being on a constant lookout for local faces when she wasn’t a local anymore. All the faces that she had grown up with and acknowledged for twenty plus years on the streets of Mount Isa were now 1000 kilometres away. The familiarity and safe feeling Kylie had known all her life was now a thing of the past and to look up into a sea of unknown faces was a harsh slap of reality.
In an attempt to distract herself from her thoughts, Kylie tried singing to herself. The only song she could come up with was Doctor Who-oo, HEY! Doctor Who, Doctor Who-oo, HEY! Doctor Who, Doctor Who-oo, Yeah, Doctor Who! After five minutes she was sick of repeating the few lines she could remember but there was no getting it out of her head. After walking for forty minutes she turned around and headed back towards her flat. On the way, she headed down Warburton Street and dropped into the convenience store next to Mr Mudcrab. She hadn’t planned ahead for a shopping trip but on finding ten dollars left in her shorts pocket from the last time she wore them she decided she may as well spend it.
Kylie bought some milk and continued along the road past the Townsville Sports Reserve and then past the lane way that led up to Queens Gardens. As she passed by the old folks home, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone with white hair sitting on the ground and turned to have a better look. Next to an overturned empty chair, an old lady was sitting on the grass. But she was sitting awkwardly, like she had fallen off the chair. Kylie jumped the fence and called out, “Excuse me, are you alright?” The lady’s head turned towards Kylie but she was fumbling on the ground sweeping her arms left and right as if trying to find something hidden in the grass. “Hello?” she said in a weak but friendly voice.
Kylie made her way over to where the elderly lady was sitting and knelt down to pick up her glasses from just behind her and said, “Hello there, are these your glasses?”
“Oh yes love, help me put my eyes back on,” the elderly woman said sweetly.
“My name is Kylie, Are you okay? Would you like some help getting back onto your chair?”
“Yes thank you love. I seem to have gone to ground!” She laughed.
Kylie walked behind her and put her hands under the lady’s arms and lifted her frail frame into a standing position. About that time a young woman came running out onto the grassy area.
“Maggie, are you alright?” the lady asked as she ran towards them. Kylie had her back to the younger woman and her cap was covering her face. The younger woman walked around to stand in front of Kylie and helped Maggie take her seat.
Maggie said, “Oh, I’m alright love, this young lady is helping me, seems this old bird fell off her perch.”
The young lady looked up at Kylie and said, “Don’t I know you from Outrigging?”
After Maggie was safely back in her seat, Kylie replied, “Maybe? Turn around I’m not used to seeing anyone’s faces. I sit in number 5 in Shooters’ crew.”
The lady tuned around and with her back to Kylie she waved and said, “It’s me Jenna. Hut Hut.”
“Oh yeah, I remember you now. I’m Kylie.”
“Hi Kylie, I’m Jenna.”
“Do you work here?” Kylie asked.
“Either that or I’m the youngest resident in this joint!” Jenna joked.
“Oh yeah, okay,” Kylie replied with a smile.
Maggie piped in, “Oh, are we having a reunion? I must be invited, I’m here already!”
Jenna said, “Kylie this is Maggie. Maggie, Kylie and I play sport together.”
“Oh how lovely, what kind of sport do you play? Is it hookey? Oh, I used to play hookey when I was a young sprite. And when I’d play hookey it always seems to end in nookie, is that a term you young pups still use? Nookie?”
“Maggie!” Jenna said laughing. “Stop it, you’ll corrupt us with your wicked stories!”
Kylie was chuckling as well but answered Maggie’s question, “Our sport is Outrigging Maggie, we paddle Outrigger Canoes on The Strand in a team of six girls.”
“Oh how lovely. I bet you get to see Magnetic Island every time you paddle. I was named after that Island.”
Kylie was feeling more playful and replied, “What, your name is really Magnetic?”
“Oh Shooks no, it’s Maggie. Not Margaret or Madge or Midge or Margareta, It’s Maggie for Maggie Island. Where I was born and where I grew up.”
“Oh, That’s really sweet. You’re living history Maggie!” Kylie said.
Jenna was feeling playful too. “Lucky that island wasn’t called Fruitbat Island, imagine your name then!”
“You bugger. I could understand if it was because I’m so batty I fell off my chair, and so blind I couldn’t find my specs,” Maggie bantered.
“Yes and now you have grass all over you!” Jenna said brushing it gently from Maggie’s arms and legs.
Kylie put on her best Spanish accent and said to Maggie, “Si Senora, you were very pleased to be helped up off de ground, you display de grassy-arse.”
“Oh Shooks, get me inside before I fall off again, you little buggers,” Maggie said with a smile.
Jenna signalled to Kylie, “Can you help me walk her in?”
“Sure,” Kylie mouthed back. Suddenly remembering that she had just been for a long walk on a hot afternoon, Kylie announced, “I’d like to apologise in advance for my odour, I’ve just been for a walk and I think I have a unique par-fume of sweat and mank, pouring from my pit-sickles.”
“Oh love you smell better than I do. I smell half past dead,” Maggie said without even batting an eyelid.
“Maggie! Stop it,” Jenna burst out in disbelief.
“Gee Maggie you’re only as old as you feel and you’re feeling both of us at the moment, and we’re under 30!”
“So I am, thank you for helping me love,” Maggie said as she looked up to Kylie’s face as she reached around and grabbed her on her bottom. “And thanks for letting me cop a feel! Life can be a bit dull in here.”
“Hello!” Kylie jumped at Maggies’ surprise grope.
Kylie and Jenna walked into what seemed to be a hall. At one end of the room tables were set, and at the other there was a cleared space with enough room to ballroom dance, with a pianola parked in a corner.
“Oh wow, a pianola! I grew up with one of those. ’Twas the bane of my existence having to practise on that thing for forty minutes a day!” Kylie said.
Jenna said, “Really? Wow. How about that!”
Maggie added, “The pianola came with old Lil but she left without it six months ago.”
Without even thinking, Kylie asked, “What do you mean she left without it? Couldn’t she find a removalist to shift it, or did she not have enough money? Being on a pension is tough...”
Jenna
