by Gary Seeary
“How do ya know a manageress from a fancy college, Grub? By the smell of ya, she might think you’re a lamb and throw ya in a pot. Go on tell me how ya know her, or else I’ll bang on ya door in the middle of the night till ya do.”
Thankfully, Lettie was back to her cheery old self again. I couldn’t take it if she was down all the time.
“Ya won’t have to do that, Lett. I met her after I got into a fight with a local thug from around the corner who chased me into the uni. Thankfully, the kitchen manageress hid me until I could get away and make it home. I went to see her at the university on Sunday to say thanks and then she said she needed help in the kitchen next Saturday. So, I said you could cook, which she was impressed with and then she said she would give you a trial. She’s a nice lady, her name is Madeline.”
Lettie was quiet, trying to figure out if I was pulling her leg.
“It’s true Lett, don’t ask me exactly what you’ll be doing. I just don’t know. She really is a nice lady though, you’ll find out.”
Bloody hell! What more can I do?
“Righto, Grub. At the moment, I’ll say I’ll give it a go. But, I could change my mind, depending on what we decide about home.” Then, after a second, “Do I need to bring anything?”
“Just ya good self, Lett. Madeline said I have to take ya to her place in the grounds, ‘cause of a bad polio outbreak nearby.”
“They’ve been testing kids in the country too. The doctors even thought Robbie might have it. Something showed up on his lungs on the first test, but nothing was there when he was tested again. It took one hell of an effort to get him tested twice, I can tell ya.”
“I haven’t told Aunty May anything about the job, Lett, or anything for that matter about what happened at the uni, and I definitely don’t want her to know about Madeline. She would do her ‘nana’. I don’t know if I should let her in on part of the story. What d’ya reckon, Lett?”
“Don’t tell her anything, Grub,” Lettie replied, nonchalantly. “Mightn’t get the job anyway. We can tell her later on.”
“Tell who later on, Leticia?”
Aunty May had appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a smart mauve dress, sporting her favourite fox pelt stole. I don’t know how long she had been standing behind us.
“No-one Aunty. You look splendid tonight, don’t you?” Lettie replied, putting on a surprisingly good cultured accent. “Are you going out?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. Barry is taking me to the Crystal Café for dinner. I believe it is the place to be in Melbourne at the moment.”
Just then my foreman appeared on the back steps, looking silly in an overly tight suit. I could barely contain my laughter while he introduced himself to Lettie, before Aunty May took his arm and they headed off towards Lygon Street.
“Have a swell night,” Lettie yelled out, making them both turn around and wave.
“Who’s that wowser, not another shifty bugger, I hope?”
“He’s my foreman at work, Lett,” I replied, less than enthusiastically.
“Couldn’t lay straight in bed.”
We chatted for ages after Aunty May and Barry had gone, talking about all the gossip back home. Lettie described how Tiny had tried to set her up with one of his good mates at a local dance, only to end in disaster, when his mate got roaring drunk. She also told me my mate Arty had been back in town for two weeks and had come out to the farm to let the family know he and his dad had bought a farm in New South Wales for nicks, and wouldn’t be back down that way for a long time.
By the time it was too dark to sit out the back, I had managed to polish off enough scones to do me for tea. It was a good feeling having my best mate in town.
*
Lettie struggled to settle in for the first few days. The room she was given, next to Aunty May’s, stank more than I remembered, probably due to the fact it had belonged to a heavy drinker for several years and the sash window only opened up a couple of inches to let in fresh air.
I had never seen Lettie as nervous about anything in her life as she was about her job trial on Saturday. She threatened several times not to go, saying she felt like she was abandoning her family by being down here, and daily wanted to go home. She knew going home was impossible, for the simple fact she didn’t have enough money for the return train trip, and there was no way Aunty May would give it to her.
