Carrying Caitlin’s Luggage To Central (Part 4)

Asking About Girlfriends

Again, earlier in our conversation, Caitlin casually asked if I had a girlfriend through the midst of our conversation. I can’t remember the topic we were diverging upon but I do remember that I noted relationships were only trouble to which I pointed out her past relationships.

Feeling anxious to ask that very question, I could probably sense her wanting to ask me but was afraid that she would finally tell me that she had a man which would ruin my reverie. Although I was having great fun in conversation, it would have dampened it somewhat had I learnt she was going out with someone. There would have been a sudden wall stopping what usual flirtatious boasts would come off my audacious tongue.

Bar Fights And Family Debts

Despite this dash, it opened new doors of conversation to which I learnt how Caitlin was working at a nightclub behind the bar up on Brisbane. Figuring that she had to look decent to work as a waitress in a club, she told me of the day she was fired, being blamed for the bar getting trashed. To her wording, this guy started being rude to Caitlin to which two of her bar friends jumped over and bashed him up. Because they caused such a mess, Caitlin got fired because it was deemed to be all her fault.

While Caitlin was up at Tahmoor she told me how she visited Molly McGuire’s where we both agreed that 1:30 a.m. was a shit time to close. We spoke of how Clover and her created some differences a couple of months back when she was still living in Fairfield and how Clover is now heaps different if I was ever to track her down. “She’s gotten fat now” she explained, “She hasn’t looked after herself”. Prying some more into what words Caitlin wouldn’t mention, I heard that Clover took a dive in regards to smoking pot and things like that.

Digressing one final time to the point of her parents, Caitlin told me how her parents were on the verge of a divorce. The reason being that her dad didn’t know when to call it quits in spending either on his home computer or his car. Being obsessed with both contraptions as well as the internet, I was shocked to hear that he was $30,000 in debt and the mature manner in which she spoke about him being too old to have such a debt looming on his head.

“My parents are renting their house” she noted and to my amazement I replied “In all this time, they could have paid off a house”. Speaking of the speakers that her dad gave to me years ago and how they still pump ferociously, Caitlin thought to tell me of his other craze with the sound system. “The lounge room is so loud now that I have to run through there just to escape it” she noted and to the abundance of large speakers decorating the whole room including a bass box on the ground, I believe it would be loud.

Now I’m not the only one who gets notices for having loud music, he just gets them weekly. Caitlin told me how she’s $20,000 in debt but considering she’s paying off a 96 Pulsar manual to which she still hasn’t acquired her license, it is a fair gamble. “Next time you come down, bring it with you” I joked, “I’ll show you how to drive the baby”. Replying with a touch of seriousness, she sounded half plausible with her bid to bring down the car but somehow, I didn’t think that I would be seeing her again.

Carrying The Luggage

Just as we were heading to Central Station, Caitlin noted how she was coming back down to visit her parents in a month and in a couple of month’s time, she’s moving back down from Brisbane, probably back in with her parents. Taking the opportunity of furthering our chance meeting, I casually noted that I would hand her my number, breaking out a pen and notepad I already had in my bag. Sounding keen on receiving my phone number, I handed her the piece of paper to which she placed in her purse. “Now you make sure to call me when next you come down,” I uttered, “I’ll take you to a nice club.”

Sounding as interested as myself, when Central Station arrived I picked up her luggage by the scruff and carried the heavy sucker up the stairs. “Has this thing got wheels” I asked as she replied “Yeah, but it doesn’t roll straight”. Testing it out for myself as we jumped off the train and began walking down the long platform, I found that you would not only be permanently bent down but you would be fighting against the gravity of the wheels.

Therefore, despite her mentioning that she would aptly carry the bags if they were too heavy for me, I only replied “Don’t be silly, I can’t bear to leave you knowing that you have to carry this sucker all the way down there.”

