have one when you decide to update your current fridge. It’s like a jump raise in bridge. Well worth it, ’ she said with reassurance.
‘We’ll see what financial resources I’ll have by then, ’ Rose said trying to avoid empty promises. ‘But if I have the money, Corinne, you are going to be my chosen stylist, ’ she reassured her friend.
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence, ’ Corinne said politely.
‘Tell me more about the job, ’ Rose said. ‘When do you start? How is it going to affect your bridge game…? ’ she tried to continue the avalanche of questions.
‘Stop right there Rose, ’ she said. ‘It’s not that I need the money and you know that. It’s the opportunity to show off my talents, learn something new and develop myself in the process that excites me, ’ Corinne said. ‘And did I mention that I get to spend someone else’s money? ’ she added with a wink. ‘So, I’m the boss girl. Me. I. Myself. ’
‘Exhausting, ’ Rose said laughing. ‘Congratulations again! Let’s celebrate with a coffee and I’ll let you tell me more about the new home technology. You might get me interested’, Rose said and moved to the kitchen to start a new coffee.
‘A top drop would go down well, ’ Corinne assured her.
‘Top drop? You mean alcohol, girl? ’ Rose said astonished.
‘Even good news can be overwhelming, ’ she clarified. Rose went for her vodka.
‘What do you want to know? ’ Corinne asked her eager to jump into the teaching mode.
‘Well, what is happening out there in the market, housing market I mean? With all the advances in the technology, the trends to smart home automations and the rise in expenses in electricity? Some people can’t even afford the basic air conditioner and fridge. Are these trends achievable in near future or more a futuristic vision? ’
‘Well, I’ll find out soon. I hope that I don’t make a total mess of things. The technology is here but how sustainable is it? I don’t have an answer yet. I know that I can pull together a team that can satisfy my client’s requests but only time will tell if they are sustainable in terms of money, efficiency, etc…’ she said.
‘The wow factor and efficiency in terms of time and energy savings might win the battle against the money expenditure, ’ she added. ‘I say that based on my personal experience with the new fridge, ’ Corinne explained. Rose was counting the water cups for the coffee when Corinne asked her what she thought about the Bitcoin and payment in digital currency for a new house.
‘Not sure, ’ Rose said. ‘I think my grandma would freak out, ’ she added. ‘Let’s return to the present. This is too wonderful a day to miss being outside, ’ Rose said bringing the coffee to the boil for the third time and quickly removing her colorful ibric (the name of the coffee pot in Romania) from the flame.
‘I like it when you use your ibric, ’ Corinne voiced her enthusiasm.
‘I’ll remember to buy it for you as a present, ’ Rose promised. ‘But you know that it’s not the tool, it’s the method that makes ‘cafeaua turceasca’ so good. ’ Rose reminded her.
‘Cafeaua turceasca, ’ Corinne repeated awkwardly then she laughed. ‘You need to teach me Romanian, ’ she requested.
‘Are you planning going there soon? ’ Rose asked.
‘If you move back there, yes, otherwise probably not. But it would be good to be able to talk to you and nobody would know what we were talking about, ’ Corinne said laughing.
‘And that ‘nobody’ would happen to be your honey and kids? ’ Rose asked smiling.
‘Probably, ’ Corinne admitted laughing. ‘Or our bridge mates, ’ she added.
‘That’s the spirit, ’ Rose said. ‘Would this be appropriate for a ‘Fair Dinkum’? ’
‘Oh yeah!’ she replied giggling. ‘Why is this coffee making me so happy? Did you put any whisky in? ’ Corinne asked.
‘It’s the weather, ’ Rose said. ‘Or maybe this magic house that you want me to demolish, ’ she said to her with a wink.
‘Can’t do without it, ’ Corinne admitted talking about the weather and ignoring Rose’s remark about the house. ‘We’re planning a trip to the Gold Coast next week. Want to come? ’ she asked.
‘Sun baking isn’t for me, I’m afraid, ’ Rose said in a cheeky voice.
‘Ha, we’re rarely doing that now. With all the cataracts, melanomas and skin aging information, ’ Corinne said giggling. ‘The kids are asking to see the water parks and we could enjoy some fine dining and fresh, ocean air before schoolies starts in November, ’ she went on explaining to Rose.
‘Schoolies? ’ Rose asked.
