Avert the eyes Ruby…avert the eyes…you do not want to be known as the pervert in this hostel.
It’s too late; he catches me looking and gives me a small smile. I smile back and instantly realise I probably look like a demented loon with my black eyes, last night’s clothes and a cheesy grin. As he begins to change into his pants and shorts underneath the duvet, I decide to get myself into gear and find myself my make-up wipes and a t-shirt and shorts to change into. And as if someone just loves making my life a real life sketch show, the first t-shirt I pull out has a picture of a panda on it.
As I fumble through my bag for a more suitable t-shirt I feel a shadow get closer and closer to me. Then the most richest and beautiful English accent fills my ears…
‘Hey I’m Laurence’
I turn to face the talking shadow and see it is the blonde bombshell. He is inches away from me, and as I take in the full beauty of his six foot four muscular body and beautiful face with kissable lips, strong but well carried Roman nose and heart-melting delicious brown eyes, I attempt to respond to his greeting.
‘I’m Rrrruby,' I stutter back.
For god’s sake, I need to get a grip and prevent making myself an absolute idiot of myself in front of this real life Adonis.
‘Nice to meet you Ruby,’ he smiles.
‘How long are you here for?’ I ask without the stutter this time.
I really hope that he is here for the same time as me and that he is a newbie too and…okay I’m getting too excited and just need to calm down. I look intently at his pretty face and wait for his response.
‘Well I’ve been in Australia for almost eight months now. I started off travelling the east coast and then settled in Sydney where I’ve worked in the bar down the road for six months. I had my last shift there two nights ago. The place is called Juicy Parrot, absolute shithole but the pay there was good. Now me and Carmen are off to a random town in Western Australia to do a couple of months farm work.’
As soon as he mentioned a girl’s name all the glorious fantasies of Laurence and I holding hands on the beach, dining out in fancy restaurants together, going to funky and kitsch art galleries and choosing names for our future children are shattered in an instant.
Who the hell is Carmen? Why do I want to kill her already and why is this guy already leaving? And why oh why do I always get attracted to the men that are unattainable?
‘I’m due to meet Carmen and her boss in about an hour or so: it’s her last day. She works in the florists inside Martin Place Station. I think you’d like her.’
Hahaha yeah right Laurence, I’m sure I will totally love a girl who got her claws into you first.
‘I am sure she is lovely and what a cool job to be a florist,’ I reply, hoping it doesn’t come across as too obviously sarcastic.
He rubs the back of his tanned neck and begins to gaze at the floor. Clearly my bag lady look was even worse than I thought and he can no longer look me in the eyes, or at what I have on.
He then speaks to the floor and says to it; ‘Do you fancy coming with me? We can grab some breakfast on the way as it looks like you’ve had quite a hard night of partying and it will give me a chance to find out what brings you to Australia.’
I double check that it is me he is speaking to and that he isn’t asking the carpet or anyone else in the room to come with him, and respond with a positive ‘yes please.’ I sound like the team leader of The Desperado gang. Yet Laurence suddenly straightens up and takes his hands from his pockets, smiles and then pauses for what feels like eternity.
Oh god…maybe he was just asking out of politeness and now he is trying to find a way out of spending time in Sydney with the bag lady from Britain.
He then breaks the silence and replies in a loud voice;
‘Awesome. I’ll see you in reception in about ten minutes to give you time to change, unless of course this is how you normally dress for the day?’
I am not sure whether he is joking or not but I am too busy already planning my outfit for breakfast to give a detailed response so I give a small smile and tell him I will be down in ten minutes.
Thirty minutes later, I make an appearance dressed in my black shift dress and my painted floral Doc Marten boots. Smart but casual. Perfect for a breakfast date. I apologise for my lateness but Laurence doesn’t seem to mind. We walk to the nearest café which is clearly pastry heaven. All the food in the café window looks divine.
