The girl with nine toes by Ray Wilkins (best summer books .TXT) 📕

/> the public statement, as she needed to finish typing it up
to be able to send out the copies to the House of
Representatives and it was almost four o'clock. I looked
at her face and for the first time in five years of working
together with her noticed that she had incredibly warm
deep green eyes and a small scar above her left eyebrow,
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she was smiling. “Why are you smiling Mrs Simmons?„ I
asked.
“Sir, if I may be so bold, I have been working in the
public service for many years and I have seldom heard
such a bold challenging statement concerning
employment as this. I don't know how Mr Norton or the
rest of the Cabinet will react but I just want to say sir that
I think its great!„ She lifted her ample body out of the
chair, closed her laptop and walked out of my office
leaving behind that scent of lavender and old roses that
always used to remind me of Mary's mother. I leaned
back into my chair thinking about the difficulties in
changing the Laws and Regulations concerning the
measures for improving employment when all of a
sudden I realised what I had just said. Laws and
Regulations concerning the measures for improving
employment. In political and public language this was called
the Laws governing unemployment. Saying this positively,
turning it around as something motivating, at least at a
semantic level it changed the meaning completely - Miss
nine toes again I guessed. The red light on my telephone
was blinking on my private line I picked up the receiver
“John? Here's Brian how about coming out to Red
Hill tonight for dinner? haven't seen you in a long time
mate, do you have time?“
“Brian! great to hear you, sounds good! round about
eight okay for you? I'll bring a bottle of red with me if
you do the steaks.“
“No probs my friend then uh… see ya later
alligator.„He hung up. I couldn't help smiling thinking
how a man who is the chief of Financial Affairs with
years of experience in handling huge banks and mega
business corporations - could be so corny.
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I didn't have time to go jogging but I had a feeling
that it was important to meet Brian as we hadn't seen
each other in a long time, and the girl with nine toes
apparently had other ways of changing my thoughts
anyway .
Getting home I quickly showered and changed,
meeting Sarah and Caroline in between putting on my
shoes and going down to the cellar to get a bottle of
Barossa Valley red wine I couldn't help thinking about
how they had changed - -they seemed so grown up all of a
sudden or was it the other way round?


44


Life is to be enjoyed
With every day
With every smile
With every tear


45

Chapter 11


I drove up into the driveway once again as always
amazed at the beauty of this house and the surrounding
gardens. Old Chestnut trees shaded the drive up to the
house. Wattle trees and Banksias were planted at strategic
spots, apparently following the Chinese philosophie of
Feng Shui as Consuela, Brian's wife once said. The grass
was natural bush grass mixed with Dandelions and Red
Poppies, and I could see a group of Ghost Gums behind
the Chestnut trees. The whole landscape looked and
smelled like well controlled Australian bush country. The
house was a renovated Homestead with an outside
terrace on all four sides, old red roof tiles and Hortensia
vines clinging to the walls, I was really looking foreward
to dinner with one of my best friends.
“John! Great to see you mate- come out to the back
I've got the Barby going and the steaks are already on the
grill.„ I saw his blue eyes glinting in the evening sun and
with much backslapping and shacking of hands I gave
him the bottle of wine and followed him through the hall
into the backyard.
“Can I help you Brian? Where's Consuela?„
“I sent her out to ladies night at the club so that we
two could be alone, yeah! go and get the baked potatoes
out of the Aga in the kitchen, you know where everything
is!„ We sat down and started loading salad onto our
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plates, the smell of baked potatoes with fresh Sage and
Thyme was making my mouth water. He poured out the
wine and said “Bottoms up!„ I laughed for about the
tenth time and we started getting tucked in to our dinner.
He looked at me seriously for a change and said “John
I've been hearing some funny things about you.„
“From our friend James Norton, am I right?„
“Yeah that's right! but you know how he is, he’s
sometimes loud and belligerent but his heart and wallet's
in the right place. Anyway he said that somehow youv'e
changed, that you're more - how did he say it now, um….
more philosophical…. talking about forcing people to
work and only paying people who want to work - - - you
know how he is. He hangs onto the old laws and doesn't
like changing his spots. He also said that your'e more
decisive, well he even called you a little Hitler!„
I laughed, almost spilling my wine onto the white
linen table cloth that Consuela insists we use even if we
are just enjoying a barbecue. “Yes Brian, he’s right I am
changing, I'm beginning to realise a lot of mistakes that
I've made in the past. I think that since Mary died a part
of myself died with her and because of this I've become
lazy and not caring in my job. I've become almost
dependant on the decisions and ideas of my Aides and
Assistents. I have lost some of my self-esteem. I know,
you've known me now since High School and you know
that I was always a good leader, remember our rugby
team, when I used to be the captain and you played left
wing? Anyway to get back to the subject, to be a good
leader I had to learn to push down my feelings to be
disassociated from emotions, over the years of being a
politician , somewhere along the line I lost contact with
myself – with my innerself, do ya know what I mean?„
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“Oh no John! Don't tell me your going to be one
of those Osho followers and start wearing orange
overalls!„ He laughed. I felt angry and misunderstood.
“Jesus Brian! for once in your life be serious and
listen to what I'm saying, will you!„ I was pissed “I am
being manipulated inside my own house, people are using
me for there own political goals, the country is falling
apart and I'm still mourning my wife instead of doing
what I do best - lead! I noticed that he wasn’t drinking
anymore and at least he now looked a little bit more
serious and attentive to what I was saying. “And I have
also met someone - the girl with nine toes!„ He coughed
into his glass this time spilling wine onto the white
tablecloth. The drops looked like rubies tossed carelessly
onto the table.
“John you're not telling me you have a girlfriend
and that she's responsible for your psychological
cleansing! Who is she? What's her name? No! Its not Mrs
Simmons is it?„
“Brian. Please. Listen very closely. This girl is not a
girl, she's like a teacher and she has an uncanny way of
getting inside my head and not inside my trousers! Let me
try to explain.„ So for the second time and what will not
be the last time I explained to a person I loved what I was
experiencing, leaving nothing out, I even told him about
my nightly dream challenge path. I looked over at him and
could see two small tears pushing there way out of the
corners of his eyes, he stared at me after I'd finished and
after a few minutes of silence he started to speak.
“Absolutly, bloody amazing John! Unbelievable! Do you
think she knows anything about the Stock exchange?
Struth! there I go again everytime I get emotional I start
making jokes. No! seriously as your best friend I have
noticed you changing over the last few years. I won't say
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Mary's death is solely responsible. You were never a
person who showed much of his feelings but since then
you have been more withdrawn and subdued I was even
going to advise you to go back to that Psychotherapist
who helped you over the initial mourning phase. But it
looks like the girl with nine toes beat me to it. I can't say that
I understand what it's really all about but I do know that
you are changing for the good, just the fact that you
shouted at me when I wasn't listening to you is a good
sign. But tell me now, what are you and this girl planning
for Australia?„
“I went through all the ideas with him that I had
inside my head. Lowering the social benefits. Decreasing
taxes for new and small businesses as well as for big
enterprises so that they had more money to employ more
people. The new ideas and innovation programm. Equal
rights Bill and the environmental projects, everything,
every vision that I've ever had since becoming a
politician, at the end I felt completly drained but at the
same time elated , especially when my old friend who
knew so much about money and politics agreed with
everything I said.
“John this vision will change the face of Australia!
and I will do all I can to support you even if it means
kicking Norton in his rearend. Let’s