By Friday, Lettie had come around, telling Aunty May she was going for a long walk on her own around the Carlton area, to visit some of the old haunts we used to hang around as kids, and maybe dropping in at Melbourne University to see if there was any work. Aunty May said she was wasting her time at the university, and wasn’t happy she was wandering off at a time when there was such a worry about the polio epidemic and so many unemployed people ‘of dubious character’ hanging around on street corners.
I was proud Lettie had taken it on her own bat, to try and see Madeline at the King’s College kitchen, to introduce herself before her trial on Saturday. She did the right thing, unlike me, by going to the University Administration Office, only to be told by some snooty secretary that there was no way the kitchen manageress could be disturbed at that time, and all applications for college positions were exclusively requested in writing, so she must be mistaken about the job.
When I caught up with Lettie on Friday evening, she was nervous all over again, asking me time and time again whether I was sure the job trial was legitimate, as she had already told Aunty May about being given a try out for tomorrow. So, if it wasn’t on the up and up, she would never speak to me again.
My main worry though was the mystery senior. I had to tell Lettie about him, especially as he claimed to know me and also knew Lettie may be given a chance by Madeline in the college kitchen. I had to tell Lettie the whole truth about everything that had happened lately.
*
We were late to head off to the university on Saturday afternoon after the foreman made me stay back and help unload a dray full of skins. I was near exhaustion, after I ran home and then gave myself a quick wash under the arms, before putting on some decent clobber for the afternoon.
Aunty May did wish Lettie the best of luck as we headed off, and thankfully didn’t ask too many questions about how she got a trial, when so many others couldn’t get a foot in the prestigious doors.
By the time we had reached the Swanston Street perimeter of the university, Lettie had been filled in on my eventful last ten days. Fortunately, none of the stories affected the spring in her step.
“You’ve been a busy boy, Grub. Ya must a’ been cackin’ your pants when the big Pom chased ya into the college. I bet ya never thought ya’d be headin’ back this way again with me, on my way to try out for a job with the woman that saved ya bacon,” Lettie giggled, excited and much happier I had been honest with her.
“What ya said about that prefect-type saying that he knows ya and telling Madeline she should help me out with a job. That scares me a bit. No-one we know has gone on to university. He must be barkin’ mad this bloke.”
I am not so sure about that!
The closer we got to the King’s College the less assured Lettie became, complaining that her clothes were too old and drab for a trial, and sure they would cook exotic dishes in the kitchen, not the plain farm food she cooked back home. When we reached the chain across the driveway at the side entrance to the King’s College we stopped, like it was a massive wall between two worlds.
“Righto, Lett. Let’s see if I’m really leadin’ ya up the garden path,” I joked, before we stepped over the chain together and headed towards Madeline’s house, hoping I really wasn’t.
No-one stopped us this time, as we walked under a high canopy of oak trees filtering the sun and protecting us from a blustery wind. Lettie held tightly onto my arm, while we slowly walked the final fifty yards to the front of Madeline’s house.
I knocked on the door, the same as I had on the Wednesday before last, with a real anticipation that this was go
ing to work out well for Lettie. We could hear movement inside, expecting Madeline to open the door any second. When the door failed to open after a minute, Lettie’s fidgeting became worse. Yet, we could still hear banging noises coming from inside.
Then we heard a girl’s faint voice.
“Wait, please … I’ve nearly got it open.”
Lettie looked at me with concern. We could see the doorknob turning back and forth repeatedly. The next second the door flew inwards, revealing a young girl in a wheelchair in the doorway.
“Hello, my name is Bernadette. My mum’s not here now, she’s gone to the kitchen,” explained the blonde, curly-haired girl.
“Hello, lovely to meet you, Bernadette. We were to meet your mum here, but if you could point out where the kitchen is, we could meet her there,” Lettie asked, with the biggest smile on her face, relieved at seeing this adorable little girl.
The girl manoeuvred her wheelchair around until she was satisfied the right building was in sight.
“My mum is over there,” pointing between us, to a building at the far end of the grounds.
