baggage claim / friday night / foggy outside / chilly / yellow taxi [not orange] / is that a kippur? or what do u call those islamic hats? / long ride via city link / toorak road, south yarra (wrong turn), tooronga road / to / malvern east / friend's townhouse / catch-up / malaysian restaurant / beef sambal / roti / laksa / beers / indian waitress / caulfield station / long ghostly freight train emerges carrying many dead tree trunks / then disappears eerily into the night & fog / train to city arrives / hyper teenagers planning on buying alcohol at south yarra / a sikh gentleman / an accountant woman in black overcoat who missed her stop / more stations / flinders street / tram place / looking for 1,8 or 22 / get on the 1 / french students practising english & looking for a place to watch the soccer world cup opening match / families heading home from carlton-essendon game / swanston street / old-style carriages with horses waiting patiently in pools of their own urine / a public baths / around a little dogs-leg turn / onto lygon street / all the italian cafes & the like / gradually the neon & commerce subside somewhat / little old houses / a tower of housing dept flats / a few shops, etc. / a laundry / a restaurant / a tailor shop / that cemetary on the left / heading further north / i recall walking along here >5 years ago / tram stops often / i am patient / i am nearing my destination, i believe / the families in their scarves & regalia are off / the students get off, one leaves her mobile phone on seat & i give it to her / soon enough / i see that service station / i pull the buzzer cord & stand up / tram stops outside that video shop / across lygon st is the east brunswick club / i try to call a, no answer / i go inside / warm, lively, smoky / a pot of beer / eventually i get thru to a / he comes from next room to meet me / two vodkas / i catch up with his bride to be / & other friends / smiles all round / almost midnight / i made it / this far /
glad

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