Brighten My Day
Do you have a maroon umbrella story? I do. It would be truly unbelievable if I didn’t have the umbrella to show for it all these years later. But I do. I thought you might like this short story. I remembered it during my walk today, under my maroon umbrella. It made me smile.
My friend Linda (Linny)and I were travelling home from Edgecliff on a train, Linda to Summer Hill and me to Ashfield. It was a miserable day. Bone chilling wind and bitterly cold. The walk up the hill can be like walking in a wind tunnel and anyone who has walked up the hill from Cadry’s will know that Edgecliff on a day like I’m describing can be just awful. It was this day. We took a pummelling from the wind.
We caught the train to Central and on our arrival there crossed the platform to connect with our train on the Bankstown line. The atmosphere inside the train typified a sombre mood reserved for those equally sombre days in the harbour city.
We chose the three-seater just down the stairs in the bottom carriage on the left-hand side. It meant we were facing the other passengers but actually it never really bothered either of us, we usually became quickly absorbed in our own conversations to mind.
Five minutes out from Central station a young man stood up and gave an impromptu performance. Unphased by the stony-faced audience, he acted like the consumate stand-up comedian. No laughs first time, no worries!
He decided to swap the business section of the Sydney Morning Herald for something … anything! You had to admire him, this was ballsy stuff! ” Who’ll swap me … something … anything for this section of the SMH?” You honestly could have heard a pin drop.
He approached a big Pacific Island fellow and the question seemed to hang precariously in the air for an indeterminable number of minutes! I felt sure he was going to be slapped into next week. Thankfully PI guy ignored him and stared straight ahead. I think we all silently breathed a sigh of relief. I thought he had to be inwardly acknowledging to himself this was one tough gig!
Undeterred he took out his maroon umbrella with its lovely wooden handle and announced he was going to give it to “the most beautiful girl on the train.” Linny and I were so engrossed in our conversation we hadn’t realised he was now standing in front of us.
We were approaching Summer Hill station, Linny’s stop and his as it turned out. Then he proffered the umbrella as ever a gentleman would, gallantly. “For you” he said. I blushed so hard you could have used my face to warm your hands by. Then he was gone, out the door and onto the platform.
Like I said, I still have this umbrella. It’s kept the rain off me for nine years now and made me smile everytime I think about how it came to be in my possession. Thank you ‘Mr-brightened-my-day man’. I can’t see your face in my memory any more but I remember what you did. The proof is over there, standing upright in the corner, looking for all its life, so everyday. Not to me though. Not by a long shot.
