A Long Way From Home

Max Skinner spent the morning roaming around Little Timor after making sure the work gang at the bank in Port Auckland were progressing as should be. Little Timor it seemed had grown out of the ashes of the old whaling village. Whatever inhabitants that were left there had simply moved a mile down the shore and started a new town. All the essentials were there, grocery, pharmacy, tavern, coffee shop. He stopped in front of the tiny bank that was closing when his bank opened in Port Auckland. It seemed a shame actually but in order to bring the Port town back it would have to have a bank. Max suspected Gerard Campbell had some influence over the corporate owners of the Bank of Western Australia. Money talked and he seemed to be endowed with plenty of it. Max was however enthusiastic about Jurd’s, as he’d introduced himself, dream of a new community.

What he was not enthusiastic about and had not counted on was the logistics of living out here. Little Timor did not it appeared have a home furnishings store. It was Max’s idea to hire a decorator to furnish the house he’d bought but Dee wanted to see it first…walk around and get the feel of the place before deciding what kind of furnishings it wanted. It did however, want a bed. He was staying at a holiday let on the beach in Little Timor provided by the bank but he had a house and wanted to escape the noise and clutter of holiday makers. He checked his watch…another hour before he would leave for the airstrip.

He was flying into Perth for meetings concerning the bank and hoped to find time to shop for a few essentials…bed included, before returning. He’d met the law enforcement officer a little earlier, an American of all things. He couldn’t imagine there would be much crime out here…then he thought of his bank and was glad he’d met John Biebe.

Spotting the coffee shop he went in and ordered an espresso.

"All we got here is just coffee mate," Maeve looked him up and down.

"Well…just coffee then," Max returned.

"Just passing through or are you lost?" she asked him.

"Neither…I live here…or will."

"Which is it?" she asked placing a cup in front of him

"I have a house in Port Auckland that I’m moving into." Max regarded the just coffee a moment before taking a sip.

"Oh Port Auckland well you’d be part of the new community then. I heard all about it some rich Kiwi’s bought it all up." Maeve wiped the counter with a questionable cloth.

"Let me ask you something…what does one do about shopping around here?"

"Depends on what you’re shopping for…most go to Perth or Darwin or just order on a computer; more and more doing that. There’s a little variety store at the end of the street they’ll order most anything you want if they don’t have it."

"Ah…yes…well thank you," Max frowned thinking of Dee and how she would manage out here. There’d be no more popping over to Harrods.

"You from London?"

"Yes…London."

"Heh, heh well it ain’t London out here," Maeve chuckled.

"No…it ain’t." Max smiled and paid for the half drunk cup of coffee and left. He was a long way from home in more ways than one.