Darwin Bookstore, Cullen Bay - 15th February, 2009

Note: this is just a sample - something to start off with. I will get some structure and timeline happening soon. Not really sure how all this stuff works but please, your feedback would be great! Happy writing :-)

From the outside it appeared to be like any other bookstore. In all reality, it was, however it was not entirely what you’d expect. As we hesitantly pushed through the single glassed door the welcoming waft of Frankincense met our in tune nose hairs. After all, Frankincense was our favourite.

Oddly, a middle-aged woman sat by the door reading at book with a glass of champagne in her hand.

Typical, I thought. We’ve walked into some posh ‘members only’ bookshop.

Sheepishly I looked around the small shop as the doorbell continued to ring in the otherwise calmly ambienced room and everyone’s heads turned.

Surely we’d be asked the leave I thought , after all, I was wearing a hippy type dress with a concoction of flowers in my hair and Dewse, well Dewse was wearing the same outfit from four days ago and was doing his best Cat Stevens impersonation. This was Cullen Bay, the most expensive and up-market area in Darwin with hundreds of over priced boats in the Marina and high-rise apartments looking over the harbour.

Nevertheless, a warm and cheerful “Afternoon” came from the shopkeeper - much to our surprise and relief. A beady-eyed man of perhaps 60 looked across at us through his over-used reading glasses and smiled.

“Hello”, was my reply as I ducked out of the way of the doorway and over to an impressive wall of photographed post cards. To humble my creative side and escape the curious eyes of fellow browsers I knelt down and began to admire the natural local landscape.

Dewse casually strolled past the “Sex, special interest and homosexuality” and delved into his real life stories from spaced out people in far away places.

Perhaps 15 minutes passed and I was still curiously looking at the beautiful photos and anticipating the moment in which I’ll be able to go there and experience it for myself. More correctly, though, it was more like wishful thinking, although I promised myself that one day I would go – one day I would see them with my own eyes. It was at this point the beady-eyed man spoke over the modern, up-beat mixes of traditional Aboriginal music.

“Would each of you like a champagne?” he inquired.

“Are you serious?” I, with hindsight, stupidly asked back.

“Yeah, it’s champagne Sunday”, he said.

“I’d love one”, Dewse and I said in unison.

The truth was, both of our heads were thumping from last nights efforts. It had been our first night in Darwin and we didn’t take it easy in the slightest. $9.50 jugs only got better as we got drunker and $7.00 at the Vic just topped it off. Nevertheless, neither of us had ever turned down free alcohol, or champagne for that matter, and we weren’t about to start.

With few words – most along the line of thank you – Dewse and I returned to our imaginations and wishful thinking. He was poor and had at least 7 un-read books back at the hostel while I didn’t even have a job.

As I flicked through the matt pages of effort, inspiration and dedication in books written by those of brilliance, I could do nothing but smile. I had made it, I was in Darwin and nothing could stand between me and whatever I wanted to do. Furthermore, I was sitting in what would seem to be a rather posh or ‘boutique style’ bookshop, looking like the hung over and unemployed hostel dweller that I was yet still allowed to drink champagne. Oh to be young and free.

With those thoughts in mind, I closed my last book and promised the kind gentleman that I’d be back once I had a job. I purchased two post cards and left with an air of lordly content.

NB: Matt has a blog - livingjuice.blogspot.com. It is because of him that I've started one up. Read his stuff too, it's great!