Superglue and milk

We walked out of the movies and it was still daylight.

I helped Dad get onto the escalators.

He moves slower than most.

It keeps me in check when I’m steaming along.

Walking into the movies I looked at the time.

We were late.

Friday afternoon traffic.

So I picked up the pace.

And I noticed I’d pulled ahead.

I stopped and realised what a hurry I’d been in.

I asked Dad if he minded if we’re late.

He told me he didn’t even know we were late.

Georgie was there too.

We saw the new Bob Marley movie.

A good one.

I cried several times.

How could you not?

The message simple.

Yet hard to implement.

But it shouldn’t be.

One love.

Daylight was fading and several decisions needed to be made.

And half of them conflicted with the other half.

Georgie told me she’d like me at her house.

And I said sure, I’ll come when I’ve dropped the Old Man home.

Or maybe I didn’t.

I don’t remember what we said. But the feeling of miscommunication set in.

You don’t need words for that feeling.

Anyway I dropped the Old Man home and said that was a good movie and he said yes it was.

He got out of the car and I wound the window down.

I love you Dad, see you tomorrow.

Yep. Love you too. See you then.

Dad walked inside and I began to back out of the driveway.

Georgie pulled in behind me.

Yo, what’s up? I said.

Let’s go and watch the sunset!

Okay deal.

Meet you at the spot!

Georgie drove off and I followed.

We went the scenic route, along the waterfront, saw the people walking in the afternoon wearing their fitness gear with the bright colours, families sitting with foldout chairs watching the water roll on and on, fish and chip shops with lines out the door. The first day of Autumn singing the last verses of the songs of Summer.

Georgie parked at the spot and I pulled in behind her.

We got out and she leant on the fence near the edge and said hold me and I did.

And we looked out to the horizon and saw the kitesurfers and edge of the cliff where we met and the new gardens growing all over the hill where the floods were two years ago.

Look at the sky! How pretty is it! She said.

Do you want to go for a walk? I asked.

I do!

Georgie skipped the corner of the path and jumped down onto the walkway.

I got to the jump and stopped. Christ, that’s higher than I thought. And then I thought stuff it and jumped anyway.

We bumped down the stairs on the left side then saw an older couple coming up on the same side so we switched and said good afternoon and they said good afternoon back. They needed the handrail more than us.

I could already tell the energy was in the air.

I’ve noticed it when Georgie and I hang out in public.

Call me crazy but there feels a certain aura about us.

It happens to anyone who’s madly in love.

The joy spills out of you.

And it’s generally contagious.

Many are sceptical at first, they think your partner and you are putting on an act or perhaps are intoxicated but then they realise.

They think to themselves, oh they must be in love.

And then their mood changes, they become reciprocal to the joy.

Because they too know the feeling of being madly in love.

Or perhaps they smile in anticipation.

Because if they haven’t felt it yet, they get a glimpse of what’s to come.

Hell, you don’t even need a partner to feel it. Your partner can be life itself.

Georgie and I walked along the edge facing away from the sunset.

Turning back every few footsteps to catch the last dance of the sun.

I noticed the rocks moved away from the staircase down to the water and pointed it out to Georgie.

That’s called erosion, she said.

Smart ass.

We came across the statue we’ve come across many times before.

Metal bars in the shape of flames.

Let’s have a race, I said, first one inside the statue.

Before I could even get my leg inside Georgie was on the inside.

What took you so long? She asked.

You’ve got a smaller head than me, I can barely fit.

We pretended we were in a time machine.

And no one from the outside could see in.

And even though they could.

It didn’t matter.

It was Georgie and I on the inside of the metal fire sculpture and the winds blew and the waters roared and we lived in a moment we’ll remember every time we walk past that metal fire sculpture.

Remember the time we climbed in there and pretended we were in a time machine?

Yes.

I guess time machines do exist. But only into in the past.

They’re called...

Wait for it...

Memories.

We climbed out and started to wrestle on the grass.

Georgie tried the stand up takedown move I showed her.

But her technique was off.

So I tiptoed around her feet and put my arm on her shoulder and playfully went to do the technique with proper form.

But I didn’t go all the way and we kept going back and forth pretending to get the other but never actually getting the other.

Onlookers must have enjoyed the show.

A couple walking by laughed and said we could be in the UFC with those moves.

Our contracts are in the works as we speak, I said.

We kept walking towards the orange peel sky.

An old man with a grey ponytail, grey beard, straw fedora and sandals on an electric mobility scooter pulled up beside us.

He slowed his scooter so it was moving at the same pace we were walking.

Oh look at you two love birds, he said playfully, you make me sick.

He could feel the energy.

We laughed and said hello how are you.

I’m enjoying the afternoon but not as much as you two, he said.

Ha!

It’s great to see all these young people out here, he said, God blessed me with four daughters and they’re all starting to grow up now.

How old are they, I asked?

The youngest is 15 years old now, he said, she bought her boyfriend around the other night for dinner for the first time.

How did that go? Georgie asked.

Well let’s just say my wife and I were a bit taken aback by the hairstyle.

What was it?

A green mohawk, 12-inches high spiked straight up.

What? Really?

Yes, and none of his clothes look like they fit him, they were so dark too. But my daughter seemed happy around him, so we tried to accomodate. But geez it was not what we were expecting.

How did the dinner go?

The dinner went great, my wife and I sat next to each other tapping each other’s legs whenever we wanted to say something or wanted the other to shut up and let the children talk for themselves. We’re trying to be a bit more accepting.

Well, that’s good!

That was until he told me how he did his hair.

Oh…

What do you think he said he uses to spike it up so well?

I don’t know, lots of a hair gel?

Nope. When we heard this my wife grabbed my thigh and squeezed it.

What does he use?

Superglue and milk.

What?

Yep. That’s what he said. He said if you mix them together they make a really strong paste. Something in the milk makes the superglue less sticky but it also means you can spread it out further.

Well at least it works, do you think you’ll try it with your hair?

No way! I’d been wondering what the white flakes were through his hair. Then it made sense. He had about 2-inches of calcification along the bottom and I thought ahh that must be the milk.

A woman walked passed and got caught in front of the old man’s mobility scooter.

Her dog was jumping up and down towards us stopping her from going forward.

She turned around and looked at me Georgie and the old man on the scooter.

I’m sorry, she said.

It’s all good, Georgie said, we’re just hearing about how to style a 12-inch mohawk.

The dog was really going for it. Jumping back at us. Not in a vicious way. In an excited way.

The woman tried to keep walking but she couldn’t.

Get a grip lady!

She turned around again and looked at me.

I’m sorry, do you mind if my dog says hello to you, she seems really excited and doesn’t often do this to people.

I’d love to, I said.

The old man with the grey ponytail and grey beard scooted out of the way of the dog and said have a good evening and we waved at each other.

This is Teddi, the woman said.

Teddi jumped all over me, a medium sized dog with short curly hair and long curly energy.

I patted her under the neck and around the ears, said hello Teddi, hello Teddi, hello hello hello.

Thank you, said the woman, she only does that to people she really likes.

You’re welcome, I said, have a good evening.

The woman kept walking.

And Georgie and I went up the stairs.

Did that just happen? Georgie asked.

Yeah, seems like we’ve got a thing for chance encounters, dogs who only say hello to people they like. And older men with grey beards and straw fedoras who share stories about their daughter’s boyfriend’s recipe for keeping your mohawk spiky.

It’s the energy baby, I said.

It’s always the energy.

Our love.

One love.

We held hands and walked back up to the top.

We got there and went to take a sip of water out of the fountain but it was too hot.