KEITH T. DENNETT | New South | CONTACT
Melissa Rickson (38) knows she’s no longer the young whippet she used to be.
Whether it’s the fact she’ll now choose a biodynamic Grenache over a UDL or that she struggles to listen to Triple J, Mel’s journey towards her 40’s is as inevitable as the purchase of a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
However it wasn’t until a recent trip to a pub in her hometown, did the realisation occur to her that she’s getting old enough to be afraid of running into past acquaintances in public.
Enjoying a few days with her family in Betoota, Mel stepped foot inside the Courthouse Hotel on the weekend, a rough joint that recently had the type of pub makeover that means it now has “doggie treats” on the menu and the old buck hunter in the corner has been replaced with a Finska set.
Heading up to the bar to get her family some drinks, Mel was floored to see a familiar face standing behind the taps, Ben Harrison (19), a kid she used to babysit back when she was at uni.
Realising that the little turd she used to take to the park has grown into a fully fledged adult that can now legally pour beers at a pub, Mel’s brain hit overdrive as she calculated the ramifications for their age gap.
“Ben, Benny is that you?” she asked, leaning up against the bar.
“Haha hey, yeah I work here over my uni break,” Ben replied, as he polished a glass.
Awkwardly sharing some small talk about how quickly time had flown, Mel immediately felt the urge to eject herself from the pub and stare absently into the final rays of the sun that are setting on her youth.
Returning to her family seated at a table in the family dining room, Mels face had turned white thanks to the interaction that had really ruined her day.
“You right love?” asked Mel’s Mum, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mel lied, “I just saw someone I used to know.”
