Time to be civilised.
Time to be a gentleman.
At the crossroad of Eagle and Duck street, I find everything I’m looking for.
There’s my library on the right, hard to miss with its bright blue facade.
Post office. Water tower. Information centre.
There it is. A public bathroom.
Keeping my knees together to hold the wee in, I run across the street.
I’ve never seen a roundabout in real life.
Must be fun to drive in circles.
When I emerge, hands damp from the basin, I spot a large red bus.
It has a picture of a dog on the side.
Buses like that probably go to Brisbane.
Chasing after it, I follow around the corner to a small tree lined park.
As soon as all the passengers have come down the stairs, I go say hello to the bus driver.
“Do you go to Brisbane?”
“On my way back through, I do,” he says.
“Can I come too?”
“I leave here around three fifty five most afternoons.”
“What time will we get to the beach?”
He gives me a slightly odd look.
Maybe he doesn’t like the beach.
“We usually reach the city just before eleven the next morning.”
“The next morning?” I laugh.
“It's an overnight trip,” the driver explains. “Nineteen hours.”
Jesus. This guy must drive really slow.
“I wanna buy a ticket, please.”
A golden ticket, I sigh.
Rummaging around in my bag, I find the coins I’ve been saving.
“You got a student card?” the man asks.
“No, sorry.”
