Rhiwbina Living Issue 55
Summer 2022 issue of the award-winning magazine for Rhiwbina.
Summer 2022 issue of the award-winning magazine for Rhiwbina.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
that I can see the standard of your<br />
cursive writing."<br />
"You mean joined-up writing?"<br />
"Yes."<br />
Ollie pursed his lips before<br />
agreeing. "You got pen and paper?"<br />
he asked.<br />
Dan opened up his bag before<br />
realising that he didn't have any.<br />
"Erm. Actually. We'll have to use<br />
your laptop. I forgot to bring paper."<br />
"That's ok," replied Ollie, pulling his<br />
laptop onto his lap and opening it.<br />
"Sorry," said Dan. "It's been one of<br />
those days. I'm just so tired. I just<br />
wish I could stay in bed all day."<br />
Ollie looked up from his laptop,<br />
raised a non-existent eyebrow and<br />
looked quizzically at Dan.<br />
"Gosh. I'm sorry," said Dan, closing<br />
his bag uncomfortably and popping<br />
it under his seat. "Ok. I'll give you ten<br />
minutes to come up with a short<br />
autobiography. Just tell me a bit<br />
about yourself."<br />
"Ok."<br />
Ollie opened up a new document<br />
and started typing. For Dan, it was<br />
the first chance he'd had to catch<br />
his breath all day. He gazed around<br />
the room. A half-eaten rice pudding,<br />
a jug of water and an open pack of<br />
Jammie Dodgers biscuits.<br />
After ten minutes, Dan took the<br />
laptop and sat in silence while he<br />
read. He read out Ollie's last<br />
sentence:<br />
"I'm going to make it out of here<br />
and make the most of my life for my<br />
friends that never made it."<br />
Dan looked up at Ollie, who was<br />
pouring a small bottle of lemonade<br />
into his mouth.<br />
"I like that. Positivity is good. Are<br />
you a positive person?"<br />
Ollie opened his mouth to answer<br />
but instead of an answer, out came<br />
a thunderous belch that swept<br />
through the room and bounced off<br />
the clinically cream walls.<br />
Ollie looked at Dan quite stunned<br />
and then exploded into laughter. He<br />
clutched his tummy, scrunched up<br />
his face and squawked like some<br />
kind of dinosaur. Dan couldn't help<br />
but laugh with him and for several<br />
minutes, they collapsed in laughter.<br />
Every time they looked at each<br />
other, they'd start again.<br />
"Jeez. Where did that come from?"<br />
asked Dan finally.<br />
"From the depths of hell! I felt like I<br />
was in The Exorcist!" shrieked Ollie,<br />
his eyes watering. It took a good<br />
few minutes for them to gather their<br />
senses. Dan hadn't laughed like that<br />
for years. His stomach ached. All<br />
that laughter for just one perfectlytimed<br />
burp!<br />
"And just for clarity," said Dan, "a<br />
burp is not an answer. Right. Where<br />
were we?"<br />
Dan put on his serious face and<br />
looked at the laptop again. "Ah yes.<br />
Tell me about the watch you're<br />
wearing."<br />
Ollie raised his wrist and showed<br />
Dan his watch. It was a small black<br />
Casio with a plastic wristband.<br />
"My friend Paul gave it to me," said<br />
Ollie.<br />
"That's kind," said Dan.<br />
"Yeah. Paul was admitted to this<br />
place the same day as me. He gave<br />
me this watch before he left, and<br />
told me to make the most of my<br />
time."<br />
"When was he discharged?"<br />
"He wasn't."<br />
Dan felt a dagger in his chest.<br />
"I'm so sorry."<br />
"That's ok. That's why I'm grateful<br />
that I'm still here every time I open<br />
my eyes."<br />
"It can't be easy."<br />
"Nothing is. But hey. I've got a roof<br />
over my head, room service, a TV, a<br />
laptop, and foxy nurses giving me<br />
TLC all day. And it's all for free. I'm<br />
pretty blessed really."<br />
Dan smiled. "I'm sorry I moaned<br />
about my life when I first got here."<br />
