Sunday 11th September 1960
"Do you think your friend..."
"Konrad. My house mate. He's not my friend..." David interrupted Alison who continued on.
"Don't be like that. You're living with him. I know you like sweets but will Konrad, your friend, like a cake?" Alison asked.
"Of course he would. He eats anything. He's a regular dustbin."
David was standing at the Balfours counter chatting to Alison and Helen. It was Sunday, the last hour at work for all three who were manning two of the stalls set up at the Adelaide Show during the September school holidays. David had walked across the aisle from the Reids' stall where he was demonstrating and selling white goods but as there were no potential customers, he strolled over to the Balfours stall to chat to Helen and Alison who weren't busy either. Their supervisor had wandered off as the crowds had thinned. There were more stallholders than visitors and some stalls were already packing up.
"This cake's a little damaged and won't be sold," said Helen. "I'll put it in a paper bag for you to take home. Here you are. Now be off with you and we'll see you at two thirty outside the main gate on Goodwood Road."
"Your eyes are so blue, Helen, I get lost in them. Thank you so much for the cake. Later, I'll give you a kiss for thanks," he said.
"You've learnt flattery, David. You're so full of bulldust, it is almost scary," Helen said.
David Murray played soccer as a forward for Souths and was their main striker. He had a dazzling turn of speed and ball sense that often gave him that precious fraction of a second to steady and score. He was 21, slim hipped and broad shouldered with hardy an ounce of fat on his five foot ten frame. A slightly oval face with merry blue eyes was ever grinning with the jokes he was telling or pranks he was about to unleash. His work at Reids had been arranged in England by his father, a clergyman in the Church of England before David came over to Australia as a ten pound pome. He had settled at Mrs Oliver's who took in boarders. But Mrs Oliver had gone home to England at the end of May and would not return until early November. She had sold a small block of land to finance her trip and had left her boarders to look after themselves. Keith, Konrad and David did just that. Keith much older than the other two wasn't much of a cook and took himself off to Strathalbyn at weekends to see his mother who would do his laundry. Konrad was a third year uni student training to be a science teacher. He was blond, slim and had a short haircut, almost crew cut length but it was a short back and sides. He was the same age as David, an inch and a half taller but shorter in the leg.
At a quarter to three Konrad heard the radio blaring before he heard the sound of the tyres on the gravel driveway. David and the girls had arrived in Reids' utility that David was looking after until the next day. As they stepped out of the utility, Konrad could see that the good looking girl carried a larger handbag while the other girl was still in her work clothes. He went to the back door to greet them.
"Konrad, my housemate, feast your eyes on these exquisite creatures from the Royal Show otherwise they are at Balfours assistants in Rundle Street. This is the incomparable beautiful Alison on my right, and on my left is Helen who leaves the original Helen of Troy much in the shade. Ladies this is Konrad, a much improved cook and now a dishwashing champion. You should see him with a mop and bucket, he is awesome."
"Helen, Alison welcome to our humble abode. I see David has brought you without losing bits of you on route. Can I offer you some refreshment? We have beer, lemonade, cola, spirits, rum, gin, whiskey, vodka or perhaps some wine? Sparkling wine? We have sauterne on ice."
"Do you have cola?" Helen asked.
Konrad opened the pantry door and looked at the shelf.
"Sadly I didn't stock any in our pantry," Konrad replied disappointed. "But I'll jog down to the deli and get some," he continued.
"There's no hurry to do that," Alison said. "As long as you've got beer."
Both girls chose beer so everyone settled on that with salted peanuts to chew on. They stood around nibbling the nuts while Konrad poured.
Konrad had quickly inspected the girls. Helen was the same height as Alison but looked shorter because she was of a sturdy build. Both girls were blonde: Alison's hair was long and wavy on her shoulders while Helen's was drawn back from her fringe into a short ponytail that barely reached the back of her neck. Alison's hair had been bleached blonde but Helen was a natural blonde. Alison's face was more oval and like a pearl, luminous in the fine quality of her skin. Helen's skin seemed fleshy by comparison, much like David's round complexion that had been scarred by burns to his face. Neither girl was overweight though Alison was about a stone lighter than Helen. Alison had changed into a loose frock with big multicoloured roses set on a cream background and wore high heels. Helen had stayed in her Balfours smock and low heels. Both girls wore red lipstick.
"You don't have a television," Alison stated as she looked around the lounge room.
"Mrs Oliver has a small sized set in her room and that's locked. She's taken the key with her to England," Konrad explained.
"What size does the Queen watch in England?" David asked. They looked blankly at him. "Philip's six inch," said David. After a moment or so they all burst laughing.
"It could be an eight inch," Helen said. The others hooted.
"Definitely not a twelve inch or it would have made the Sunday papers in Fleet Street. We would have read about it in a tabloid," Konrad said.
"You read tabloids? So do we, my mum and me," Alison said.
"Let's sit at the table in the kitchen," said David. The green laminex top table was about four foot long and two foot wide with two benches attached to backrests. It was a four person booth from a café dining room and a tight fit. Alison slid in and David sat next to her while Helen sat opposite Alison. David told jokes and stories about people at the Show and again he had the girls laughing. Konrad kept the glasses filled but didn't say much.
"Who has bigger breasts than Brigitte Bardot?" David asked. Various actresses were named but none of the candidates met David's nod.
"Do you give up? Victor Mature's beats them all," he said. The girls shrieked and laughed.
"Oh, it's so true!" exclaimed Helen.
"You've got five seconds to find a word ending in '-ats' that makes sense in the sentence: 'I'm frightened of ...'" said David. "If you can't find a word in five seconds, you have to finish your drink or pay a kiss to whoever helps you out," David continued.
"I'm frightened of bats," said Helen.
"I'm frightened of cats," Alison said.
"I'm frightened of rats," said David.
"I'm frightened of gnats," Konrad said.
"I'm frightened of Fats," said Helen.
"You can't be frightened of fats. That's not possible," David said.
"I can be frightened of Fats Waller," Helen said.
"Or she could be frightened to use olive oil, butter, Copha or margarine," Konrad said.
"An incorrect challenge means you have to scull your beer David," Alison said.
"Caught by his own trap," said Helen. They all laughed and cheered as David drank his beer. They were having fun.
"You're next Alison," David said. Alison was stumped for a word. Helen counted down the five seconds: "One, two, three, three and a half, four, four and a quarter, four and a half, four and three quarters..."
"That's blatant cheating," said David.
"Five. Time's up. I'll help you out seeing no one else is offering," Helen said and continued, "I'm frightened of brats, that will do the trick."
"Alison you have to kiss Helen," Konrad said. They all burst into laughter. Alison leaned over the table, eyes closed offering her pecker to Helen who grabbed her by the back of her head and planted a juicy and lingering five second kiss.
"That's to make you two jealous on what you've missed out on," Helen said. David had hoped for a different outcome and not with Konrad.
"How about a game of cards?" David asked.
"You're the hosts," Helen said.
