I went for a walk for an hour after work, listening to Tina Turner, BB King and The Stones on my headphones. A little bit of Get Ya Ya Ya's Out. It was cold, but it wasn't as cold as it has been. My breath puffed out in front of me, newly started cars were all puffy out their exhaust pipes. Bike riders whizzed through the traffic in scarves, goggles and riding gloves. Joggers thump thumped along the foot path in sleek black leggings. The walkers wore downy jackets, or black woollen jackets as is the Melbournian way.
On the corner of Elgin Street and Cardigan Streets, Maria sat behind the wheel of her charcoal grey Statesman, at 150 centimetres tall Maria could barely see over the steering wheel, but see over it she could. She looked tiny strapped into the large luxurious car seat. Getting into the passenger side was Angelica, her life long friend, with a multitude of shopping bags. Maria was chatting away as Angelica deposited herself into the car. Maria was directing Angelica as to where she should put her bags.
The street was busy, there was a sea of car’s headlights coming up Elgin Street behind them and heading down Elgin Street towards the eastern suburbs.
Maria had come down Mount Alexander Road in peak hour to pick up her friend of fifty years. Angelica had said Maria was braver than her simply by still driving, let alone venturing out at 6pm to collect her in the traffic. But, Maria had always been brave, ever since she came to this country with Stavros, getting them both jobs in a factory together within days of their arrival. That was the firecracker that was Maria, is Maria. She bought the first of her investment properties before she had her first child, she'd become a landlord by the time she had her last child. Stavros ended up owning the factory, building and all of that first job that Maria had got them.
"You needa your own business, ay! Working for somebody else a only maka dem rich."
They moved to Moona Ponsay and bought up their four sons, Francesco, Alessandro, Andrea and Lorenzo. Frankie, Alex, Andy and Lauri. Only her youngest, Lauri, was still at university studying IT. Frankie was a doctor, married to an Aussie girl, with a son of his own, Luca, Maria and Stavros couldn't have been more pleased. Alex was the traveller, he was always heading off to remote parts of the world. He was currently in the Arctic filming the Northern Lights. Andy liked the boys, but Maria didn't care.
"Eh, its a new vorld," she'd say. "I don't go to bed vith him, so what difference does it make to me. Ay?"
Stavros just shrugged and said he loved all his sons, and as long as they are happy that is all he cared about. Andy the gay lawyer. Lauri was at uni and very popular with the girls. What could he say, girls just seem to like handsome Italian boys and he wasn't complaining. He is the cheeky baby of the family with 3 strapping older brothers to influence his wild ways.
“Liiiica!” exclaimed Maria. “Vat have youa boughta.”
"Alla cheepa,” replied Angelica. “Vhat vas I meant to do.”
The two women laughed. "Come on darlink." Maria looked in her mirrors.
"It's a cold," said Angelica. "Brrrrr!"
Maria slipped the car into drive. It rocked forward. She checked her mirrors again.
The cars were coming up Elgin Street in a long line. It was busy at the cross road just behind them.
Maria gunned the Statesmen’s accelerator, it lurched forward, but Maria hesitated and didn’t go. She gunned the accelerator again, but again she didn’t launch, the break in the traffic was only small. The next car at the green lights on the corner switched its blinker on to turn at the intersection, Maria gunned the Statesmen’s accelerator again, this time the large luxury Holden moved out into the traffic, its V8 engine grumbling making a “bub, bub, bub, bub,” sound as it slipped out into the traffic, a slight waft of vapour swirling in the head lights of the next car coming up the street behind the two old girls.
“Ooooo!” said Maria. “Auf vee go,” she exclaimed.
“Leta a goa Maria,” exclaimed Angelica.
Maria pushed the button on the CD player. Carmen started to play.
"Ooooo," cooed Angelica from the passenger seat.
Maria flicked on her blinker and guided the big car around the corner into Swanston Street pushing her foot down on the accelerator and gliding through the night air with the other commuters.
The traffic moved quickly up Swanston Street, it had become such a tiny artery for Melbourne traffic now a days. The large toll ways were taking the major part of the traffic load, more than likely progressing at a snail's pace.
Maria stretched out her foot to push the accelerator down, the big V8 made its wup, wup, wup, wup, wup sound as the car shot forward in the cold night air. She held a steady grip with both her hands on the steering wheel, her short arms stretched out in front of her.
“Hoo-Hoo,” exclaimed Angelica.
“We getta home as quick as a flash,” stated Maria. Her eyes glinted in the reflected light.
The cars in the left lane were slowing down as they approached the big round about at Princess Street, they cruised in behind them.
