The Lost Hours with Annabelle

"Yeah, you really like her," said Eddie, a huge grin on his face. "Last night even Chris was asking, 'Do you think your brother is hot for my sister?'"

I blushed and stammered a little. "No, I like Annabelle as a friend and I think she's really pretty and it would be swell to spend a day with her but only to show her the sights of Melbourne and have a picnic lunch with her ..."

"Liar, you really like her," said Doris. "We thought you liked that red-haired Sandra girl who you work with at the grocery store, but you like Annabelle even more."

Doris and Eddie looked at each other, and immediately began to sing in unison, "Jim and Annabelle sitting in a tree, K I S S I N G ..."

"Okay, okay, just please stop singing," I said. I then thought of something else. "You know there might be a problem. Annabelle's Mum and Dad might not be too happy with the thought of their daughter going out with me alone. They might say no."

Eddie wasn't overly happy about a possible road block in their plans for the day. "I don't know Jim, just ask her father for permission to call on her or something," he said tersely.

I laughed. "Call on her? Eddie, what year are we living in? I thought it was 1962, but maybe it's 1902 or 1912? And you call me a square?"

"You're a square, Annabelle's a square, you like her, you were both born on 29th February 1944, you're perfect for each other, just make it happen," said Eddie impatiently.

"Good luck with Mum and Dad, they're going to be really suspicious about this," I said. "So will Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

"Jim, we've already set it up, I called Raelene to set it up in case Mum calls her Mum," said Doris. "And we'll be fine if you don't mess it up Jim. Now come on, let's get back inside."

*

Doris had previously expressed interest in a career in nursing, and Eddie in joining the RAAF to be a flight engineer while Chris was also interested in aviation and had said that he wanted to be a pilot. However, the way the three teenagers sold their plan to go to a friend's house to study maths to two sets of suspicious parents made me think that sales careers might be better occupations for them as adults. Doris could sell real estate, Eddie could be a second hand car salesman at a lot and Chris could be a travelling insurance salesman.

"Really? You want to go and spend a nice Saturday studying at your friend Raelene's house rather than go out of the day on a picnic?" Dad asked after listening to the sales pitch.

Doris and Eddie had emphasized that while they were okay with tangents and Pythagoras, they along with their classmates were finding sine and cosine much harder concepts of trigonometry, and while they had mastered quadratic equations algebra involving cube roots and introductory calculus were also causing them problems. Chris was having similar problems back at school in Adelaide, and it was him mentioning this that caused them to remember that they had a study session planned that they forgot about, and had invited Chris along.

"You have the day off Tuesday between Easter Monday and Anzac Day, are you sure this couldn't wait until then?" Mum asked.

"Sorry Mum, we really need to study it while it's fresher in our minds, and in any case Chris won't be there, he'll be on the train back to Adelaide," said Doris. "We're sorry about the picnic, but we did agree to study first, only it slipped our memories."

Mrs. Smith looked at Chris, clearly having some doubt about her son's claims. "Your maths teacher said that you were a slacker and needed to lift your grades if you wanted to become a pilot," she said. "Why this sudden desire to study while you're on holiday?"

"Well, I listened to my maths teacher and he was right, I need to stop being a slacker and study more," said Chris. "I'm finding the more advanced trigonometry and algebra so hard, and studying with Doris, Eddie and their friends might help me get some new perspective, new study ideas."

"And the same for us, with Chris there he can give us some study ideas for when we get back to school on Thursday," said Eddie.

"That's right," Doris affirmed.

Mr. Smith laughed. "You know Doris, when I went to high school and there were kids who would rather study than go on a day's outing, we would have said they were squares." He again laughed and made the shape of a square with his fingers, irritating Doris but she didn't react as getting her own way was far more important.

"Jim's very good at maths, can't you get some study advice from him?" Dad asked.

"What about Annabelle?" Mrs. Smith asked Chris. "Your sister is a straight A student."

Doris as usual had all the answers. "Yes, but they're in Year 12 and they study way more advanced calculus, algebra and trigonometry than us, so without meaning to may confuse us by working on a higher level."

"Also we need to sort out these problems for ourselves," Eddie said. "When Doris and I are in our maths exams, Jim won't be there to help us. The same for Chris, when he's doing exams back in Adelaide, Annabelle won't be there to help him."