As we sit and I begin to stuff myself with glorious pastries that are baked to perfection, I find out that Laurence and I have a lot in common. We both live in Essex, we both are sick of working in an office and we both like contemporary art and reading Marvel comics.
Just as I am enjoying being in my own little bubble and getting over my hangover with the beautiful blonde, I hear a ping from his shorts’ pocket and he pulls out his phone.
‘It’s Carmen. I'd better go otherwise it’s going to be a painful evening getting to Western Australia. You should come: you might be able to take over her job. Tess, the owner of the place, is looking for a replacement.’
The thorn in my side has returned again. Just as things were going so well.
I begrudgingly agree to go with him despite the fact I do not want to be ‘Carmen’s replacement’, or even meet her knowing she has already snagged this beauty. However, the chance to spend more time with Laurence and the fact I really need to earn some money out here especially as I have probably already blown a few dollars on a pile of pastries means I suck it up and see it as part of the adventure.
Laurence must’ve read my mind about the pastries though as he pays for us both without me having a chance to say otherwise. Such a gentleman. But unfortunately for me he is a gentleman with a girlfriend.
We walk towards Martin Place station and I begin to wonder just how far away Carmen works if we need to get a train to see her. As we walk down the station steps, there in front of me is a small shop looking like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, decorating an otherwise grey industrial train station entrance.
As we get nearer and nearer to the floral paradise, I spot two women. The first is an older woman, about five foot two with dark blonde curly hair pinned up into a scruffy bun. She has slightly squinty grey eyes and rosy cheeks which match the shade of the tulips hanging in a bucket above her head. She has a bright green apron on with the words ‘Fascinating Florals’ written on it in swirly white writing. Her jeans have soil stains on them and her black t-shirt underneath is faintly marked with pollen. A true picture of her craft.
The second woman I presume is Carmen. She is at the other end of the flower stall watering the deep purple hydrangeas. She is gorgeous and looks like something out of a Victoria’s Secret catalogue. Her skin is a beautiful caramel colour and her green eyes made you melt into a puddle. If I had a huge girl crush on her, then I knew that her proximity to any male would leave them totally under her spell. Any chance I had with Lawrence was blown out of the water. Ugly Betty vs. Naomi Campbell. And we all know who would be better at punching if it came to a fight.
They both immediately spot Laurence and come over to give him a hug and giggle together. I feel like the elephant in the room as they exchange pleasantries, and I stand staring at my Doc Martens, hoping I am the modern day Dorothy with her slippers and can click my boots together and go somewhere else.
It doesn’t work. I’m still here. And I’ve just heard my name being said out loud.
‘This is my friend Ruby; I just met her at the hostel I was staying at. Ruby is looking for a job. Tess, is there any chance you could take her on?’
Wow. This is the first time a guy has put me forward for a job and the more time I spend with him the more I want to run away into the sunset with him.
Tess looks me up and down.
‘So what do you say Ruby…you up for the challenge of selling flowers to the commuters of Sydney?’ she says in her gravelly Australian voice.
I suddenly wake up out of my Laurence Love d
ream, and make sure to pay full attention to Tess as I so desperately need this job. God…boys can be so distracting sometimes…
‘Yes of course, I’d love to…’
‘You say that now doll, but wait ‘til you have to deal with the blokes who begrudge spending fifteen dollars on a bunch of flowers for their missus… I feel sorry for the poor cows having to deal with tight grumps like that.’
She suddenly pauses for a moment, and then carries on her speech.
‘Well you look like a good kid and I love your shoes. Plus you Pommies are always a good laugh so I think you and me will get on a treat.’ She then points to the delectable Carmen who is the high-end caramel shortcake to my flat and cheap muffin.
‘This lady here is leaving tomorrow with this fella as she needs to spend some time with some sheep and get quality time with her man, so I’ll need a replacement anyway.’
Carmen laughs. ‘Here,’ she takes off her green apron and places it over my head. ‘I now crown you the next assistant of Fascinating Florals.’