“Isa a stupeed lights here,” called out Maria. Her stubby fingers raised off the steering wheel, waving at someone unseen who was responsible.
Then the lights at round about turned green. Maria’s sharp eyes and pointed face glanced over her right hand shoulder quickly. She slapped at the blinker stick at the side of the steering column and a small green light began to flash on the dashboard.
“Hang on Angelica!”
Maria pushed her right foot down hard on the accelerator, she made a grunt sound as she did, the gearbox kicked down a gear, the big V8 barked in the night air as Maria guided the car through the traffic at a cracking pace.
“Here ve go!” exclaimed Maria.
“Woo-Hoo!” yelled Angelica.
The big Holden slipped quickly into the right lane and passed all of the slower cars in the left lane with ease.
“Oh Maria!” said Angelica. “Remember the days…”
“Those donkeys on the beach…” said Maria wistfully.
When Maria and Angelica were young girls in Calabria they used to get up early, at Maria’s insistence, and they’d take the donkeys from their grandmother’s sheds and they’d take them down to the Carpo Spartivento beach and they’d race them in the dark by the light of the moon, taking them back to their tiny cupboards before the day broke. Maria’s bravery would encourage the two girls to ride them bareback on the pristine sand.
“Oh my god.” Angelica crossed herself. Maria did too. “Where have the years gone, I aska?” Angelica looked heavenwards.
“Light like this…” Maria waved her hand across the windscreen. "Those mornings on the beach..."
“The salt on our lips…”
“The vind in our hair…”
“When we had hair.” Angelica dipped her head to her shoulder as if she still had long flowing hair.
Maria groaned contentedly. "I dunno..."
“Faster!” said Angelica. “You always wanted to go faster.”
On the corner of Elgin Street and Cardigan Streets, Maria sat behind the wheel of her charcoal grey Statesman, at 150 centimetres tall Maria could barely see over the steering wheel, but see over it she could. She looked tiny strapped into the large luxurious car seat. Getting into the passenger side was Angelica, her life long friend, with a multitude of shopping bags. Maria was chatting away as Angelica deposited herself into the car. Maria was directing Angelica as to where she should put her bags.
The street was busy, there was a sea of car’s headlights coming up Elgin Street behind them and heading down Elgin Street towards the eastern suburbs.
Maria had come down Mount Alexander Road in peak hour to pick up her friend of fifty years. Angelica had said Maria was braver than her simply by still driving, let alone venturing out at 6pm to collect her in the traffic. But, Maria had always been brave, ever since she came to this country with Stavros, getting them both jobs in a factory together within days of their arrival. That was the firecracker that was Maria, is Maria. She bought the first of her investment properties before she had her first child, she'd become a landlord by the time she had her last child. Stavros ended up owning the factory, building and all of that first job that Maria had got them.
"You needa your own business, ay! Working for somebody else a only maka dem rich."
They moved to Moona Ponsay and bought up their four sons, Francesco, Alessandro, Andrea and Lorenzo. Frankie, Alex, Andy and Lauri. Only her youngest, Lauri, was still at university studying IT. Frankie was a doctor, married to an Aussie girl, with a son of his own, Luca, Maria and Stavros couldn't have been more pleased. Alex was the traveller, he was always heading off to remote parts of the world. He was currently in the Arctic filming the Northern Lights. Andy liked the boys, but Maria didn't care.
"Eh, its a new vorld," she'd say. "I don't go to bed vith him, so what difference does it make to me. Ay?"
Stavros just shrugged and said he loved all his sons, and as long as they are happy that is all he cared about. Andy the gay lawyer. Lauri was at uni and very popular with the girls. What could he say, girls just seem to like handsome Italian boys and he wasn't complaining. He is the cheeky baby of the family with 3 strapping older brothers to influence his wild ways.
“Liiiica!” exclaimed Maria. “Vat have youa boughta.”
"Alla cheepa,” replied Angelica. “Vhat vas I meant to do.”
The two women laughed. "Come on darlink." Maria looked in her mirrors.
"It's a cold," said Angelica. "Brrrrr!"
Maria slipped the car into drive. It rocked forward. She checked her mirrors again.
The cars were coming up Elgin Street in a long line. It was busy at the cross road just behind them.
Maria gunned the Statesmen’s accelerator, it lurched forward, but Maria hesitated and didn’t go. She gunned the accelerator again, but again she didn’t launch, the break in the traffic was only small. The next car at the green lights on the corner switched its blinker on to turn at the intersection, Maria gunned the Statesmen’s accelerator again, this time the large luxury Holden moved out into the traffic, its V8 engine grumbling making a “bub, bub, bub, bub,” sound as it slipped out into the traffic, a slight waft of vapour swirling in the head lights of the next car coming up the street behind the two old girls.
