Time Changes

Part Sixteen

Peter looked out of his bedroom window and smiled, Bondi Beach! A four month secondment at the University of Sydney was JUST what he needed. His freelance work took him in so many directions, but this was the best yet. He’d visited Australia in his youth, and had great memories of diving the Great Barrier Reef, orange picking in North Queensland, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the rather delightful triathlete he’d hooked up with for a few months. But to be here, with the use of an amazing house, with a sea view (if a huge tree hadn’t grown directly across the road), pool, and to be teaching students...well it was just what the doctor ordered. He wasn’t over Alexis, he’d rue his pigheadedness for a long time, but it was easier having physical distance from both her and the memory of her.

Hearing a noise he turned around to see Megan, the guest Geology lecturer at the same college and his new house mate smiling, “you still moping around Pete?”

No one else ever called him Pete, usually he hated it, but it seemed to suit her.

Laughing he shook his head, “think the jetlag fuzz has finally cleared. I hear Bondi is great on a Friday night?”

                “Would you like me to show you around Bondi, before our grand Sydney Tour?”

Nodding he followed her out into the street, since he’d arrived two days earlier he’d worked out two things, Megan was expressing an interest in him, and he wasn’t immune to the athletic blonde. She was the exact opposite of tall, dark and curvaceous Alexis, and it was that fact that made this all seem good.

When she smiled it made him smile, since he’d arrived in the house a couple of days earlier she’d been a happy companion, showing him where everything was from pub, to shop, to best cycle route to the university campus. She’d also promised him a guided tour of Sydney the coming weekend. It was too many years since he’d been there as a young hopeful graduate. So he was only too glad that a pretty woman wanted to show him around. That was shallow! He knew that, but he’d been in self induced purgatory for months, maybe moving on was something he needed, and Megan seemed nice.  

The bars scattered in the vicinity of the beach were full, despite it being winter, it was a pleasant twenty one degrees. He was comfortable in shorts and flip flops, though some locals seemed a little more wrapped up than that. He supposed they were used to greater heat, but to him this was a nice temperature.

Megan dragged him up to the bar and ordered them beers, though he insisted on paying, and very soon they were sat on stools chatting. That was what he liked about her, they could talk about anything, and it was comfortable. He knew she was from Adelaide, but had been working in Sydney for eighteen months. She was a geologist with a PhD in limestone profiles...or something equally profound, and she’d saved him a two hour journey on public transport by giving him a ride back and forth the campus on those first few days. She’d also pointed him in the right direction to hire a good road bike, and he was heading there first thing in the morning.

He was less forthcoming, he realised that, but Megan seemed happy talking about herself and the world in general, whilst sipping beer as determinedly as him!

Australia! He thought, the answer to all his worries!

Lex looked at the invite, the ticket and sighed, as much as Boris, her boss, would be devastated, she was going home!  Just for Oscar’s christening, but she couldn’t wait. The ticket had arrived a few days earlier, Henrietta had planned to get Oscar christened in the autumn, but Daniel sister was graduating from university in the states, and had a ceremony planned for late September, a clash. So they’d changed their date and it was all a little rushed now. Fortunately this was perfect timing for Lex as she was desperate to get home for a break and to catch up with everyone.