Tuesday, April 3rd
Mary and I went to Shelly Beach for a birthday barbie. We grilled some chicken and enjoyed lounging and talking. I love Shelly Beach. Pretty much every beach is stunning but they all have their own different feels. Shelly Beach is intimate and relaxed. Older retirees or mothers with children often come here. There aren’t any waves since it’s perpendicular to the main beach, Manly beach. On the right side of the beach is the bush walk I would go on when I first started here. It’s simply lovely.
Mark had a Parent Teacher conference tonight, but afterwards I made my way to Tom’s. He was having some friends over for an aussie barbie. I arrived at the station later than expected and without the use of my temporary phone (Since I hadn’t replaced the one I dropped in the river, I borrowed Mark’s phone for the night... but, it was out of credit for calls/texting. Smart, I know, taking a phone that doesn't work to replace a phone that doesn't work. I really think things through, you can tell... ;))
I rushed to the meeting spot where Tom picks me up at the station, but he wasn’t there. I waited for about 30-45 minutes. He's usually there early, so I sensed something was wrong. I kept praying that he was ok. This didn't feel right. Finally, I found a pay phone and called him. When he answered, he told me in a quiet, uneasy voice that he was in an accident. He had tried to call me to no avail. (My bad on the non working phone bit.) He rear-ended another car when they stopped suddenly. After the accident, one of the intoxicated passengers jumped out, rushed over to Tom’s car, hot with road rage, and hit Tom's windshield with his hands, shattering the windshield on Tom. Luckily, Tom didn’t respond with anger. The police came and settled the matter. Tom was fined for running into the car, but the angry passenger would pay for the windshield damage. Both insurance companies would cover the rest of the damages. Tom mercifully didn’t press chargers against the drunk passenger.
We took a taxi back to Tom’s place and I ate a late dinner with him. We talked about the wreck and then watched a movie. He was less shaken up after I left, but I still felt bad for him. No one likes a car accident. I’m just glad he didn’t get hurt. You can fix a car. A body is always more difficult to mend. I didn't leave until 1:00am since I got there so late.
Unfortunately the night continues to bumble along with transportation issues. I took a taxi to Central Station, Tom payed- how sweet. When I arrived, I had to pass several homeless men to get to the train station. I felt uneasy. Once in front of the timetables for the trains, I blankly stood there, staring at the train screens that all read, “Last train departed”. Dejected and nervous, I slowly looked around. Not a soul in sight at the station. No working phone. What do I do? Then a man came up and looked dismally at the same screens. He then walked over to another sign. I thought he might be my only hope. So I walked over to him and asked him for assistance. Luckily, he was heading in the same direction as me and knew of a bus that ran this late out of Town Hall. So we split a taxi to the bus (it was only a few dollars) and made it to the bus stop. We waited for about 30 minutes and talked about a wide array of matters. The bus ride home was another half hour. I finally made it to the Roseville station where my car was parked. I drove for about 3 minutes and then saw a police car. I put my game face on and made sure I was driving on the correct side of the road. Then, the dreaded flashing blue and red lights appeared in my rear view mirror. I started panicking. I didn’t know which side of the road to pull over on. What had I done wrong? Are my lights on? Was I speeding? Was I going to jail? I went to the curbside on the left and rolled my window down. He asked for my license and I told him I was from Texas as I handed him my whole wallet. “Oops, you probably only need the license,” I giggled nervously, attempting to mask my utter trepidation. I’m a total ditz. I retrieved my ID and handed it to the officer. He then said I needed to take a Breathalyzer test. I hadn’t been drinking, but did I look like I was? Why was he asking me this? I’ve never had to do this before. Ahhhh... He held up his small hand held device and I just looked at him. What was he doing? “You need to count to 10 in front of here,” he said pointing to the end of his electronic device. OH, so I started counting and then he said I was ok. “Have a good night,” he mumbled, and then he was gone. Hmm. Interesting… Bullet dodged….But still, I want to go home.
In Australia, they perform random stops to check for drunk driving. I learned this first hand. Apparently, officers don't have to have probable cause to pull you over. According to New South Whales Transportation and Safety, all standard police vehicles can indiscriminately pull drivers over to perform a breath test. Since the introduction of RBT (Random Breath Tests) in 1982, fatal crashes involving alcohol have dropped from 40% of all fatalities to the current level of 19%. Last year police conducted over 4.4 million breath tests in New South Whales. It’s working, but nonetheless, I was terrified.
Evidently, the night was not in my favor. I should have just stayed at home. Well, at least it made for a good story and Tom and I certainly bonded, going through something like that together. Fortunately, Tom is not hurt, a nice man helped me get home, and I didn’t get a ticket or have to go to jail. All in all, it was a win. I’ll look at the glass half full tonight. I did let out a huge sigh of relief as I crawled into the cool sheets of my twin bed. Only a few hours till my entire body will be jolted by the BEEEEP BEEEP Beeeep…
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