Wombat Bill

Exams were over and both boys felt confident that they had done as well as they could given the difficult circumstances of the past year. Corona restrictions, lockdowns and on-line study for part of the year had been very stressful for all final year students. Added to this for Kevin, was the sudden illness of his grandmother and her eventual death. However, the blossoming of their relationship from school friends to boyfriends had come at a good time so they could support each other. Steve was

I guess I'm still a newbie, been a member since September. Just discovered this topic when looking at the profile of a new reader of my story. I started writing a few years ago when confined after some surgery. I thought I would just write a short story to fill in some time. Then 80,000 words late I realised I had written a book. I published it as an ebook on another site. Then I found a second book inside me, and after that nothing for about a year. When I was grounded by Covid lockdown, I had a silly idea about the name Covid and wrote a short chapter about a teenager who had a problem with his name. I sent this to my friends and got a good reaction, so I wrote another chapter and so on. When I discovered GA I published a few chapters to test the waters. I was thrilled when I discovered that people liked my story so I continued to write in real time. Thank you to all the members who have supported my writing and thanks to those that run this site and give amateur writers an outlet.. Of course the story takes place in my home state of NSW Australia, where daily Covid cases are now down to zero, restrictions minimal and we are returning to normal. As a result The Covids will soon end and I will move onto a new project. Regards, Bill

Daniel was a complete mess the day after his mother’s funeral. Jenny tried to help, but he just shut himself away in his home office and asked to be left alone. She knew everyone dealt differently with grief, so she let her husband have his time to grieve. Two days later, Jenny could see no change in Daniel. He ate very little and tossed and turned all night. Each time she took him tea he seemed to be pouring over patient notes, but the blank look on his face convinced her that he was not re

ONE MONTH LATER “Family and friends, we are gathered here today for a celebration. Yes, I said celebration and meant it, for today is a celebration of the life of Beryl Covid. Beryl was a wife, mother, grandmother and much more. She arrived on this earth 78 years ago and was raised on a dairy farm in the Bega district. Throughout her school years she was a good student and participated in community activities such as netball and the Girl Guides movement. Beryl finished school after complet

Steve and Kevin both had the week free for study, while the foreign language exams were held. On Monday morning they worked out a joint timetable that included solo study time, shared study time and free time together. Instead of being a distraction, their new relationship worked in their favour when it came to preparing for their exams because they had the shared goals of doing well in their exams, supporting each other and exploring the intimate side of their relationship. Their timetable sche

“Dad, this is Lucas.” “Pleased to meet you Mr Covid” “Pleased to meet you also Lucas but it’s Daniel and Jenny.” “No problem Daniel.” After introductions Jenny said “Dan why don’t pour coffee for you and Lucas, take it outside and set up the table on the deck. We’ll have breakfast out there.” “Sure Jen. Lucas, looks like we’re not needed here, so we’ll do as requested and chat outside.” “No problem, Daniel.” “Now my girl, I’m not happy about this bike ri

Bikie - I must admit I have a bit of confusion here with regard to our colloquial term. Bikie has traditionally referred to a motor bike gang member, however motor cycle riding is on the increase now by more law-abiding citizens. Although the average age is over 50. Seems popular with those who missed out on their youth by being hard working boomers. Some may call them Bikers, but cycling is also on the increase here so Biker may be confusing. Although we do have others terms for cyclists - Cockroaches on wheels or Mamils (middle aged men in lycra.) So what do we call respectable people who ride motor cycles. Suggestions welcome. BTW we do have names for some tradies that don't end in ie. ie Ambo, Journo, milko, Coppa, bean counter, garbo, muso,.Oh, I know what you're thinking. If you can't put an ie on the end put an O. Over and out!

Saturday Afternoon Christine sent her mother a text late on Saturday afternoon to apologise for missing lunch and to advise that she wouldn’t be home for dinner either. After lunch and movie Kevin and Steve were walking through the shopping mall when Kevin asked “Wanna have dinner out also, there’s lots of food choices here.” “That would be nice, but I had something else in mind. I was thinking you should come over to my place and have dinner with my family. Like a sort of, mee

Botany Street was well named because it had become a garden street over the years. There were easy care gardens growing mostly natives, others with roses and more exotic species requiring regular pruning, some with colourful annual plantings and those with bulbs in full bloom this month. Then there were the gardens with just a front lawn, some trimmed to within an inch of their lives and others that had not heard the sound of a mower since last summer. Of course, there was one front yard, and ev

Kevin sat for his maths exam with a little grumbling afterwards about some of the questions being confusing. Again, he and Steve planned to walk home together after meeting at a nearby park, having taken different routes to avoid arousing suspicion. Steve arrived first with Kevin not far behind. “Well, up and at it.” demanded Kevin. “No, sit down I want to talk first.” “Is there something wrong?” “No, not wrong, I just need some help making a decision.” “What decision, has it any

Yes, and it's also a currency. Helping your mate move house might cost two slabs.

