A Friday Night.

I took her on the Geelong train to show how we do a night on the turps in Melbourne. A simple plan. We get picked up at the station, drop our shit back at me family house, meet some mates somewhere on the Glen Waverley line, off at Spencer Street and then to the Carron Tavern. The BeeHive. A night of the coolest back then 60’s stuff dj’ed by public radio “celeb”, DJ. So fucking cool the music he plays. The Doors, The Kinks, The Stones and shitloads of Beatles. Shitloads of Beatles. I Wanna Hold Your Hand. He could even make you believe Neil Diamond was cool. Yeah, Sweet Caroline. Play Sweet Caroline for our friend Carolyn. I dare you to go up there and request it. Come on. Do it for Carolyn. Do it for me. But doesn’t the DJ try to crack onto 18 year olds like me who go up there and ask for The Doors? Doesn’t he?

And tonight was going to be special. A friend of James or someone said he was going to bring some mushrooms. Yeah, mushrooms. All nighters on amateur speed and mushrooms. Love it. Love it. We’re going to laugh so much. It might get crazy out there. I reckon tonight’s going to be the night. As long as someone’s bought some port or something. I might have to raid the cabinet.

So me and her are in the back of Dad’s car just picked up from Spencer Street. Snug back there. Hands lightly touching. Mum, Dad, this is Andrea. Nice to meet you. Yeah, lives in Geelong with her mum and we’re in the same psych class. We’re meeting Nic and Stew later.

"Glenn. "

"Sorry Andrea about this. Glenn. Matthew. Matthew Lloyd."

"Yes. What about him."

"Matthew took his life on Monday night."

"The funeral was yesterday. "

"We couldn’t call you because you have no phone in your place in Geelong. No, we decided it was best we didn’t tell you and leave it until the weekend. "

"How did…."

"He locked his garage and led a pipe from the exhaust into his car. The funeral was very sad. John and Judith were devastated."

"Sorry you had to be here for this, Andrea. Glenn and Matthew have been…. Matthew is I mean was Glenn’s closest friend since kindergarten. "

Poor Andrea held my hand tight while I watched two raindrops race each other to the window seal.