Page 12 of Hot in the City
The city council’s latest scheme was keeping her busy as admin officer. Driving her bonkers. Assigning email addresses to trees. Hmmm. Some bright spark in Marketing and Public Affairs decided to take direct reports from citizens about vandalism or sick trees, all for PR.
Exhibit A: an email about vandals cutting bark off street trees with knives. Short, factual. She nodded, clicking at her keyboard, forwarding it to the work team. The horticultural staff may still save those trees.
Natalia scrolled through the messages, prioritising as she went. Potential issues were marked with red flags or known troublemakers with exclamation marks. For someone else to deal with ‘up the chain’. Thank goodness.
Who knew Melbourne’s city dwellers would be so interested in the trees in the parks and gardens? Not her, and she was mad about plants. She had no idea what to do with the unusual emails, letters and...poems.
From: [email protected]
Subject: My heart
Dear Oak Tree 21,
My heart worships the mighty oak tree,
Spreading love and shading the ground,
With your leaves,
Like flakes of green happiness.
Thank you, Mighty Oak Tree!
I’d kiss you but I may chap my lips.
Yours, Caroline.
Okay, then. Caroline obviously had some issues but contacting the Tree-mail hotline probably wouldn’t help. Natalia hit the pre-written response for the crazies.
Thank you for your feedback. The Parks and Gardens department appreciates your interest in our trees.
Natalia wasn’t sure she did appreciate their interest. But work was work. She swivelled in her chair and leaned over her notepad. A half-finished sketch of oak leaves and acorns drew her gaze. She grabbed her pencil in a sure grip, shading around a barely-defined leaf. Then her phone buzzed. A reminder to herself to pay her electricity bill. This month’s budget would be a stretch.
Dropping her pencil, she sighed, breath leaking from her lungs like air from a deflated balloon. A masters degree in art history and botanical drawing, in particular, prepared her fantastically well for a career in damn close to jack shit.
She reached for her Japanese ceramic cup. The fresh jasmine scent cleansed her mind, but the green tea burned her palate. Too hot! A strangled yelp escaped her lips. With a splutter, she wiped the drips from her chin with a tissue.
“Hey, Babe, you all right?” The voice from behind the green partition printed with eucalyptus leaves, made her jump on her swivel chair.
Natalia put down her cup with a clunk before she scalded herself properly. “I’m fine.”
Her friend’s head popped up over the partition. “You coming for a walk at lunchtime?” Sofia was her bestie and trendy girl around town. Her black and gold streaked hair dangled from behind her ears.
“Sure, Sof. Botanical Gardens okay with you?”
“You bet. And afterwards, there’s a fab new Spanish tapas place nearby. You’ve got to try their gambas a la plancha.”
Natalia patted her belly, which rumbled on cue. Sofia knew the best lunch spots. “Sounds awesome, but what the hell is a gum-bus?”
“Gambas. Grilled prawns with chilli dipping sauce so delicious it nearly made me O.” Sofia fanned herself with one hand.
Natalia giggle-snorted. Sounded like a meal worth blowing the budget on. “Sold. Let’s go.”
Natalia’s pale curls blew around wildly, sticking to her lip gloss in the fresh breeze. It was bracing for February. Goosebumps pebbled her bare arms. She trudged the gravel path beside Sofia, across the sloping lawns of the gardens.
Sofia slowed and nudged Natalia’s arm. “Babe, isn’t that your oak tree?”