I smile at her sweetly, though my eyes are shooting daggers at her. Tess interrupts my murderous thoughts by asking if I can start on Monday. As she says this she diverts her milky grey eyes from Carmen and me back to her roses, where she gently caresses them as if they were a delicate Persian cat.
‘Yes sure,’ I reply, hoping that I make no sudden outbursts or display any peculiar behaviour which could take away this opportunity.
‘It’s an early start,’ continues Tess. ‘You need to be at the front of the station for 5am to unload the stock and get ready to sell the wares at 6am to the early rise traders and commuters. I will pay you $20 an hour and expect you to work 36 hours a week. You still in?’
5am. Jeez Ruby, you don’t half like to give yourself a challenge, do you?
‘Yes. I’m still in.’
‘Good,’ she replies firmly.
There’s no turning back now. I’ve said yes and I will finally get to earn some Aussie dollars. I can’t believe how easy it was to get the job and wonder whether there is some sort of catch to this despite the early morning start. It has also sparked my creative juices. Seeing all these flowers makes me want to get my sketchbook out and draw the roses with a deep red hue, the sunflowers with a large brown middle and strong green stem. I pray that my treasured drawing materials are not damaged in my bag and I can rekindle my passion as an illustrator again.
I look back at Tess and push my shoulders back to show I have got this and give her a broad smile in the hope I can get on with Tess and really make a good impression. She gives a small smile back.
‘Don’t be late kiddo. I’m counting on you,’ she says before disappearing behind a group of bonsai trees.
Suddenly I hear Carmen’s voice commanding Laurence and I feel my shoulders slump down slightly.
‘Laurence, I hope you are all packed and ready to go for 7pm tonight. Don’t forget you are meeting me here to get the train to the airport. Also, could you get me some cherry ripe for the journey and also some tim tams?’
‘For God’s sake Carmen give it a rest, I have never been late, and as for the snacks get your own. I’ve spent enough dollars on you this trip feeding your addiction.’
He then looks at me as if to say it’s time to go, so I say my goodbyes to both Carmen and Tess and then I turn and walk with Laurence, with a feeling of slight satisfaction that he put Carmen in her place.
As we walk up the steps from the station to the city, he turns and says to me;
‘Do you think me and Carmen look alike?’
What a bizarre question to ask, why would a guy want to know whether his girlfriend looks like him?
‘Ummmm I don’t think so, I wasn’t really paying much attention to whether you both look alike,’ I lie to him, knowing that I took in every inch of their glorious bodies.
‘Ah right, well people say we both have some similar features, not surprising though considering she’s my step-sister.’
I am pretty sure he just said that Carmen is his step-sister.
‘My step-sister has been living in a flat in the Northern Beaches with a guy,’ he continues.
‘I don’t really like him; I think he is a creep. In fact he is the reason that we are off to the middle of nowhere. If she does her farm work she can get an extra year on her visa so they have more time to then get a partner visa. I think she is making a big mistake.’
I honestly couldn’t care whether Carmen ran away to the circus and married a clown as long as she is related to him it means I still have a chance with him. Suddenly he stops and touches the side of my arm and I feel my face flush a deep crimson.
‘Sorry, I have been talking a lot about myself. Changing the subject slightly, I’m just meeting my friend from the bar I’ve been working at to say goodbye before I head off tomorrow night. If you want you can come along too…unless of course you are getting bored of my company?’
Following this delightful invitation, he gives me the cutest grin ever and I just literally want to throw my arms around him and kiss those full beautiful lips. I so desperately want to spend time with this guy. I want to know more and see if he will bring me closer to the love I crave.
I suddenly remember I am due to meet Andre in about an hour and know I will have to decline the invitation. It’s the unwritten Ruby rule. Ever since Mel, my supposed best friend at university, decided to ditch me and leave me on my own for my twenty-first birthday to go on a date with a guy she just met two days before and who cheated on her two weeks after, I have made sure that mates are always before dates. So since then it has always been mates before dates. Although I am hating myself right now for making up that rule and even though I have known Andre just under 48 hours I just know it would be wrong to bail on him.
