The plane landed safely in Sydney. Gina Barese was jolted awake from her long sleep. She panicked as there was total darkness, only for her to realize that she still had her sleeping mask on. She started to stroke her hair back and wrapped it up with her hairband. She guessed she must have looked like a mess, flying from Chyenne to Los Angeles, then here to Sydney, and finally over to Perth.
The plane de-boarded, and the passengers were filed through Australian customs. Gina had applied for an expedited visa online to get into the country. She was starting to become aware of how much the trip was starting to cost. She had been trying to save up enough for a down payment for her own home. She was by no means broke, but it was still hitting her in the pocketbook.
She made way out of customs into the airport, then found a day hotel to relax in. She got a much needed shower, then went to lie down for a couple of hours. She awake terribly hungry, so she went over to the food court to enjoy herself.
Gina took her meal over to a table and sat down. The food court was extraordinarily busy, and she was lucky to find one. She began to eat when a young lady approached her. "This seat taken, dear?" She had a casual Australian accent, much different from the more posh one Jake had.
"No, go ahead," said Gina, thinking that she wanted the chair. The girl sat down and put her phone on the table. The Aussie girl had lovely straight blonde hair, with gorgeous blue eyes and a deep tan. Her body was slim, and her breasts were modest but nice and round. She wore a loose-fitting blouse with cut-off white jean shorts, and her shoes were bamboo-weaved platforms.
The girl smiled. "Sorry, I just needed to rest here," she said.
Gina smiled. She held up her sushi tray. "Go ahead. I bet you're hungry."
The girl's eyes lit up, and she carefully picked up a sushi roll and jammed it all in her mouth at once. She covered her mouth, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry, mate. My name is Josie." She offered her hand.
"Gina," she replied, and grasped her hand. The Aussie girl had very tender fingers.
"You sound American," said Josie.
"You got me!" Gina said, giggling. "I'm here just for some vacation time."
"Oh, that's so nice," Josie cooed. "I'd love to get to America. You always hear that it's so scary, but you meet them in person and they're the sweetest people."
"Oh, thank you," said Gina. "Actually, I came for a man. I met him just a week ago, and I came out to surprise him."
Josie put her hands to her mouth. "That is so romantic!" she said. "Oh, I wish a boy would do that for me."
Gina and Josie chatted for some time. It turned out that they were both taking the same flight to Perth, where Josie was visiting with her sister. Gina and Josie chatted as if they had been friends for years all through the flight.
Eventually they landed in Perth. Josie gave Gina the address to her hotel. Despite Josie being so much younger than Gina, Gina felt like she could relate to this woman so well. She had so much promise and potential in her future. Gina prayed that she did not end up like her, her heart broken and her wealth wiped out.
They said their goodbyes, and Gina caught a taxi to Jake's apartment. She still could not get the image of the two of them together that night at the ski lodge out of her head. That young man left a great impression on her.
Gina wheeled her suitcases over to the lobby. She searched for King on the buzzer but to no success. She wheeled them back out to the curb and sat down on one of her suitcases.
A young Asian man walked by wearing a Murdoch University shirt. He looked about Jake's age, and his jersey looked like something a rugby player would wear. "Oh, excuse me!" she exclaimed at the young man. He stopped walking and looked at her. "I'm looking for a Jake King. Do you happen to know him?"
The young man smiled. "Ol' Eggs and Bakey Jakey? Yeah, we're good mates. I'm on the rugby team with him." Gina was surprised that he spoke with an Aussie accent. The young man walked over and offered his hand. "I'm Bings Phan."
Gina giggled. "You're my biggest fan?"
Briggs laughed. "No, love. My first name is Bings, short for Binghamton. My mother couldn't speak English well when I was born, and I think she read it off a sign or a postcard or something. People just called me Bings and it stuck. Phan is a somewhat common surname from Vietnam."
Gina nodded knowingly. "Ah. But you were born here, right?"
Bings smiled. "Don't let the face fool you, dear. I'm as Aussie as they come."
She smiled. "Well, I guess I should find where Jake is."
Bings snapped his fingers. "Now I remember—he was down at the pitch today. We're all trying to get some practice in." He looked around. "He might not be back for some time. I'd hate to leave you out here. Are you checking in to a hotel?"
Gina grew red. "Well, I was kind of hoping to stay with Jake. Now I might have to. I was kind of hoping I could do this trip on the cheap."
Bings licked his lips. "Well, look, if you need someone to show you around, I could spare the afternoon. I had nothing planned. You can leave your bags at mine."
Gina sat up excitedly. "Are you sure? Oh, I hate to be a bother."
"No bother," he replied. "I get to spend the day with a fine bird. No downside."
They took her baggage to Bings's apartment, a rather nice ground-level condo. Jake lived in the taller building across the street. Gina loved the spatial simplicity. "Wow, and you have a garden out back?" she said from the living room.
Bings was putting her luggage into his bedroom. "Yeah. See the hedges? Total privacy. I'm on a scholarship as well as getting some money from my mum. Our family is a small partner in a rum business." He came back out to the living room. Gina admired how tall and athletic he was, probably the same build as Jake. She loved his eyes. She thought Asian men were so darling to look at.
To make up for the trouble that she put him through, Gina offered to take Bings to an early dinner. She could pass the time away in Perth with a new handsome man while she waited in anticipation for her lover to come home.
Bings was definitely more comfortable with women than Jake seemed to be. He was just as courteous, but there was a sense of relaxation with this new man, as if he saw her company as the gift, rather than anything Gina had to offer him as a favour. She felt warm around this man, and she hung on his every word.
"So we're in the scrum, yeah?" said Bings as he reminisced about one of his big rugby matches. "Now, what Jake is
supposed