I guarantee Lettie would spoil this girl silly, if she ever got to spend any time with her.
“My dad will be here in two weeks. Do you know him?” the little girl asked, with real excitement in her eyes.
I got such a deflated feeling to hear her bludger of a father was coming back, but I replied cheerily, “No, we don’t, Bernadette. But, I may have a word with him when he comes down. We better go now, righto. Nice to meet you, and make sure to close the door behind us.”
“Bye,” Lettie said, giving little waves to Bernadette as we left.
Lettie and I smiled at each other, as we headed in a roundabout way towards where Bernadette had pointed, trying not to leave the pathway in case we ruffled the feathers of some gardener.
We walked in amazement past the castle-like main hall of the King’s College, feeling like we really were in a different world. There was certainly something powerful about this place, although I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
In the distance, I could make out a cream delivery van with its rear doors open, parked to the side of a smaller college building, a man lumping large white bags, probably flour, through an open screen door.
“That’ll be the kitchen,” I told Lettie.
We walked as fast as we could, as if the kitchen might vanish if we didn’t get there quick enough.
When we reached what I was certain was the college kitchen, I called out to the delivery man, who was just about to go through the open door. He almost fell flat on his face trying to halt the momentum of the heavy bags of flour on his shoulders.
“Sorry, mate,” I apologised, at seeing the man turning red in the face, while placing the bags of flour on the ground. I reckon if we weren’t in earshot of the kitchen, I would have got a mouthful.
“Do you know a lady called Madeline?” I asked. “She’s the manageress of the kitchen.”
“Yeah, she’s inside. I’ll get her for ya.” He stared at me. “And don’t ever stop a loaded man like that again, mate. Consider ya-self lucky I’m a gentleman, and I’m on my last drop for the week.”
We had waited three or four minutes at the screen door, before Madeline appeared, flushed in the face and dressed in a light pink uniform, dusted with flour.
“Hello, there! I see you’ve found our humble kitchen. I’m Madeline, so glad you came,” Madeline wiped her hands free of flour before she shook Lettie’s hand. “Now, shall I call you Leticia, or would you prefer Lettie?”
“Lettie is just fine, thanks, and thanks for giving me a chance,” Lettie replied politely. “And your daughter is beautiful.”
“That she is Lettie,” Madeline returned, before quickly changing the subject. “You may wish I hadn’t given you a trial by the end of the night. We have a big task ahead of us.”
“And how are you, Sebastian, keeping out of trouble?” smiled Madeline.
“I’m trying my best, but my record around here isn’t good,” I replied with a grin. “I’m happy you’ve finally got to meet my sister.”
“Okay, enough with the pleasantries, time for work. Come along with me, Lettie. I think I have a uniform in your size.” Then, Madeline looked at me again.
“Sebastian, Lettie will see you out front of the main college drive at around ten. Actually, come a little earlier, in case they don’t like the sponge,” Madeline chuckled, as she showed Lettie into the kitchen.
I stepped back over the chain in the driveway again feeling positive that Lettie would do well tonight. Selfishly, I didn’t want her to go back home and I really believed she didn’t either.
At the end of the driveway, I was about to turn onto the footpath that would take me back to Aunty May’s, when I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye.
“Hello,” called out a man’s voice. “Nice to see you again!”
I turned to see a young man, dressed smartly in a green and white senior’s jacket, leaning against the college wall. I had to look twice before I realised who it was. It was the smart-aleck from the Aid for Spain stand.
“May I introduce myself properly, Sebastian? My name is William Reinecke,” then, after a second, “You can call me Bill, when you get to know me better.”
7
* * *
The Sometimes ‘Prefect’
The senior pushed off from the college wall, messing up his neatly combed black hair until it resembled the wild curly mess I remembered from the Aid for Spain stand.