‘Really sorry Laurence, I said I would meet up with Andre from the hostel this afternoon. Although could we swap numbers or something as it would be great to stay in touch.’
There is another one of Laurence’s long pauses and he seems a little taken aback by my response.
‘Sure, that’s the first time a girl has asked for my number. Normally it’s the other way around. Here type it into my phone.’
Great, I’ve come on way too keen and he is probably going to take my number now to be polite only to delete it later. Clearly misread the signs on this one.
‘Thanks Ruby, I’ll text you later. I’d like to stay in touch.’
Yeah right, and the Queen likes to send me a telegram each week. I’m not expecting to hear from this guy again after my forward behaviour.
Suddenly he kisses me on the cheek, says goodbye and turns away towards the warming sun and I feel similar warmth in my stomach, although my throat feels dry as a sense of disappointment and lost opportunity forces me to swallow hard.
I hope Andre is going to pull something awesome out of the bag this afternoon to make this sacrifice worthwhile. Also, it had better involve copious amounts of chocolate as I need something to lift my mood right now.
* * *
I stand for a moment in silence taking in the magnificent view and feel lucky that I get to see the image of the beautiful white sails and grey rainbow in person rather than on a postcard or TV. Sydney Harbour Bridge really is beautiful.
Andre rudely interrupts my day-dream.
‘It’s a bit overrated for my liking. At the end of the day it’s only a bridge and a slightly odd looking building. I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. These people should come to Wales and spend some time in the Valleys, now the views you get there really are, something to talk about. Come on let’s go to Luna Park and have a go on some of the rides. It’s only a quick ferry ride away and a much more fun view than this one.’
I’m half listening to what Andre is saying and half day-dreaming about what me and Laurence would be up to if we both were walking round the harbour, admiring the view, visiting the MCA and organising a trip to the Opera in the evening. Such lovely images in my head.
‘W
hat is up with you Ruby? You seem a bit distant. And I know it isn’t because of me as I am such a superb person to hang around with,’ he says jokingly.
‘Sorry Andre, I was just reflecting on the nice time I had this morning with Laurence.’
‘Pfffft. You don’t want to chase after Laurence; he is off and out the picture. Besides, I think he is quite boring. All he used to talk about was cooking, tech and contemporary art.’
I open my mouth to respond but he places a finger over my open lips to stop me.
‘Sssh child… I don’t want you to start defending the man, he’s done and dusted. It’s time to get you out dating missy, see what the land of plenty has to offer you. Have you been using GirlmeetsBoy much since you landed?’
I look at him completely baffled.
‘You don’t know what GirlmeetsBoy is do you Ruby?’ he grins mischievously.
I look at him still puzzled and now mightily embarrassed. It feels like the time when I was little and I thought a tampon was a different breed of tadpole. To this day my sister still teases me about it.
Andre then begins to wave his hands in the air in front of me as if he is about to perform a magic trick;
‘Let me introduce you to a world of many men at the swipe of a button. One swipe and you could be galloping off with Prince Charming. Or at least having a quickie with his slightly weird brother.’
I look at him still confused by the whole thing and wondering why I would want to date Prince Charming’s weird brother.
Andre then lays out his right palm in front of me.
‘Right give me your phone, you have Facebook don’t you?’
‘Yes, I am not that much of a philistine Andre.’
I obligingly hand him my phone, intrigued as to how many single men could be sitting and waiting for me in this magical virtual world, and why I hadn’t heard of this app earlier. A few seconds and taps later, I am now a fully-fledged member of GirlmeetsBoy and Andre is already swiping through men to find me a match.
‘So we have a Mark aged 29… no he looks a bit of a knob, okay next is… Tim aged 23 likes to cycle and also has a picture with what looks like a pet dog. Ugh, it’s a poodle. So that’s a no and a swipe left for him, next is…’
When Love Meets Lust Page 4
