused to travel over water, but later it was because they became too sick to do anything at all apart from go to the hospital or to see their GP.
Every day the boy’s grandfather on his mother’s side would rise at 7am, go out to the kitchen and make a cup of tea for his wife of 50 years. He’d take it to her as she sat propped up in bed, lying against the pillows in her pale pink bed jacket with its ribbon ties and lace edging.
He would place the cup on her bedside table on a coaster and sit at the foot of the bed whilst she sipped it.
He himself preferred coffee, but he knew the smell upset her, so he waited until she had her shower before he had his.
One day, as they were waiting for their taxi to arrive and take them to a specialist’s appointment, there was a knock at the front door. Thinking it was Kevin, the Sikh taxi driver, the husband pulled back the door with a flourish and a smile. But it wasn’t Kevin on the doorstep, instead it was a young police constable, shifting nervously from one foot to the other as he waited for the door to open.
Because of that, the old man knew that there was bad news coming. As he ushered the constable into the lounge room, he called out to his wife to put the kettle in.
“Now office, what has happened?” he asked softly, not wishing his wife to overhear. He wanted to be prepared so as to comfort her if need be.
The young officer coughed and played with his hat, which he’d removed when he entered the house.
And because of that, the old man was distracted and didn’t realise his wife had entered the room.
“Are you Mr Herbert Georges?” the young police officer enquired.
“Yes I am”.
Suddenly they both turned as there was a noise behind him and his wife grabbed at the buffet as she started to fall, pulling a doily and with it a photo frame and vase of roses as she sank to the floor. They two men watched in silence until finally she landed in a heap with water, roses and shattered glass all around her. As her husband rushed to her side the constable did his best to explain.
“I’m sorry sir, I just wanted to inform you that you’ve won First prize in the Police Cadet’s Christmas raffle. It’s a dinner for two plus drinks at the Caulfield RSL. I’ve brought the menu with me for you to look at, although the meals listed are serving suggestions only.”