Chapter 4: The Uninvited Guest

Marty drove the car into the garage and was surprised by the array of vehicles.

After getting out, he walked over the vehicle that was beside his rental car. “Fuck me! Is that an original 1953 Holden FJ Panel Van?” he asked. It was painted in Royal Mail Red and had the black leather bench seat and white interior paint. It gleamed like new.

“It was my first car, don’t knock it,” Mary said defensively.

“Knock it! It’s awesome. Wow! What I’d give to own one, it looks brand new.”

“Well, it’s not stock standard. I souped up the engine years ago. Then I modified it again to get better fuel economy and make it a bit more environmentally friendly. Do you want to see in the back?” she asked.

Marty nodded enthusiastically, so Mary opened the horizontally split backdoors. “Seriously! It reminds me of the vans that were called Shagger’s Wagons.”

Mary chuckled. “Well, it’s my touring car. I love to take off and go where I like. This baby has dual alternators and four batteries in a compartment behind the bed to run everything. It’s even got an inverter, and I can plug into a van site. The fridge, lights, stereo, hot-water jug and my laptop can run for three days without the engine being started.”

“It’s got a tank that holds a hundred litres of fresh water, and I even have a portable shower. She can get about seven hundred klicks to a tank of fuel, and the suspension is to die for. She handles dirt roads like bitumen. You should see some of the places I’ve had this baby,” she told him as she stroked the vehicle fondly.

The double-bed mattress was behind the cab and curtains could be drawn for privacy. The storage cupboards and visible flooring were done in a light pink-toned wooden finish. Cupboards were mounted along the top sidewalls. The interior paint was white.

At the base of the bed were wider cupboards that held all manner of things and stopped the mattress from shifting. The small fridge was on the left side of the vehicle in the back corner. It had a small workspace over on top.

On the other side of the floor was a box holding other camping accessories. It sat on top of two foldout chairs and a tiny fold-up table. Marty could easily imagine taking off in this car and pulling up anywhere to camp. “Will you marry me?” he said jokingly but also half-seriously. Finding a woman who loved cars and camping was rare in his experience.

Mary laughed and replied, “Come on, spunky, let’s get your gear. I’ll get you some linen so you can make up the bed while I rustle up some food for us.”

She waited while he grabbed his laptop and a bag from the car. She closed up the garage behind them once he was ready. She looked up at the dark sky and noticed the wind had increased to occasional gusts. The outside lights under the walkway showed them the way to the house.

She let him drop his laptop inside the front door and then took Marty through a second door that opened onto the veranda near the main door. From the small landing, she flicked on the lights over the stairs. She went down the two-tiered stairway to the room below.

Marty followed her, but he stopped on the second landing. “Seriously!” he exclaimed.

Mary looked back at him, then back to the room, that was laid out before them. A small kitchen with cupboards, a sink, a huge combo fridge/freezer, a large convection microwave and twin stove elements in the black marble bench, was set against the back wall to the left of the stairs. The Chrome legged and black-topped table for eight with red cushioned chairs sat in front of it.

The corner to their right was set up like a home movie theatre with a huge screen and surround sound. A big, plush and curved red couch that could seat eight people, with their own side-tables and personal footstools, faced the screen. The floor was a mix of light and dark-grey timber tiles and the walls white.

A black-topped bar was against the far wall, and you could dance or stand and talk in the space between the lounge and the bar. Behind the dining table was a green velvet three-quarter sized pool table. Two benches with red cushion seats sat against the back wall leaving enough separation for the players. The rack of pool cues separating them.