Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 60487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
While Grayson worked on the sudden mouthful, Carl wished Sage a lovely evening and—at the sight of Grayson’s Adam’s apple bobbing and then his throat clearing—hurried a salute and made for the door.
Ah, the helmet!
He doubled back, grabbed it, and dashed out again.
Honestly, wasn’t it enough to have seen Grayson five times earlier? Why did he have to show up at the Street Greet as well?
Best Carl avoided him.
Yes, best avoid them all. Can’t have playing Jason get out of hand. He’d done his good deed for the day, enjoyed the thrill of being admired.
He’d stop now.
Carl avoided Berhampore the next morning, deciding to take his morning coffee habit to the neighbouring suburb of Newtown. It was quite strange not having to go to work, and he wasn’t sure he loved the aimlessness of it. He’d better make a plan. See all the sights. Visit old school mates who’d settled here.
After a visit to the national museum, he met those old mates for lunch.
Turned out they were both lawyers and had each recently become engaged to the woman of their dreams.
Carl blinked in their spotless suits and slick smiles and tried not to shrink in his leather booth-seat. He spooned his pho and nodded along to all their adventure stories. “Probably head to Europe again later this year. Foodie tour around Georgia.”
“We’re doing Portugal.”
Carl was doing nothing. “Nice. Nice.”
“What about you?” one of them asked while he slurped up a noodle. “When was the last time you visited Tas?”
“Live there still, actually,” Carl said.
“Really? Not little ol’ Earnest Point, I hope!”
“Little ol’ Earnest Point.”
“What are you doing there? Can’t be easy to grow your career. Where’d you go to uni in the end?”
Carl shook his head. “Didn’t go.”
The two lawyers made an ‘ah’ sound that felt like the beginning of the end of their meet up. “Trade school?”
Nope. “I work at the local convenience store.”
“Wasn’t that the part-time job you had at school?”
His stomach took a dive. “Running it now.”
“With the bigger stores delivering, it’s still keeping afloat?”
“We’re quite remote. You’d be surprised how many locals love their daily donuts.”
“Sure. Sure.” Awkward silence followed.
The lawyers drank up the last of their phos, insisted they pay and he “keep his money”, and took their leave, wishing him luck. Carl meandered back through the city towards Jason’s, unable to shake off the feeling of pity they’d left him with. Like he’d revealed himself to be their high school’s biggest disappointment and only luck might give him a better future. Like if he only had brains in his head he would be as good a man as any of them.
Carl ducked into a dairy, bought a mag, and tried to jostle up his spirits reading it at the nearby war memorial park.
Heads up, Capricorn, this week will be studded with surprises. . .
Carl laughed. Wasn’t that true already?
He read on, stalling over the last part. You’ll meet three people this week. A Gemini in need. A Leo looking for luck. And a Scorpio specialising in stirring stuff up. You may be inclined to hide, but take a deep breath—you’ll have to face them eventually.
“You’re meant to offer levity, not ominous foreboding.”
Magazine stuffed into his bag, Carl schlepped through Newtown and up the incline towards Berhampore. He was cresting the hill when a swarm of yellow and green spilled onto the street and Carl took a seat on a low brick wall to avoid being flattened by scootering pre-teens.
When it seemed safe, he started up the footpath again, only to halt at the sight of Sage’s Leo, wearing the same uniform as he’d watched pass him a hundred odd times, only his was . . . soaking wet. And his head was sunk to his chest.
Some bigger kids were snickering as they scurried around a corner; they looked suspiciously like the rascals who’d stolen his bike.
Badly behaving boys.
Carl jogged over to Leo, shrugged out of his flannel shirt, and gave it to the boy to keep him warm on the walk home. They were headed in the same direction, so Carl kept him company. He asked for Leo’s star sign, was unsurprised to find him a Leo—but one couldn’t assume these things—and went on to read him his weekly horoscope. “Things will pick up by the end of the week!”
“Doubt it,” Leo said. “It’s my week to help with assembly. Last week, Davy had his doctor dad come as a guest speaker, and he gave everyone ice-blocks full of electrolytes. No one I’ve asked can make it.”
A Leo looking for luck.
Carl told himself off. Of course he couldn’t . . .
Leo sniffed, and water those boys had dumped on him dripped from a curl onto his cheek and ran down like a tear.
Capricorn was ruled by Saturn, and Saturn was the planet of responsibility. And hadn’t this become his social responsibility? Just like the sexy stranger who’d come to his rescue up at the outcrop. He’d been given a hand by fate. He should pay it forward.