"And Annabelle and Jim are Year 12's," said Chris. "They don't want to be spending their Easter Long Weekend tutoring maths to a group of Year 10's."

Doris looked at me, her blue eyes giving me a cue to speak up. "I'm sure Annabelle and Jim would like to have a break from all the study they have to do for Year 12, and enjoy themselves."

I spoke to my parents and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. "About the picnic and sightseeing in the city, how about I take Annabelle with me? We could have lunch by the river, it's a nice day and would be a shame to waste it. That's if Annabelle would like to go, and it's okay with you?" I looked at Annabelle and her parents, hoping they would say yes.

Annabelle said, "Thanks Jim, I'd love to go. That's if it's okay with you?" She looked at her parents.

Mr. Smith looked me up and down, his eyes seeming to enter my mind. I knew what he was thinking. Was I some rat bag, who wanted to take his pretty teenage daughter to some lovers' lane or isolated spot in the bush up in the Dandenong Ranges, get into her panties and have his way with her?

There was an awkward few seconds as Mr. Smith looked from me, to his wife, to their daughter and back to me again. I had some things going in my favor. For one I had presented myself to the Smiths as a mature and sensible young man, who would not try to take advantage of a young lady. Secondly, it was during the day, rather than at night which reduced the chances of Annabelle and I getting up to no good. Thirdly, he obviously trusted his teenage daughter not to allow any men aside perhaps for her gynecologist anywhere near her vagina until the night of her wedding when she would make herself available to her husband.

Mr. Smith smiled. "I think it's a swell idea, as you kids say nowadays." He indicated his son, and my brother and sister. "If these squares would rather spend a nice Saturday studying, then it's their loss."

"Thanks Dad," said Annabelle, a smile filling her pretty face.

"Yes, thanks Mr. Smith," I said, looking at the tall blonde teenager looking so pretty in her blue dress with the swing-style skirt, white shoes and white ankle socks and a matching blue scarf around her neck accentuating her beauty, her blonde hair in a pony-tail with a blue ribbon. I sure was looking forward to the day out now.

Mr. Smith was obviously keen to get out and have fun playing golf, and spoke to Dad. "Now Bert, let's go and be squares ourselves. According to Chris and Annabelle, the squarest things ever invented in the history of the Earth are golf courses."

Dad laughed. "Our kids are just the same, George."

The only one not convinced was Mum. She knew only too well about Doris's devious nature -- although thankfully not about Doris going to the make out party and her and her friends drinking alcohol and playing inappropriate party games with boys -- and was very highly suspicious about her teenage daughter's motives this morning.

"This whole study thing sounds like an interesting work of fiction to me, Missy," she said. "Why do I think you'll be spending your day listening to rock and roll music rather than studying?"

Doris put a look somewhere between 'butter wouldn't melt in my mouth' and 'sugar and spice and all things nice' on her pretty face. "Mum or Dad, if you want to call Raelene's mum or dad and check for yourselves ..."

"Oh believe me young lady, I will be checking, that is where I am going right now Doris," said Mum. She went into the kitchen and we heard her dialing the number on the phone.

"Hello Florence, it's Lillian Smith here, Doris and Eddie's mother," said Mum. "The kids were saying something about coming to study maths with Raelene and her friends today. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of it."

When Raelene's mother confirmed that her teenage daughter had indeed told her about the study session -- albeit only earlier this morning -- Mum was convinced enough as she bade goodbye to her friend and put down the receiver. Although I could see by the look that she gave Doris, Eddie and Chris that some doubts about what they were up to and why were not 100 percent accurate.

*

With the deception out of the way, it was time for the three groups to have their different Saturdays. Doris, Eddie and Chris cycled away fast, lest should the parents change their minds and force them to go on a picnic with a girl who committed the terrible sins of being too tall, too square and too boring along with the square older brother, or far worse to the golf course.

Mum, Dad, and the Smiths got into the car that George Smith was driving this weekend, and headed for the golf course. With only the two of us going on the picnic after all, we had a smaller picnic basket rather than the large hamper, and had taken sandwiches, fruit and a thermos of lemonade along with a picnic blanket. Annabelle carried a large cloth bag containing an umbrella and towel if the weather turned wet as forecast and her transistor radio.

