Friday, March 17, 2006

a brief interruption

They were running late for school, but the sound of Rob Kerin's voice on the radio made the whole car feel somehow calm. Adelaide was particularly reassured to hear Kero explain that of course they could find efficiencies and cut 4,000 public sector jobs. Take education, for example, he said. With all those children leaving the public sector, we just don't need that many teachers any more.

It was the kind of thing that once you heard it, it just made perfect sense.

What a pity things had been so hard to hear over the noise of the Festival and the Fringe and the Adelaide Cup.

Adelaide put on her blinker as she waited her turn at the lights. The windscreen could do with a wash she thought.

'Mum, you forgot to give me my undies to put on,' her little boy said.

There are some mistakes you make your child live with, Adelaide thought, and some you don't. She turned the car around.

'I can't wait to tell my friends about that,' her little boy said and both of the children laughed. And then they said undies to each other over and over again. And they yelled mum forgot and they laughed a lot and Adelaide couldn't hear Kero's voice any more.

Adelaide hoped they wouldn't be too late for school.

3 comments:

littlefaeriegirl said...

seriously, can we hang out one day?

lucy tartan said...

I'll come too.

Zoe said...

and me! I want to come!