‘Bowlo?’
‘Nah.’
‘Surfo?’
‘Nah.’
‘Rissole?’
‘Nah.’
Kev glanced at his friend and rolled his eyes. The two were sitting on the bonnet of their car on a bluff over the bay. The waves languidly rolling in and the clouds colour draining as the sun set behind them.
‘Well, where do you want to go then, Phil?’ asked Kev.
‘I dunno, just somewhere a little less ordinary,’ said Phil. ‘I think we can do better than schnitzel and chips.’
‘When did you become such a snob?’ Kev asked with some surprise. ‘Something and chips has been our bread and butter for most of this trip.’
Phil turned to look at Kev, his neck and hair orange in the last grasp of the setting sun, his darkened face intent on the waters beneath them.
‘Exactly,’ said Phil.
‘We should mix it up a bit. Explore the local cuisine outside the big clubs.’
‘You know a lot of clubs have pretty interesting menus these days,’ said Kev, still hopeful of changing Phil’s mind. ‘Catering for the nouveau set.’
Phil noticed a smile on Kev’s lips, obviously quite pleased with his limited French.
‘Yeah, sure they do. I just thought we could try something new.’
The two sat watching as the darkness crept in around them. On the horizon, the sky and ocean met and merged into a formless grey. Behind them the streetlights of the small coastal town blinked into existence.
Different town, same routine. They’d lost count of the places they had stopped on their road trip. They might as well be nameless, each just a place to eat and lay their heads before setting off the next morning. The stops were never important, it was the drive, the thousands of kilometres of black tar left behind them and the promise of more the next day.
They’d eaten at the local pub or club most times, sometimes take away from the Chinese restaurant, but this was the first time Phil had suggested something else. Kev wondered if he was getting bored of the trip.
‘Trip’s been good hey?’ he said, probing. ‘Not getting over it are you?’
‘It’s been a great trip,’ said Phil, looking over to Kev with a reassuring smile. ‘No I’m not over it, just thought we could try a proper restaurant, you know, just for something different.’
‘Not sick of me, are ya?’ asked Kev with a nervous lilt.
‘Nah mate, never,’ said Phil, clapping his hand on Kev’s shoulder. ‘You drive like an old lady though.’
‘Fuck off,’ laughed Kev.
A lone seagull shot up from beneath the bluff and twisted in the air towards a picnic table to their left. A young family had set up for dinner, greasy boxes of fish and chips luring the gull closer. Its mates wouldn’t be far behind.
‘I’m glad we took the time to do this, though’ said Phil. ‘We’d been putting it off for too long.’
‘Yeah, I know, something always got in the way. I was lucky to get time off when you suggested we go now. Work doesn’t normally let me take leave on short notice.’
‘Lucky for you, and me,’ said Phil. ‘I mean if they’d said no, it might have been another year before we had a chance.’
Behind them a group of teenagers flew past on bikes and skateboards, emitting an indecipherable cacophony, disappearing as quickly as they appeared, leaving only a faint echo of laughter in the burgeoning darkness.
‘So, what’s up with wanting a change of scenery tonight?’ asked Kev.
Phil sighed, weighing his answer.
‘Just thought we could enjoy a quiet meal together. Pubs and clubs can be a bit noisy. Either that or you have your eye on the greyhounds.’
Kev looked away and cast his eyes down with guilt.
‘Yeah sorry. Old habits I guess,’ said Kev. ‘But it’s not always noisy or crowded. Remember that RSL on Monday? We were the only people in the Bistro. I swear the staff were checking their watches hoping we would get out so they could close up early.’
‘Yeah, that’s a different sort of quiet though. Two lone souls in a gigantic empty RSL bistro doesn’t quite have the same intimate appeal as a quaint restaurant.
‘Fair enough,’ said Kev. Intimate was not a word either of them would use to describe any meal they had together.
‘Anyway, I know we’re barely apart this whole trip, but I thought we could treat ourselves tonight, make it a little more special. Or rather, I’d like to treat you, to say thanks for the trip.’
‘You don’t have to do that, mate.’
‘No, I know, but I want to.’
Kev didn’t respond. All day Phil had been quiet, lost in thought. Kev had initially just put it down to the tiredness of being on the road, but there was no weariness in Phil now, just a feeling of apprehension.
‘It really means a lot that you came on this trip with me,’ Phil continued, ‘and I don’t say it enough, but you really mean a lot to me. I just want to make the most of our time together.’
‘Shit mate, you ain’t dying are ya?’
‘No,’ said Phil with a nervous chuckle. ‘At least, I bloody hope not.’
They both laughed before an awkward silence arose between them. At the picnic table, the seagull’s mates had arrived and they squawked and fought for hot chips thrown by the family, their kids squealing when the birds came too close. Phil stared out into the looming blackness. Kev looked at his friend, wondering what was really on his mind.
Phil returned his eyes back to his friend.
‘Kev, before we get back to our normal lives, before the distractions that kept us from this trip return, I just wanted to say…’
Phil hesitated; the words stuck behind his lips.
‘Say what, mate?’
‘I love you, mate,’ Phil said, finally.
Kev saw in Phil’s eyes an earnestness he had not seen before. It was as if a truth had awakened.
‘Yeah, I love you, mate,’ he returned.
Kev held Phil’s gaze, but his eyes seemed unfocused, as if deep beneath them, there was a struggle going on inside his head.
‘No, I mean, well what I mean to say is, I’m in…’
Phil lost his words and looked away. Kev reached across and took Phil’s hand in his own. It was sweaty, warm. Phil’s nervousness pulsed through it. Kev touched Phil’s chin and slowly turned his face, looking deep into his eyes. At this Phil refocused, his attention returned.
‘It’s alright mate,’ said Kev ‘I understood you the first time. I love you too.’
Phil scanned his friend, searching for any sign of doubt or misgiving, but saw only genuine warmth. More than the warmth of a friend. He recognised it as the warmth he had felt inside himself for some time and had hoped would grow to consume them both. He squeezed Kev’s hand.
They sat in silence on the bonnet of the car, hand in hand, as their gaze shifted back out to the sea. The sky and clouds were darkened, the coming night’s cooler breeze brushing their skin. Below the bay was lost in the gloom, the soft shuffle of waves caressing sand the only evidence of its existence.
‘So where to then?’ asked Kev, breaking the silence.
Phil looked over at his mate, his heart full and his mind racing with excitement at the journey to come. He smiled and chuckled as the response came to his lips.
‘Yeah mate. Bowlo.’