“Ooooo!” said Maria. “Auf vee go,” she exclaimed.
“Leta a goa Maria,” exclaimed Angelica.
Maria pushed the button on the CD player. Carmen started to play.
"Ooooo," cooed Angelica from the passenger seat.
Maria flicked on her blinker and guided the big car around the corner into Swanston Street pushing her foot down on the accelerator and gliding through the night air with the other commuters.
The traffic moved quickly up Swanston Street, it had become such a tiny artery for Melbourne traffic now a days. The large toll ways were taking the major part of the traffic load, more than likely progressing at a snail's pace.
Maria stretched out her foot to push the accelerator down, the big V8 made its wup, wup, wup, wup, wup sound as the car shot forward in the cold night air. She held a steady grip with both her hands on the steering wheel, her short arms stretched out in front of her.
“Hoo-Hoo,” exclaimed Angelica.
“We getta home as quick as a flash,” stated Maria. Her eyes glinted in the reflected light.
The cars in the left lane were slowing down as they approached the big round about at Princess Street, they cruised in behind them.
“Isa a stupeed lights here,” called out Maria. Her stubby fingers raised off the steering wheel, waving at someone unseen who was responsible.
Then the lights at round about turned green. Maria’s sharp eyes and pointed face glanced over her right hand shoulder quickly. She slapped at the blinker stick at the side of the steering column and a small green light began to flash on the dashboard.
“Hang on Angelica!”
Maria pushed her right foot down hard on the accelerator, she made a grunt sound as she did, the gearbox kicked down a gear, the big V8 barked in the night air as Maria guided the car through the traffic at a cracking pace.
“Here ve go!” exclaimed Maria.
“Woo-Hoo!” yelled Angelica.
The big Holden slipped quickly into the right lane and passed all of the slower cars in the left lane with ease.
“Oh Maria!” said Angelica. “Remember the days…”
“Those donkeys on the beach…” said Maria wistfully.
When Maria and Angelica were young girls in Calabria they used to get up early, at Maria’s insistence, and they’d take the donkeys from their grandmother’s sheds and they’d take them down to the Carpo Spartivento beach and they’d race them in the dark by the light of the moon, taking them back to their tiny cupboards before the day broke. Maria’s bravery would encourage the two girls to ride them bareback on the pristine sand.
“Oh my god.” Angelica crossed herself. Maria did too. “Where have the years gone, I aska?” Angelica looked heavenwards.
“Light like this…” Maria waved her hand across the windscreen. "Those mornings on the beach..."
“The salt on our lips…”
“The vind in our hair…”
“When we had hair.” Angelica dipped her head to her shoulder as if she still had long flowing hair.
Maria groaned contentedly. "I dunno..."
“Faster!” said Angelica. “You always wanted to go faster.”
"Faster?" asked Maria.
"Faster!" demanded Angelica.
"Oh." She pulled her shoulders up and closed her eyes for the briefest moment. "Alvays faster." She laughed involuntarily at the joyous thought.
The lights changed to orange at Royal Parade."
"Go for it Maria," Angelica's commanded.
Maria's right foot jammed down on the accelerator. The big car's engine roared as all 32 valves slapped open and they shot forward as if out of a sling shot. The car hit the first waved of asphalt cause by many years of cars heading in the opposing direction, it raised up off its suspension and gave the impression of taking off, just for a minute.
Both Maria and Angelica shrieked with pleasure. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
The car shot around the bends on the other side, Maria steering it like a racing car driver. The woman were laughing and hooting as they shot passed the zoo down the hill towards Mount Alexander Road and home.
"Oh." She pulled her shoulders up and closed her eyes for the briefest moment. "Alvays faster." She laughed involuntarily at the joyous thought.
The lights changed to orange at Royal Parade."
"Go for it Maria," Angelica's commanded.
Maria's right foot jammed down on the accelerator. The big car's engine roared as all 32 valves slapped open and they shot forward as if out of a sling shot. The car hit the first waved of asphalt cause by many years of cars heading in the opposing direction, it raised up off its suspension and gave the impression of taking off, just for a minute.
Both Maria and Angelica shrieked with pleasure. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
The car shot around the bends on the other side, Maria steering it like a racing car driver. The woman were laughing and hooting as they shot passed the zoo down the hill towards Mount Alexander Road and home.
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