“I fear we may have got off on the wrong foot, Sebastian. So, I have prepared an interesting afternoon’s entertainment for you. I think you will enjoy it. We can get to know each other better.” I was too surprised to speak. “Well, come along, then!” he demanded.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, you smart shit,” I snapped back. “I ought ’a punch ya in the bloody face!”
I looked around quickly to see if his two massive guard dogs were anywhere in the vicinity, hiding in wait, ready to jump to his aid. This William fellow was bigger and taller than me but, if nothing else, I would make sure I had landed one good punch on him before he got me.
“Now, now, Sebastian, let’s be civil,” William said calmly. “And if you’re looking for my brothers in arms, they are in the country fighting in a boxing tournament. Under the same name, I’m told. Quite a scam, if it works.”
“I don’t care what they’re doin’,” I shot back. “Who the hell are you?”
This bloke was as mad as a hatter and I didn’t need to be around people like that.
“I must insist we get going, Sebastian,” William said impatiently as he started to stroll towards the city. “What I have to show you is important. It won’t wait.”
“What I can’t wait for, is for you to apologise to me. I don’t know what kind of fantasy world you’re living in, where you think you can get away with screaming at people you don’t know and then letting your thugs loose on old Diggers. But I don’t wanna know about it.”
William stopped and then turned around sharply, not seeming to take my rebuke well.
“My apologies, Sebastian, but I thought you may have appreciated that I helped when you were in a little strife with your large English friend. If you put a little trust in me, everything will be explained to your satisfaction.”
He started off again towards the city, this time at a steady pace. Not for the first time, I was stumped to know what to do. This bloke was so full of himself, it beggared belief. He acted like a champion of war victims one day and then a pretentious college student the next.
I was put in a huge bind here. Lettie’s whole future in the college could be jeopardised by this show pony. I hate acting like a sheep following the mob, but I had to find out what this poser was up to.
He said ‘put a little trust in me’. I’d start off with the tiniest ‘little’.
I started to walk in the direction of the city, keeping William in sight, but in no real hurry t
o catch up to this strange character, although I was more than a little curious to find out what had made him tell Madeline I was inspiring to him.
He stopped to wait for me outside the City Baths, this time leaning against one of the pillars that formed the entrance steps.
“Do you know what I like about you, Sebastian?” he said, when I finally caught up with him.
“Even after I was extremely rude to you last Saturday afternoon, you still bought something from Elaine to help the Spanish cause. It takes a strong person to do that. While you were being beaten to a pulp by the exceptionally large Englishman, I always had confidence you would overcome him,” he said with a wry smile that meant he had no confidence I could beat the Englishman, “but as it offered up such a unique opportunity for me to right some wrongs, I couldn’t refuse to act. And you did move to come to my aid at the Red Square … that was inspirational to me.
“By the way, Sebastian, the said Englishman has left the country, back to the ‘Old Dart’. His Irish friend with the sore ear appears to have disappeared without a trace.”
I went over again what he had just said, not believing what I was hearing.
“The owner of the Magenta Club, a fine Jewish gentleman from Sydney, is a generous supporter of the Aid for Spain campaign. Apparently, the two men in question were meant to be looking after his ladies, but instead, were more concerned with selling their not-so-kosher goods to passers-by on Lygon Street and randomly harassing others.”
Holy Moses, this know-all does know everything.
“By the way, Sebastian, may I ask what your sister’s name is?”
Or does he?
“Ya can keep my sister out of this,” I replied, sharply. “I mean it. I don’t want ya goin’ anywhere near her in the college. If ya want to find out her name. I’m sure a know-all like you could figure it out.”
“A ‘know-all like me’, is it Sebastian?”
William took a step towards me, I knew I’d hit a raw nerve. He came close up to my face, glaring into my eyes, trying to dominate me with his anger. I needed to use all the fortitude I had, to stand my ground and not turn away from his stare. I wasn’t going to give this overblown schoolboy the satisfaction of having anything over me. After what seemed like an eternity he nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with the outcome of his little game, still not prepared to avert his eyes.