Blah, blah, blah

Girl's just talk, don't they. I must be getting intolerant? I went to the post office and had to stand in line for quite some time and these two girls in front of me never shut up, not for a second. There wasn't even a pause. They didn't even seem to draw breath. They just kept on yak yak yakking until I wanted to scream, "Shut up!" "Shut up!" "Shut up!"

I just have to breath instead. 1, 2, 3…

“Oh, I know. Did you see the look on her face?”

“Like a slapped arse, she was not happy.”

“It was Jeremy’s fault…”

“Oh yes, I know.”

“He was the one…”

“He was, that is for sure.”

“I thought Natalie was going to lose it completely.”

“At Jeremy?”

“Oh, at everyone by that stage. Her face said it all.”

“Her face said it all.”

“I didn’t know where to look…”

“Or say. I didn’t want to be dragged into it just because I made an off the cuff comment.”

“Oh, I couldn’t agree more. I was keeping my mouth shut that was for sure.”

“For sure.”

“And all Simon could do was laugh.”

“Standing there in his sweaty jogging shorts and singlet.”

“Good legs though.”

“Oh yes, I have always said that about Simon.”

“He could fling his jogging shorts on the end of my bed any day.”

“Any day, I agree,”

“Could you imagine?”

“Do you think about that?”

“With Simon?”

“Yes, with Simon.”

“It has crossed my mind, I am not ashamed to say.”

One leant into the other and whispered. (but I was right behind them so I could still hear them) “More so than with Jeremy?”

“Oh no!” The other exploded, well, whispered explosion. Trying to keep a squeal contained.

“Never!” 

“No, never.”

They both laughed. 

One of them held up her little finger. The other one tried to stifle her laugh with one hand as she slapped the other girl’s hand away with the other hand.

Then it was all fast whispered hisses, which somehow was even more annoying.

“Oh stop!”

“It’s true though.’

“So true.”

"Isn't it."

They both cleared their throats simultaneously as if indicating a return to normal transmission.

“But Natalie?”

The other one groaned.

“Oh, I am not looking forward to going back to the office.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Like a bitch on wheels is Nat when she is pissed off.”

“Like a bitch…”

“If she says anything, I am just going to tell her to take it up with Jeremy.”

“Me too, I am going to tell her the same thing.”

“Let her sort it out with him.”

“Yes, sort it out with him.”

“And leave me out of it.”

“Out of it." She nodded her head emphatically. "Me too?”

“Next please.”

“I’ll see you back at the office.”

“Yes, see you back at the office.”

Now There's Jack

Now there’s Jack’s pills. Thank our existence for the pills. Thank the pills for giving us back our happy Jack. Thank you, modern pharma.

He finished his environmental science degree. He started his own business renovating run down houses. (Like father, like son) Positively gearing, he espouses positive gearing.

“It is something that really shouldn’t be legal,” said Jack. “But thank fuck that it is.” Then he smiles that gorgeous smile of his, that has charmed half the world. Happy Jack.

He drives a brand new VW twin cab ute.

He’s now bringing up his son, Felix, with his girlfriend, Indigo. They seem happy.

Jack and Indigo still see Campbell. Is it a thrupple? Jack wouldn’t exactly say. All he has really ever said was, it’s a modern world. He has said at varying times that Indigo couldn’t choose between the two boys and while they had threatened to fight it out in a boxing ring and a football field, if that’s what it would take to impress her, they haven’t. It came down to the two of them being in love with Indigo and neither wanting to let her go.

When we have questioned do all three of them sleep together? He’s been kind of vague about it.

“If you want to know if Campbell and I are great big gay lords on the quiet, well, no, the answer is no.”

Liam and I looked sideways at each other, raising our eyebrows at exactly the same time.

Jack and Campbell play football together at the local club. They train together at the gym too, of course.

Indigo is now pregnant to Campbell. Jack did say that he was holding both Indigo and Campbell in his arms when Campbell impregnated Indigo, in a kind of reverential tone, like it was some kind of spiritual event.

Liam and I looked sideways at each other, once again, raising our eyebrows.

"We all like each other very much," said Jack.

Yeah, that got raised eyebrows too.

Campbell is a nice boy. Dark hair, blue eyes, good looking. He’s a lawyer at a corporate city law firm.

The three of them have bought three odd little derelict houses in Fitzroy some hundred year old hoarder owned that are next to each other. You don't have people in the 'business' without managing to secure such deals. One house for each of them. Jack and Campbell are currently renovating the three houses.

@19

I saw both boys down on the beach at our beach house recently throwing a football to each other. Jack and Campbell were both in speedos and they looked mighty fit.

I looked at Liam, he looked at me.

“I’d like to watch…”

“Don’t say it,” said Liam.

“That,” I said.

“I told you not to say it,” said Liam. He smiled.

“It’s a modern world,” I said.

“But, is it really,” said Liam. “Really? It’s as old as time itself. Love triangles.”

“I guess, you are right.”

“It’s just conservatives who want you to think otherwise.”

“Do you think they get it, really,” I said. “Conservatives?”

“Yeah, well,” said Liam. “Dunno.”

“No, I don’t know either,” I said. “It could go either way. I’d believe either.”

Liam shrugged.

“On one hand they are so uptight about anyone who appears to live a life outside of their realm of existence,” I said. “But, on the other hand, conservatives only ever seem to consider the world around them.”

“I’m going for ignorance of others,” said Liam.

“I’m going for fear of anything that is not of their world, somehow being a danger of their world view.”

“Are they the same thing?” asked Liam.

“It has the same outcome,” I said. “They were against gay marriage because it might give straight boys ideas outside traditional marriage.”

“Sad, scared, ignorant conservatives,” said Liam.

“You wouldn’t be them for quids,” I said.

“You wouldn’t be them for quids,” said Liam.

I took his hand and we continued walking up the beach. We walked on that firm sand closest to the water, before it turns powdery under your feet, just that bit further up the beach. I don’t really like the squeak of the powdery sand under the soles of my feet.

The dogs ran ahead.

“Do you think Jack takes after you and me and Jamie?” I said.

“What?” said Liam. He was looking out to the far off horizon. “Me and you and Jamie? Maybe.”

Indigo had Felix and baby Charlie on the sand playing together. Felix had built sandcastles; baby Charlie was knocking them down. Felix was laughing as if Charlie was the cutest thing.

"Do you think Jack and Campbell play as well together?" I quipped.

"Stop it," said Liam. He laughed. "Wasn't that how they got Charlie?"

"Stop it," I said.