The Fine Colour of Rust

‘Loretta!’ Patsy shouts. ‘I said, are you a member of the golf club? George is getting into golf in a big way, so I thought we could play a round when she gets here. Apparently the local course isn’t too bad.’

‘No,’ I mutter, still feeling queasy from my Melbourne vision. ‘I think you can buy a day pass. It’s a bit yellow, though. They’re using recycled water on the greens.’

The next evening, when Norm drops in, George has arrived. She’s sitting on the couch with her arm around Patsy. I’ve wondered how Norm will react when he finally meets Patsy and George. I haven’t told him a lot about my sisters and their families.

‘Unbloodybelievable,’ Norm announces from the doorway, before he’s even put a foot in the room.

‘What’s that?’

He’s got something under his arm. Something green, with wheels.

Norm looks down as if he’s forgotten he was carrying anything. ‘Oh, a trike for Jake. Found it when I was rearranging the junk in the yard. It must have been hidden in that tractor rim for years. No, what’s unbloodybelievable,’ he puts the tricycle on the floor and waves a sheet of paper in my direction, ‘is this.’

‘You’d better meet my sister and her friend first.’

I introduce them all and Norm stuffs the paper in his pocket before shaking Patsy’s hand, then George’s. He looks George in the eye and says, ‘Welcome to Gunapan.’

‘Thanks,’ George says, wiping her hand on her jeans. ‘Into cars?’

‘Nah, love, I’m a recycler. Salvage and parts for all things man made,’ Norm says. He splays his hands in front of him. They’re spectacularly dirty today.

‘Norm, didn’t I buy you some soap?’

‘Don’t want to strip the natural oils from my sensitive skin,’ he says turning his hands over to examine the palms, which are equally filthy.

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