June 26th, 2016

SUBURBAN TOURS EXCERPT 6

After their day of love, everything seemed a good idea to One and Abbie. Having a glass of water brought to mind sipping champagne, and hunger demanded a feast. The geniuses wrapped themselves against winter’s vicious rear-guard action – yesterday had been summery, it was a typical Melbourne spring – and set out on a languid hand-in-hand walk to Preston Market.

They gazed at each other in amazement as they walked, Ben entertaining his new girlfriend by practising his Suburban Tours schtick on the surrounds of long, straight, gently rising St Georges Road, its palm trees, its Sir Douglas Nicholls Reserve, arts centre, tram workshop, Ray Bramham gardens, (complete with rotunda), and its endlessly pushy traffic. Abbie kept shaking her head and laughing.

To One, the world apart from them seemed overwhelming, fascinating, an abundant amusement put on for their delectation. Having been completely caught up in exploring each other’s bodies for so many hours, the most mundane facts of existence felt like exotic treats just airdropped from a different galaxy.