Page 60 of The Side Road
A large steel-cladbuilding with wide roller doors housed the local Men’s Shed movement.
Leo waited at the entrance for Oliver. ‘Leave politics and religion at the door. Find meaning in a piece of wood and the smell of pine.’ He shuffled Oliver inside and introduced him to half a dozen men, all wearing what appeared to be their unofficial uniform: work-wear shorts and a fluro vest. Some were red-faced. Many were overweight. A few wore name tags. The place was like a commune for retired soldiers. Life was tough; people needed somewhere to debrief, and this was the therapy room.
While Leo made coffee, Oliver wandered around the space. There were tables covered in furniture and household items that needed fixing. Cold cups of tea perched on every surface.
‘We’re a brotherhood,’ Leo said, handing Oliver a mug. ‘Blokes come in just to have a chat and a cuppa. There’s a backlog on repairs,’ he continued. ‘If you have the time, we could use a hand.’
In the work area, Oliver cast his eyes over a broken but newish-looking oil heater. He turned it upside down and removed a cover plate. After locating the reset button, he held it down for three seconds. When he plugged the heater into the wall socket, the control lights flicked on. One appliance down, two hundred to go.
A toaster caught his eye. A Post-it note stuck to the side saidMia Burke.
‘That’s a fancy European model,’ Leo said. ‘Can’t be fixed. Mia needs to buy herself a reliable local brand, like LG.’
‘They’re owned by a Korean corporation,’ Oliver said. ‘I’ll take a look.’
The toaster, a classic retro design with timeless styling, had extra-wide slots. You could make a toasted sandwich in this machine. Handmade, it had a stainless-steel finish. It used an analogue timer and a manual lever. It was a top-of-the-range appliance.
He suspected the heating element was faulty. The wiring looked to be intact, so he figured that was the only problem. He took out his phone, found the brand online and placed an order for the spare parts. With express shipping, they would arrive in a few days.
Three hours later, Oliver had repaired two heaters, replaced the plugs on half a dozen lamps, and serviced a lawn mower. It wasn’t a bad way to spend an afternoon; coffee and biscuits were free. Conversation was optional. He would return to the Men’s Shed, but not too often. If he stayed too long, the place might prematurely age him. He left with Mia’s toaster tucked under his arm.
A few days later, when the elements arrived in the post, Oliver dismantled the toaster and fitted the new pieces. He tested the appliance – it worked perfectly, every element firing. The inside radiated with heat, but the exterior was dull and tarnished from use. He rubbed the surface with stainless-steel polish until it gleamed.
At ten, he placed the toaster on the passenger seat of his car and drove across the river and up the hill to Mia’s house for coffee.
19
KNIT TWO TOGETHER
When Mia glancedat the toaster in Oliver’s arms, he caught the longing look in her eye. He knew what she was thinking; it was in better condition than when it left.
Standing at the front door of her house, she asked, ‘Did it need a hug?’
He smiled. ‘Good as new.’
When her eyes lifted and met his, he saw a faint quiver of excitement spread through her.
‘I know what I want,’ she said. ‘It’s you.’
He wanted to drop the toaster, throw her over his shoulder, carry her into the bedroom, remove every piece of clothing and give her the orgasm of her life. He settled for, ‘Why don’t we take this inside?’
After Oliver stepped into the hallway, she closed the door behind them. They were alone in a private space, but there was something wrong with the scene. It was the toaster. Taking it from him, she placed it on the edge of the hall table. A precarious position, it almost toppled off, but Olivercaught it and moved it to a safer location at the back of the table.
‘Sorry, I’m nervous,’ she confessed.
‘Nerves are good.’
‘Since when?’
Free of the toaster, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. Long, slow, and intense, it satisfied a deep need within him; an imagined moment had become a reality.
They found themselves up against the wall, his hands twisting in her hair while their tongues met. She kissed him like her life depended on it. Fiercely intense, he reciprocated. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anyone this much,’ she whispered.
It was all he needed to hear. At last, after weeks of thinking about her, they were finally together. Desire ripped through him like a wildfire. His hand slipped down her back. Grabbing her bottom, he pulled her closer. Her stomach pressed firmly against his rising erection as his lips grazed her neck.
He felt her swallow. ‘Would you…would you like to take off my dress?’ she asked.
‘Yes. I would like that very much.’
