Part 24 - Chinese

3 0 0
                                    

Ned had spent a few days relaxing. He helped out with odd jobs around the place and took his car for a bit a paddock bashing. In the afternoons he went swimming in the river and hit golf balls across the farm dam.

The morning before he was planning to drive back up the coast Debra knocked on the guest room door. He was reading the newspaper, sprawled across the bed. She walked in carrying a ceramic statue of a horse the size of a Labrador. 'Sorry mate, this girl's gunna have to live in here for a while, shed's full up'.

Ned stared at the statue, confused. 'What is that?'

'Worth a bit of money Daryl reckons' she replied, not really answering the question. 'You feel like going out for tea tonight? Daryl's got a scout meeting, it'll just be us two'.

'Yeah, I don't mind'.

'I was thinkin' Chinese, whaddya reckon?' Debra asked shuffling the ceramic stallion into the corner.

'Sounds like a plan' replied Ned, transfixed by the statue whose practical application in any home was questionable.

There were two Chinese restaurants in Collombindee, The Golden Palace and the Good-Luck Chinese Restaurant. The Good-Luck was attached to the Collombindee Bowling Club; its food wasn't especially good. The Golden Palace was reputedly delicious but its location beside the Collombindee Veterinary Surgery had led to many a nasty rumour about where they acquired their meat.

At 6.00pm Ned and his mum drove into town via the scout hall to drop Daryl off at his meeting.

'Golden Palace or Good-Luck?' Ned's mum asked as they reached the top of the main street.

'Golden Palace' Ned replied 'I'd rather eat a deliciously prepared cocker spaniel than shit tasting pork'.

The restaurant was empty when they went in which meant they could take the primo seat next to the tropical fish tank. The glare from the fluorescent lights bouncing off the vinyl tablecloth was slightly distracting as Ned perused the menu, finally settling on the number 18, Kung Po King Prawns with Chilli. Debra opted for the Cantonese Sweet and Sour Pork. Their orders were taken by a primary school aged girl who must have been the daughter of the proprietors, it was a wonder Julian wasn't skulking around here, she was just his type. The Golden Palace offered a far more authentic Chinese dining experience than the Good- Luck, where one could expect to be served by a woman named Janine who's closest affiliation with China is the mandarin character for 'water' she has tattooed above her left arse cheek.

'What's the deal with Dad?' Ned asked as he followed one of the Neon Tetras as it darted around the fish tank.

'Your Dad?'

'Yeah, Terry Roach'.

Debra squinted. 'What do you mean?'

'Like, who is he? I mean, he just sits there, he's like a fuckin' ghost most of the time'.

Debra sat quietly for a moment. 'Well it doesn't sound like much's changed then. He was a lovely man once, but I think he gave up on life quite a while ago. It's sad really'.

'Why?'

'He had a hard time finding work after the chook plant closed down, all his mates left after that to work elsewhere and after a while he just gave up I s'pose'.

'Is that why you left?'

Debra nodded, 'Yeah, that was a lot of it. But I hadn't been happy for a long time. We got married young, just did what everyone else was doing, never put a lot of thought into it y'know'.

Ned nodded.

'I just did what I thought I was supposed to do, before I knew it I was pregnant and that was it then, I was stuck'.

The waitress returned with their meals, which didn't disappoint. Ned and his mum sat quietly for a while eating and watching the fish. Ned's mum asked about Little Jake and Shane's kids. Ned told his mum about Shane's new girlfriend. They agreed to keep in contact via Facebook while Ned was away, at least once a fortnight, just to let her know he was alive.

Ned was fiddling with the radio dial in his car trying to find anything other than white noise as they headed toward the scout hall to pick up Daryl.

'Any of you kids could have come with me' Debra said as the car rattled down the main street.

'Eh?'

'When I left, I only stayed as long as I did because of you kids. I wanted you to come too'.

'Yeah, I know'. Ned replied with a nod.

Tip RatsWhere stories live. Discover now