Carrying it down the stairs and all the way to the express trains, I had to change hands every thirty or so meters. Much to the appreciation of Caitlin, we made our venture to where I normally catch my express train and as the gate was closed and it was too long a walk back to the ticket gates, I quickly ran back trying to get some assistance with the code-locked door. At first the Indian guy wouldn’t hear me but when I said “The lady down there has luggage” he quickly changed his tone for assistance. Nevertheless, someone showed Caitlin through the door and as I made my way through the gate I met her around the corner.

With that beautiful smile of hers, I carried her bags a touch more to her platform and asking how long it took her on the train, she noted it was around eighteen hours. “Shit, why don’t you just fly” I stammered, “I hate flying” she replied, obviously anxious of the thought. Waiting around with her while she tried to find out where to place her luggage, I looked her up and down favorably as she walked into a room for assistance.

Goodbye On The Platform

It had dawned on me that it was finally time to depart and as my being previously naïve to women was on my mind, I thought I couldn’t let her go without a kiss on the cheek or something. Well enough, as she came back from throwing her luggage onto the train, she came back to pick up her leather jacket and smaller bag and as casual as it was natural, we hugged each other, leant forward to give each other a kiss and then waving to each other, I was off on my way.

I didn’t linger too long on goodbye and rather, I just turned and was back on my way without a backward glance. I could work on my farewells a little more now to make them a touch more amiable.

Movie Swap At King’s Cross

From this farewell forth, time seemed to disperse so quickly. I’m not sure of the exact time where I left Caitlin but I can be sure that it was around 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. Traveling the whole length of Central Station, my deviant plots were starting to thicken. Catching a train to King’s Cross, I jumped out and before heading off on my journey I checked out a glass hut with some cool frames.

However, having a task at hand, I made my way to the Club X just off the main street and upon entering, I noticed the owner foraging through a couple of titles on the shelves. Glancing at me with open eyes as if to say “What are you doing in here, you’re too suave to be in a place like this” but well enough, I was the oddity to his day.

Glancing around for a couple of minutes I asked the guy where the movie was which I was looking for ‘The Gigolo’. Pointing me towards its direction, I cuffed it in my hands and then giving him the movie I wanted to exchange as well as the money, I placed the new movie in my bag and headed back outside. The first street was the hardest, feeling people behind you who were probably thinking “Why is he stepping out of there for” but once I was on the main street, no one knew where I had come from.

Expired Ticket Scare

On the way back home I stopped off at Nitrogen at Town Hall to have a quick check of the Black Fly glasses which the guy previously told me could be sold out within weeks. Well, they were still there, still hot on the market and they will still be there when I head out to buy them tomorrow. Oh yeah, when heading back through the ticket machines at King’s Cross the card came back out as invalid, not allowing me to walk through.

Heading to the assistant guy he looked at my card and nodded his head as he was about to let me through but then responded “Your card has expired”. Irate to his reasoning I yelled out “What” to which I then realized that it could have been my old weekly ticket. Excusing myself, I took out my new train ticket and after getting through the gates and releasing the anxiety of my little scare, I threw my old ticket in the bin.

Home With Janice

Catching what would have been my normal train from the City to Campbelltown via East Hills at 5:00 p.m. I didn’t get home until 6:45 p.m. Just before jumping off the train I noticed Janice standing in the other carriage, glancing over at what eccentric clothes I was wearing. Smiling at me invitingly, I kept to myself for a little while but then decided to join he for conversation. As I did, we chatted about my having a day off for the banker’s holiday as she still had to work up at Milsons Point.

Jumping off, we talked as far as heading out of the ticket machines and from there I headed down Queen Street in anticipation of catching my bus. While waiting for a bus to arrive at Dumaresq Street I noticed Shawn’s dad driving the Festiva down the street and I remember seeing someone else I knew but now can’t remember. Once back home I literally started straight into my memoirs and the rest for my Monday night is history.

For now I must depart as the time is ten minutes away from midnight and my eyes are starting to tire. However, considering I didn’t get any proper sleep until well after midnight these last two nights, I don’t consider this to be a late one today. Anyway, more of laggard chronology when next we meet amongst these pages. Let’s not hope that City Rail pushes that envelope of irritation that little bit further because I will give them a rash they will never forget easily…