Daniel checked with the hospital each morning for the next two days, but there was no change in his mother’s condition. Then on the third day, “Mr Covid I am not pleased with the rapid deterioration of your mother’s breathing overnight. I am concerned that the fluid in her lungs is not clearing so today we will be taking a more aggressive approach to her treatment.” “What will that entail Doctor?” “Firstly we will put her into an induced coma, this will ensure her comfort. Then she will

After finishing the call with his father, Kevin called Steve. “Hi mate, what’s up?” said Steve. “It’s my Gran, she’s in hospital and they think it might be Corona Virus but we won’t know for sure till the test comes back, maybe not till tomorrow.” “Shit! That sounds serious, I hope it’s not Corona, it can be deadly for old people.” “Thanks Steve, just what I needed to be reminded of.” “Hey man, didn’t mean anything awful, but you know what they say about this virus.” “Yes

Jenny called Jason about 1.00pm and he told her he expected to be home in an hour. She told him she could not raise Beryl by phone, and he assured her he would check as soon as he arrived home. As promised, Jason arrived home by 2.00 pm and immediately went to check on his Grandmother. “She doesn’t answer the door Colleen, maybe she’s gone out. I called her landline and I can hear it ringing.” “I’ll get the key and check anyway.” Colleen put on a mask and gloves then entered the

While Jason and Colleen were away, Daniel and Jenny checked on his mother by phone each day. When, one evening, Daniel decided to call in on his way home, his mother refused to let him in and just yelled at him through the door. “OK Mum, don’t get upset, I just want to make sure you are well and to see if you need anything.” “I don’t need anything from you. Just go away and leave me in peace.” “Very well, but call if you need groceries or anything else. You can call Jenny if you don’

Jason lay down beside Colleen, turned towards her, elbow on his pillow, head on his hand and gazed at the woman he loved so much. “Are you just going to look?” she asked. “No, I’ll get down to business in a moment but before that, I’ve got some good news to tell you.” “Great, I could use some good news after such a shitty week at work.” Jason explained his plan to Colleen and she was thrilled with the idea, except for one matter. Simon, Jason’s boss at the hotel, was keen to

A few days later, Daniel’s mother, Beryl received a call from her best friend, Anthea. “Hello Dearie, I’ve got some bad news. Remember when we had lunch at the Hunters Hill Bowling club last week and I introduced you to Pippa Woodford and she joined us for lunch.” “Of course, but why do you ask?” “It seems she has tested positive for Corona virus and all those that were at the club at the time are advised to watch out for symptoms and get tested if you are concerned.” “Bugger! Th

That night as Christine lie in bed, memories of Maude flooded through her mind. She remembered the day her father brought home a young stray tabby cat that had tried to move into his medical centre. The practice manager was not a cat person and would not entertain the idea of the staff adopting her as the office cat. By the end of the day almost everyone had refused to give the cat a home, so the practice manager said she would call the RSPCA. When he heard this, Daniel offered to take the cat h

Oh! now I get it. Had to do a search on Divco as I'd never heard of them in Australia. Did discover there are only two here. One is registered and is currently for sale. The other is in a museum. When I was a kid our milkman had a horse and cart. Then he upgraded to a Bedford or a Commer, not sure which good old British brand. Anyway the upgrade meant the milk now arrived 30 minutes to an hour later. Why? He had to get in the truck and drive it, whereas the horse knew the route and just plodded along the street slowly as the milkman delivered to the house. That's progress.

Seems like all thumbs up for Kevin. Will he continue to ride this wave of popularity?

“Do you all remember the day Chris found Maude had died?” asked Kevin. “Of course I remember, you were so insensitive that morning. The poor cat died in her basket and you showed no compassion at all. You know how much I loved her. But why are you bringing this up now?” “Well, I have a confession to make.” “You mean you killed Maude?” “No, and don’t be so accusative. But I know how she died.” “So tell us!” demanded Christine. “I can do better than that; I can show you t

Kevin has an attack of conscience, who would have thought?

To fill in her time while in isolation, Christine had been working on some new cartoons for the Campus Courier. She just finished one and was uploading it when her phone beeped. While the file was uploading she read the text then rushed out of her room, found her mother in the kitchen, put her arms around her and gave her mother a big hug. “Chris! What are you doing; you’re supposed to be in quarantine.” “It’s OK Mum, look at this.” ‘Dear Christine, your test result is NEGATIVE: your

Aah, Mum and Dad seeing the video, now there's a chapter I'd like to read.

I always think that hand-made cards can say so much more than store bought. ❤️