I hadn’t expected to receive such a warm welcome. Just a week ago I had been in a park after hours calling number after number trying to arrange another destination or two before flying to Western Australia. I called at least 15 numbers when I finally dialed Tricia’s. Tricia had answered and explained to me that she was leaving on vacation that weekend. Having become accustomed to rejection due to bad timing that night I started saying my thanks to hang up the phone, but before I could begin to get the words out an enthusiastic voice explained that I was still welcome to come even though it would just be until the end of the week. “You can use our internet while here. That way you can find another place to go without having to pay the hostel”, the voice said. I obliged and the following day I jumped on the train to Burleigh Waters.
While I had stayed with Tricia I felt right at home. I suppose it has very little to do with the gorgeous environment of Burleigh, but entirely due to Tricia’s welcoming and upbeat personality. A personality that would seemingly take a mountain of weight to dampen. Tricia is just one of those people that make you sort of happy to be around. She makes that moment, which would otherwise seem insignificant, fun. She is the kind of person who would buy a new dress, love the heck out of that dress, put it on for the first time, and then you come along and bump into her spilling your coffee all over it and she would be more concerned about your lose of coffee. “Here let me buy you another. No, I insist.”
I didn’t go to Tricia’s to seek praise for my work, but that’s what I got. “Wow! Oh wow Todd! This is just great. This looks like a professional did it. No seriously Todd, thank you!” I wonder if there were complaints from the neighbor that night from my glowing.
Tricia dances. She doesn’t dance professionally, or maybe she does. She has a favorite band and they are called Oka. When Oka is on, Tricia beams. She loves Oka. The other night she had left to take her daughter Grace to practice. While she was gone I had put Oka on the stereo. When Tricia returned she appeared tired and simply beat from the goings of the day. Then she heard the music. “Now that is something I want to come home to!” Let the laughs and fun begin.
Last night I packed up the hippo and prepared to leave on the next morning. I woke up and made some breakfast. Soon Tricia was about and asked her if I would help load some music onto her iPod for her trip. I began helping her with her iPod and wrote out some directions for her to do it in the future. That morning I was leaving for a place called Gateway Retreat where I would be staying for the rest of the month. Before leaving Tricia insisted I take a dilly bag, Aussie for lunch sack. After showering me compliments about my being a wonderful guest and jabbing at me about her going to Samoa, “Nah nah nah”, I parted ways with the jubilant and free spirited Tricia, her family, and Burleigh.
I’m sitting at a train station called Indooroopilly. I’m waiting for Linda with Gateway Retreat to pick me up and take me off to wherever the road curves next. I don’t know what to expect, but I think it is near some rain forest. Linda’s not here yet, so I think I’ll take this time to reminisce on the continuous laughing shared with Tricia & Family. Ya, I’ll miss it.
