Arnold

Arnold was excited because the ANZ bank, where he worked as a junior teller had accepted his application for a transfer to Adelaide. Unusual but a great opportunity for the twenty one year old. It was a very big move for Arnold. He would be leaving the town he was born and raised in. Leaving his family and friends. Leaving Susie. Well that might be a bit over the top, after all she had actually left him. Hmmm...so she didn't count he supposed. He and Susie had been friends from Pre School on. He just knew he could win her back from Philip Black, that creep had his eye on Susie from junior high on. Damn. Arnold would miss Susie. She was the only girl he had ever been with,still Adelaide would be full of girls,opportunities, yup a new life Arnold told himself. Anyway he would only be two hundred and fifty miles from Whyalla. He would visit “home” when he could and perhaps Susie would miss and appreciate him. Yeah, that could happen...it could.



Arnold found it difficult to cope with city traffic, good grief, when he got his license in Whyalla,there were no traffic lights. None. Adelaide was full of traffic lights, walk,don't walk,wrong way,go back, stop,give way. And people, people rushing every which way! The light is green that means go...right? One time the light turned green and Arnold started to move off and all these people swarmed across the road in front of him. And they had the cheek to abuse him! Couldn't he see the little green figure and the walk sign? Yeah but he also saw the green light telling him to go! Adelaide was a crazy place and distracting. Arnold had never seen so many hot chicks in his life.



He loved the bank he was working in though. The staff were friendly,apart from Mr. Rogers, he was senior teller,fifty or so,strict, thin face,big nose and looked like he sucked lemons all day long. Still, there would always be a Mr. Rogers,wherever he worked Arnold told himself philosophically. It was good too that his branch was on the corner of King William road and North Terrace. From there it was less than a ten minute walk to the lawns beside the Torrens river. Arnold went there every day for lunch. It was a lovely spot and popular, he saw lots of good looking girls there but never spoke to any of them. In fact he never spoke to anyone at all. He would share his lunch with the dozens of pigeons that flocked eagerly around him.



After work he would catch a bus up King William road and get off at the corner on Hindly street. From there it was only a five minute walk to his tiny one bedroom apartment. He called it his twelve by eight,the dimensions of his lounge room. The bedroom was the same size and the kitchen a mere eight by six. There was a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and ancient washing machine. Still, there was a lock up garage, where he housed his car.



In the evenings Arnold would watch TV until eleven then go to bed. That was his life Monday to Friday. While he got on with everyone at work he never made any friends there. On Saturdays he would walk the short distance to Rudal mall and sit on one of the benches there. For hours. He would feed the ever present pigeons and tell himself how luck he was to live and work in the city. He thought about walking to the museum and art gallery,both on North Terrace. Of cruising on the Popeye, or a train ride to Victor Harbor. He never did. None of that stuff would be fun of your own, so he just sat in the mall and told himself how great everything was working out. But he was so very lonely. He wished he had never left home. A young woman walked pass, and smiling at Arnold said hello to him. The scowl he gave her in return wiped the smile from her pretty face and she hurried on.



Jumping up Arnold cursed himself and hurried after the girl. Maybe she would be his friend and take the loneliness away but she had melted into the crowd and he never saw her again.

Reluctantly he returned to his lonely apartment,shut the door and drew the curtains. It made the room quite dark. Arnold lay on the bed and began to cry.

ARNOLD.



Arnold was excited because the ANZ bank, where he worked as a junior teller had accepted his application for a transfer to Adelaide. Unusual but a great opportunity for the twenty one year old. It was a very big move for Arnold. He would be leaving the town he was born and raised in. Leaving his family and friends. Leaving Susie. Well that might be a bit over the top, after all she had actually left him. Hmmm...so she didn't count he supposed. He and Susie had been friends from Pre School on. He just knew he could win her back from Philip Black, that creep had his eye on Susie from junior high on. Damn. Arnold would miss Susie. She was the only girl he had ever been with,still Adelaide would be full of girls,opportunities, yup a new life Arnold told himself. Anyway he would only be two hundred and fifty miles from Whyalla. He would visit “home” when he could and perhaps Susie would miss and appreciate him. Yeah, that could happen...it could.



Arnold found it difficult to cope with city traffic, good grief, when he got his license in Whyalla,there were no traffic lights. None. Adelaide was full of traffic lights, walk,don't walk,wrong way,go back, stop,give way. And people, people rushing every which way! The light is green that means go...right? One time the light turned green and Arnold started to move off and all these people swarmed across the road in front of him. And they had the cheek to abuse him! Couldn't he see the little green figure and the walk sign? Yeah but he also saw the green light telling him to go! Adelaide was a crazy place and distracting. Arnold had never seen so many hot chicks in his life.



He loved the bank he was working in though. The staff were friendly,apart from Mr. Rogers, he was senior teller,fifty or so,strict, thin face,big nose and looked like he sucked lemons all day long. Still, there would always be a Mr. Rogers,wherever he worked Arnold told himself philosophically. It was good too that his branch was on the corner of King William road and North Terrace. From there it was less than a ten minute walk to the lawns beside the Torrens river. Arnold went there every day for lunch. It was a lovely spot and popular, he saw lots of good looking girls there but never spoke to any of them. In fact he never spoke to anyone at all. He would share his lunch with the dozens of pigeons that flocked eagerly around him.



After work he would catch a bus up King William road and get off at the corner on Hindly street. From there it was only a five minute walk to his tiny one bedroom apartment. He called it his twelve by eight,the dimensions of his lounge room. The bedroom was the same size and the kitchen a mere eight by six. There was a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and ancient washing machine. Still, there was a lock up garage, where he housed his car.



In the evenings Arnold would watch TV until eleven then go to bed. That was his life Monday to Friday. While he got on with everyone at work he never made any friends there. On Saturdays he would walk the short distance to Rudal mall and sit on one of the benches there. For hours. He would feed the ever present pigeons and tell himself how luck he was to live and work in the city. He thought about walking to the museum and art gallery,both on North Terrace. Of cruising on the Popeye, or a train ride to Victor Harbor. He never did. None of that stuff would be fun of your own, so he just sat in the mall and told himself how great everything was working out. But he was so very lonely. He wished he had never left home. A young woman walked pass, and smiling at Arnold said hello to him. The scowl he gave her in return wiped the smile from her pretty face and she hurried on.



Jumping up Arnold cursed himself and hurried after the girl. Maybe she would be his friend and take the loneliness away but she had melted into the crowd and he never saw her again.

Reluctantly he returned to his lonely apartment,shut the door and drew the curtains. It made the room quite dark. Arnold lay on the bed and began to cry.



C Gainsford  ©  Copyright  2011