She spends the remainder of the call letting me know a few highlights from her latest meetings and where she's meeting friends that night.I’m incredibly proud of the individual she has become.Brave, confident and sure-footed.I only wish we could be in the same motorsport so I can spend more of my days with her again.
After she finished uni, she spent a season shadowing me before deciding she wanted to move over to the enduro team.Aside from winning that championship, it was the best season spending every day with her.She has built the enduro team up stronger, and their fan base has increased three-fold since she brought on a new specialist social media director who has promoted the team so well, they have lifted the sport's visibility with fans.Things I just would not have thought of but have now implemented on the motorcycle racing side.
“Sorry, Dad.I have to take this call coming through.Chat to you soon.”
“No worries.Chat soon.”
My phone goes silent, and the music starts playing in the garage again.
Dropping the phone from my ear, I’m sitting in the passenger seat of Rayna’s car, facing out.I’m in awe of my daughter and my heart swells.
5
Koby
ThefifthcontractorI’vehad through the house is being annoyingly meticulous.Not that I don’t appreciate their attention to detail.But after the last four taking their sweet-ass time, I’m good to pay whatever as long as I can get this over with.
The young bloke pops out of the last bedroom, phone in his hand, taking his notes.“Thanks for your patience, mate.Just want to make sure I covered everything so there are no nasty surprises.There have been a few houses lately that have had significant water damage, and some things that are dated and impacted by the salt water.”
“Oh?”I question.None of the others mentioned this.
“Yeah.I’ve noticed it quite a bit with these older houses along the coast.I’ve recently completed an extensive refurb on a beauty over at Tamarama.They had let it get along quite a bit.And until we started getting further into their repairs is when we noticed the derogation.So now it’s something standard I look into.Yours is nothing like that, and while they are more cosmetic at the moment, it will eventually deteriorate and need doing.Happy to show you, if you want?”He motions around.
We walk the house, and he points out areas that are bowing, or concave or a slightly different colour to the rest of the wall, floor or ceiling.
“Surprised you haven’t noticed these?”He remarks.
“Honestly, I’m not really home for more than a few months.So I don’t look that extensively at the house.”
“Understandable.Well, let me get this report together and send it over to you.Take some time to have a think about it, get some more quotes done for this water damage, and you can make a decision with all the information.”
“You’re the last quote I was getting, and you’re the first person who’s mentioned any of this.”
He grimaces, but corrects himself quickly.“Righto.Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here, mate.”
“Nah, I appreciate it.Means the other guys weren’t as thorough as you and probably haven’t done many jobs around here, hey?”
“Absolutely.Let me get this quote sorted, and I can also provide you with some other guys who can come around and quote you on short notice.They are guys I would book to do my own house.Honest and legit.”
“Sure, sounds good.Thanks...”I pause, forgetting his name.
“Liam.I’ll email you everything when I get home this afternoon.Liam Deerubbin is who you’ll get an email from.”He sticks out his hand, and I shake it.I’ll probably be going with Liam.Good vibes only.
He heads out of the house, and I’m left looking around the space and the decision I need to make.
I head back to Rayna’s in her car, which she kindly offered for me to take.Kindly offered, meaning aggressively shoved the key into my hands, and pushed me towards her garage and into the car.
“What’s the point of having a car if it’s not getting driven when needed?”She reasoned, not allowing me to take a cab.
Entering the house, it’s the opposite of entering my deafeningly silent abode.The TV is going, Rayna’s in the kitchen rattling pots and plates around making dinner.Something to come home to.No, I need to keep my walls up.Play this all safe.Go aloof, and just be friends.
“Heya,” I call out, so as not to startle her.
“Hello!How did everything go?”She asks as I walk into the kitchen.Leaning against a counter edge facing her.
“Interesting.Had four blokes come through, taking their time looking at everything, and then the last one came through, and mentioned a whole lot of damage from living close to the ocean and the saltwater impact.”
“That does make sense, but frustrating if the first four made no mention.”