We climbed into Dad's car, me in the driver's seat and Annabelle in the passenger seat, and I started the car, reaching up onto the column to change to reverse gear, and reversing down the driveway, me noticing that the skies over Melbourne were still sapphire blue with not a cloud to be seen and the day was warm. However having being born and raised in Melbourne, I knew that the weather could change quickly and we could get the 'four seasons in one day' trick.

Reaching the road, I noticed that Annabelle had obviously had to slide the seat much further back than where Mum normally had it, and even then her long legs were still bunched up. "Have you got your license, Annabelle?" I asked as I drove down the street.

Annabelle nodded. "Yes, I got it last year." She smiled and laughed. "It's a bit of a miracle really, they really don't design cars with people like me in mind."

"I'll just need to get some petrol, then we'll head down to the city," I said. "And change the radio station, unless you want to listen to this?"

"Um, no thank you," said Annabelle.

Dad had set the radio frequency to a station very close on the AM band to the 5 and 6, and it was mostly the news, politics and sport. At the moment announcers in their very stiff cultured Australian accents had finished discussing just how long the German city of Berlin could sustain a wall built last year between the Western and Eastern Zones, and were now discussing rising tensions between the Americans and Soviets over the communist island of Cuba.

I quickly turned the dial and set it to a cool station that I liked and hoped Annabelle would like too. The song that was playing came to an end, and the enthusiastic voice of a young male announcer filled the car. "And that was one of the biggest hits from the lovely Miss Connie Francis, wondering where all the boys have gotten to. I'll tell you where they are Miss Francis, out and about with the girls enjoying a beautiful Easter Saturday and listening to the sounds of Johnny O'Keefe on 3QG Melbourne."

"I really like Johnny O'Keefe, and I love this song," said Annabelle, as the great voice of the Australian rock and roll singer came to life in the car, singing about his love for his girlfriend whom he referred to as his baby.

"He's great and I love this song too," I said, both of us enjoying the song as I drove towards the road where the petrol stations were located. There were two petrol stations not far from our house. The closest was an Esso, but this had a long queue of cars waiting this morning keen to get petrol with a midday closing, so I drove over to the Golden Fleece in an adjacent street which had fewer cars.

The young guys re-filling the car, washing the windscreen and checking the tires as the pounds, shillings and pence numbers clicked over on the bowsers seemed interested in the fact that such a pretty blonde girl sat in the passenger seat, but something didn't seem quite right about her. Was she sitting on something? I saw the guys stealing looks into the car to try and see what looked wrong, and their looks of surprise as they realized that their eyes weren't deceiving them and that Annabelle really was that tall.

Paying for the petrol, I drove in the direction of the city, Annabelle and I talking and enjoying listening to the catchy sounds of Philadelphia group The Sensations who wished to be let inside, then Elvis Presley, Australian group the Delltones, Bobby Darrin, followed by a newly released song by another Philadelphia-based group The Orlons.

Annabelle and I definitely had similar tastes in music, and this was confirmed when the Orlons finished and the enthusiastic young DJ advised he was playing another hot new release from America from Bruce Chanel.

"I love Bruce Chanel, and this song is so catchy, I could listen to it all day," said Annabelle.

"Me too, and this guy is going to be big," I said confidently. "Maybe as big as or bigger than Elvis?"

So much was I enjoying the song that I began to sing along with it, which was probably not a good idea for two reasons. For one, I could not sing and two, the lyrics of the song would probably not impress Mr. Smith if he found out I was singing them to his teenage daughter while driving her unchaperoned. So I wisely left the singing to Bruce Chanel and continued to drive into the city.

"This is Lygon Street, Little Italy it's sometimes called," I said, driving down the street in Carlton which had been rejuvenated in recent years by Italian immigrants, lots of cafes and restaurants now seen in the street.

"It looks really nice," said Annabelle, admiring the surroundings as we drove along listening to another song, this time a relaxing instrumental by Acker Bilk which was one of this year's biggest hits.

"You have so many trams," said Annabelle, noticing the extensive tramlines as we reached the northern edge of the city.

"Do you still have the trams in Adelaide?" I asked.