‘Oh, I suppose you weren’t here last year, ’ Corinne said aloud, kind of talking to herself. ‘We have this tradition here that at the end of November each year, the kids finishing high school party for a few weeks on the Gold Coast, ’ she explained. ‘I celebrated finishing high school by going overseas. I was away for a year, ’ Corinne said. ‘Have you been to the Gold Coast since you arrived in Brisvegas? ’ she wanted to know.
‘Yes. The weather is always fantastic and the forecasts are reliable. I’ve seen Surfers Paradise Beach and visited the Mermaid and Broadbeach, ’ Rose admitted. ‘The accent is on VISITED as I did not spend time in the sun. The views were spectacular and the air fresh and I liked the laid back atmosphere at Mermaid Beach and the cafes and restaurants that I sampled at Broadbeach, ’ Rose recalled, getting a little excited by the memory.
‘Good then. We plan to go to Dream World and rent a cabana for the day. For the kids the water slides might be more suitable than other places. And we can do some shopping at the Pacific Fair mall. I heard about the amount of money spent recently on the refurbishment of the place, ’ she added with a shopaholic like smile. ‘Bring your CC, ’ she joked.
‘Credit card? ’ Rose asked for clarification.
‘Yep, ’ she replied.
‘Have you ever been to the Spit? ’ Rose asked her.
‘It’s the second best swimming spot on the Gold Coast, I heard, but never been there, ’ she said. ‘Not a strong swimmer, ’ Corinne added.
‘Surfing? ’ Rose asked.
‘Greg, ’ she replied. ‘Luckily he finds his way there without us. He made it one year into the Hot 100 surfing magazine. If you’re interested he can tell you more about wetsuits and different types of surfboards, ’ Corinne said. ‘I’m happy that he insists that our kids use the sunscreen, ’ Corinne added.
‘Not dangerous? ’ Rose wanted to know.
‘So is living, ’ Corinne replied with humor and left with promises to meet at the club.
Shesti
The very next moment the phone rang and before Rose was able to understand what they wanted she found herself replying to a survey on the quality of community life. The right place to clarify these questions? That is why our survey results stink.
The individual behind the call was barely stopping to take a breath. Probably from fear that it would give Rose the chance to refuse talking to him. Of course there was always the option to cut him off but Rose found that action a bit extreme. Maybe he was counting on that reaction. Maybe he was counting on people’s social isolation. Rose could not imagine anyone happily deciding to stop laying the table for the family or doing whatever they were doing to spend 30 minutes having a conversation with a stranger over the phone.
And a stranger that is intrusive and asking very personal questions about your intimate life, religious preferences and finances. My God, for some people sky is the limits, thought Rose. She had to terminate the conversation as it was becoming impossible. He had questions to which she did not have an answer yet.
‘How much do you earn? What do you do for a crust? ’ he asked. Really, Rose thought, I don’t need this. Looking out the window she noticed that the weather was excellent and her mood picked up. I might be geographically isolated from my family but it’s a choice based decision and is only temporary, she reminded herself.
She was missing da
ily habits and life events shared with her friends and family in Transylvania: like playing with her neighbor’s cat in the morning when she went out (he was a big orange tomcat that responded to the name of Ginger), reading the local papers Tribuna and Gazeta, going for a walk at the Botanic Garden and meeting her grandma at the beauty parlor on the Eroilor Avenue. On weekends Rose would spend time with her grandma at Moneasa gardening, horseback riding and playing bridge.
Rose started playing bridge about 6 years ago after her flat mate at the university, Mubeena, chose death over life. It was a shock that Rose had not managed yet to leave behind. Mubeena was a talented bridge player and to honor her memory Rose decided to take up the game and play it as best allowed by her ability. It’s not an easy game. It has lots of rules that need to be memorized, but once you manage that you discover the fun of it. The most challenging it becomes, the more fun you have. Just like real life, huh?
‘Voila, did you know that one of the game’s mnemonics is KISS and means Keep It Simple Stupid? ’ Mubeena once said to her. At that time Rose was studying for an exam and she was in a hurry. She did not pay much attention. Later, as she was trying to learn the game herself, Rose started to recall her friend’s past comments. Mubeena definitely was in love with the game.
‘These rules are not set in stones, you know that don’t you? ’ Rose recalled Mubeena saying to her while encouraging her to learn them. Sadly she