A Typical Few Days In My Life!

The year was 1977. I had just arrived in Sydney from Tasmania, where I had finally left my husband. I was alone, and nobody knew where I was. I managed to rent a unit that was unfurnished in Manly. Manly reminded me of England in a way, seagulls and the shoreline, and the ferry boats busily picking up and dropping off passengers. I had lived on the Isle of Wight in the UK so I suppose there was a comparison.

I had spent several days in a motel near the Sydney airport, and had viewed myself in the mirror, and was horrified to see swollen eyes and such a sad face. Not a pretty picture! I think I was in shock because I started to feel quite numb emotionally. Anyway, I said, now look here, you, pull yourself together! So, I got on a bus that was going into Sydney and arrived at the harbour, having no idea where I was headed! I saw the Manly ferry and thought, well, that's an idea. I didn't know what Manly was like, but was literally being led by intuition, quite whimsically with no specific plan!! I cringe now when I read this!

As I said, I rented a unit -well big room with a kitchen and bathroom. I purposely took an unfurnished unit to keep me busy and keep my mind off things. The first night, I slept on the floor with some clothing bundled up. I remember the moonlight coming through the window. I was on the first floor, and pigeons were sitting on the window ledge cooing, which I found quite soothing through my tears. I felt very alone.

What had I done? I had to leave my husband; I had little choice. It was imperative to my survival! I won't go into the gory details as he had been an exciting and best friend and lover, so when his behaviour could change so rapidly, it always amazed and horrified me! We had so many adventures and travels together.

But I did miss him, and I missed our beautiful rottweilers, which we had imported from the UK a year ago. I had opened the back door to the garden of the house in Hobart and said to them goodbye, my darling dogs , I'm sorry, and shut the door. How did I do that?! A tear comes to my eye as I write this , years and years later. I had also left my antiques and things we had shipped from England. I had turned the queens back to the king on the chessboard and left my husband a letter. I had forgiven him many times in the past.

I remember him going to work - looking so handsome with a dicky bow tie and cumberband, as he was now a dealer at the casino. As I waved him off, I knew I would never see him again. I would have to go interstate and disappear. If I saw him, I would go back, and sooner or later, that would have been my demise!!!

Anyway, I will get back to what happened next! I would have to buy everything, but I decided to keep things simple -Japanese style and Chinese crockery (everything cheap), so I was formulating the decor of the little unit with a very limited amount of money after paying bond, rent, and air fare. There were lots of shops in Manly and second-hand too, where I bought a single bed and a coffee table, and chair, kettle, saucepan, crockery and some bed linen. I had made a start!

So now, I sternly said to myself, you have to go for a job! I scanned the paper and saw a job for a receptionist in North Sydney. That's not a long bus ride from Manly. I went and bought a knee-length skirt and a suitable receptionist blouse from Katies and resolved to be happy and bright at the interview, not mentioning I had only just left my husband. I would say two months, as this would seem more stable! Of course, I felt nervous and still very much alone and resolved to phone long distance to my parents in the UK and tell them what had happened, though I was loath to do so. To hear their voices would cheer me, though.

I hopped off the bus and walked to the high-rise where the position was on the 9th floor, and got chatting to a girl at the traffic lights. She told me she was also going for an interview (not my job) and as we were early, we went for a coffee in the plaza. It was so nice to have a chat! So we said cheerio and wished each other good luck!

I'm starting to wonder why I'm writing this. Is it good for me to reenact what happened all those years ago? Is it a form of cleansing? Am I proving how strong I am? I don't know. I don't know why I want to share this! I am getting close to erasing this evidence, which is still so much a part of me! I've had some incredible bad luck over the years as well as some amazing good luck, so I noooo complain. Anyway, it's done now!

I went up in the lift and hoorah, I got the job! I was sooo thrilled.

The lift came and I was so happy I stepped out and realised too late I was on an empty floor! Idiot! I pressed the lift button and noticed masking tape hanging on the wall. I expect the painters have been here, I thought. The lift came back, and there was the same guy in it, from before, and I said, "Great, you came back for me "! He grabbed me and started shoving me out of the lift and down the hallway to the loos! I initially thought there was something wrong with the lift! He had the tape in his hand, too! It was all happening so fast. His sunglasses moved to his forehead in the wrangle, so I shoved both my fingers in his eyes. I'm glad I had short nails, though! He was going to rape and kill me Im sure! My judo master had told me many years ago that if I felt my life was on the line, to do that! The guy ran, banging into the wall on the way to the stairwell!

I couldn't get my finger on the lift button fast enough, fearing he would recover and return. I burst out of the lift on the ground floor, which was a hotel. There was a group of guys and I shouted "a rapist is coming down the stairs"! They all rushed out to try and find him. The hotel called the police, and a secretary came down from my new job and took me into the bar to recover. I told her I wouldn't be taking the position because of bad karma. I told the police it was lucky it was me and not some little girl from the other offices. A film star was at the bar, and he offered me a drink. His name was Ray Barrett, but I didn't really know of him, being new to Australia! He was very kind to me and sympathetic. I said I would be back in a minute as I wanted to go to the loo. Oh dear, lo and behold I found a man having an epileptic fit on the floor outside of the loos, so I stopped and stayed with him and helped him until he was recovering! Ray, meanwhile, thought Where is she? He came round and said the immortal words, "It's not your day, is it "? Ha Ha certainly isn't Ollie!

I can honestly say that this led on to further aggravations, but I won't tell you now, as you wouldn't believe it could possibly be true, which is the story it seems of my life ! I am quite astonished that I'm actually still alive! I have also managed to retain my joie de vivre! I curtsy and say ta ta !