"Hey man. We've all got troubles.<br />
Yours are just different to mine."<br />
"True."<br />
"Did you always want to be a<br />
teacher?" asked Ollie.<br />
"Not really. I kind of fell into it."<br />
"What did you want to be?"<br />
"I wanted to become a novelist."<br />
"What's stopped you?"<br />
"The bills that come through my<br />
letterbox. I just don't get the time."<br />
"I've got all the time in the world. In<br />
fact, I've got too much time on my<br />
hands. Want to swap?"<br />
Dan had to think about his reply.<br />
Ollie sensed Dan's discomfort and<br />
picked up the packet of biscuits.<br />
"Want a Jammie Dodger?" he<br />
asked.<br />
"Thanks."<br />
Dan took a biscuit and bit into it.<br />
He took his time chewing it to avoid<br />
having to answer any further<br />
awkward questions.<br />
"I was thinking earlier," said Ollie. "If<br />
you had to flip a coin and heads<br />
makes your life better, and tails<br />
makes it worse, would you toss the<br />
coin?" asked Ollie.<br />
And for the next 45 minutes, the<br />
pair discussed life, death and<br />
everything in between.<br />
Before he knew it, Dan looked at<br />
the wall clock and realised his hour<br />
was done.<br />
"That's it for today, I'm afraid. That<br />
went quickly!"<br />
"Thanks. I enjoyed that."<br />
short story<br />
Dan stood up.<br />
"It's so hot in here. Can you open<br />
the window before you go please?"<br />
asked Ollie. Dan reached over and<br />
pulled at the window handle next to<br />
him.<br />
"You need to give it a good whack,"<br />
said Ollie.<br />
The window finally creaked open,<br />
just as a few large spots of rain<br />
appeared on the pane.<br />
"It's raining! I'm so glad!" exclaimed<br />
Dan. The rain pit-pattered on the<br />
window and for once, a cool breeze<br />
drifted into the room. Ollie closed<br />
his eyes and inhaled deeply<br />
through his nose.<br />
"Mm. Smell that. Petrichor," said<br />
Ollie, his eyes still closed.<br />
"Petri-what?"<br />
"Petrichor. The smell of the rain<br />
after a dry spell. It comes from the<br />
Greek words 'petra', meaning stone,<br />
and 'ichor'. In Greek mythology,<br />
'ichor' refers to the golden fluid that<br />
flows in the veins of the immortals."<br />
"Oh," replied Dan, impressed. "I<br />
never knew that," he said, packing<br />
up his bag.<br />
"You can have that one for free.<br />
Impress your students with it."<br />
"I might just do that."<br />
Ollie tutted and gently shook his<br />
head. "Sheesh. Call yourself an<br />
English teacher?"<br />
Dan laughed. Ollie had a point.<br />
"Same time next week?" said Dan.<br />
He picked up his bag and slung it<br />
over his shoulder. A quick fear that<br />
he might come back to an empty<br />
bed flashed through his mind.<br />
"Yep. Look forward to it," replied<br />
Ollie. And with that, Dan left the<br />
room and headed back down the<br />
corridor. He passed the children in<br />
their beds, fighting their own battles<br />
alone. Dan knew he had his children<br />
to go home to and tonight, he'd hug<br />
them a bit tighter and a bit longer.<br />
The automatic doors trundled<br />
open and Dan stepped out under<br />
the entrance's shelter. He took a<br />
look out into the rain, gurgling in the<br />
drains and soaking into the parched<br />
earth. He closed his eyes and took<br />
in a chestful of the cool, clean air. It<br />
flowed through every vein in his<br />
body, refreshing and vitalising every<br />
sinew along the way.<br />
"Petrichor," he said to himself.<br />
"Through the veins of the<br />
immortals." He thought about his<br />
novels. And he knew he had to<br />
make them happen before time<br />
robbed him of the opportunity.<br />
He smiled calmly and took the car<br />
keys out of his pocket.<br />
He'd learnt a lot in an hour.<br />
47