Annabelle shook her head. "Sadly, just one line now, city to Glenelg Beach. They removed most of the trams about four of five years ago. It's a real shame."

"I hope they don't remove ours in Melbourne," I said, waiting for a truck and a van to go before proceeding. I looked out the window at the blue skies. "How would you like a walk into the city? I can show you more sights on foot than in the car."

"Sure," said Annabelle. She indicated her long legs. "As you can tell, I'm definitely designed for walking long distances."

I parked the car near the Carlton Gardens, allowing me to show Annabelle the historic and beautiful Royal Exhibition Buildings at the same time. As we walked down the street towards the city I said, "There's a really nice milk bar down this way. They do great milkshakes there. How about we stop there?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Annabelle. "Thanks Jim."

The doorbell jingled as we went inside, and the milk bar was crowded with teenagers both boys and girls as it always was. A group of them was playing with the juke box, similar music to which we had been listening in the car. Few customers or staff paid attention to the entry of two more teenagers, until they looked across and silence fell, mouths dropping open slightly as they realized that of the two new arrivals, the girl stood at 6 feet 9 inches in height.

There were awkward glances and mumbles, people looking away too quickly having been staring at Annabelle, others trying too hard to change the conversation and talking too loudly. I felt sorry for the poor girl, this happened everywhere she went, for something she couldn't help.

Annabelle and I did our best to ignore it and act normally. "I can never decide between strawberry or blue heaven," said Annabelle as we looked at the milkshake flavors available.

"That's amazing, I was thinking the exact same thing," I said. It was astounding. We had the exact same taste even in simple things, like milkshake flavors. "So how about we get one of each and share?"

Annabelle and I did just this, and sitting at a table, took turns at putting our straws into her strawberry milkshake and then my blue heaven milkshake. Some kids did stare when they came in and saw how tall Annabelle was, but generally it wasn't too bad and we were both feeling pretty good as we finished our milkshakes and set off again for the city.

Swanston Street was a busy one, lots of cars and pedestrians, as well as trams. It was also one of the most scenic, and I pointed out the sights to Annabelle, all the while loving being alongside this tall beauty, with the sunlight reflecting off her pretty blonde hair. Her swing-style dress and accessories was stunning, and next to her in a light brown shirt, trousers and shoes I felt quite drab. She certainly seemed to be enjoying her walk through Melbourne with me as a tour guide, pointing out the highlights, like the museum, town hall and a variety of historic buildings, theaters, well-known streets like Collins Street and department stores for which Melbourne was famous.

We were nearing the river now, and reached the corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street and the historic Princes Bridge which went over the Yarra and led to St Kilda Road. Trams glided over the bridge, and there was plenty to see here. On one corner was a historical pub dating back to the 1950s, opposite from this a beautiful cathedral and diagonally opposite from the church the Flinders Street Station, yellow in color with its stunning façade, dome, turrets and an ornate clock tower.

"What a beautiful building," Annabelle observed as we crossed Flinders Street, and to the Princes Bridge with its fancy design and old ornate lights, where we stood looking down river at Flinders Street and the city skyline as the brown waters of the Yarra flowed underneath.

"Don't worry, the brown color that's from mud and clay way upstream," I said to Annabelle. "Lots of people think the water is dirty, but it's not."

"It's kind of like back home in Adelaide," said Annabelle. "The Torrens can get muddy sometimes, but generally its okay. Like in the rowing team at school, we have to wade through the Torrens all the time."

"You like rowing?"

"Sure do, I'm in the girls' team," said Annabelle. "I like netball and running too, but with netball I've had a few problems with other girls' parents saying I've got too much of an advantage and shouldn't be out there on the courts."

"Sorry to hear that, that's too bad," I said, feeling sorry for Annabelle. "I happen to like rowing too, so how about we have our picnic on a boat? There's a place just on the other side of the bridge where you can hire boats?"

Annabelle looked very pleased at this prospect. "That sounds like a great idea, Jim."

We were about to cross the bridge, when a large family came from the opposite direction, the parents and an older brother and sister trying to keep the little ones under control, and the mother comforting a screaming baby. They reminded me of my friend Sandra's large family. When the Fielding family went out anywhere, it was always the parents, grandparents and older siblings trying to keep order among the younger kids, an exercise more like herding cats than sheep.