“Yeah, it wasn’t a bomb, it was a massive vibrator you ordered for your massive vagina and they sent it with the batteries in it, so it was worn out before you could have a red hot go at it!”
“A VIBRATOR!” said Sharon, nearly choking on her drink as she laughed along with the rest of the girls at the table.
Kylie looked at Sharon. “It was massive mate, you should’ve seen this thing, it was so big it had a stand on it that could stabilise a motorbike. We all stood out the back waiting for the owner to collect it so Cherie had quite an audience when she arrived. Seems she wasn’t interested in Sharon that bit of information with you!”
Sharon laughed again and looked at Cherie...who was not laughing. AT ALL!
“Well, I hope you enjoy working your two jobs Kylie, don’t ever bother applying to MIM. You should know by now your application won’t go anywhere” Cherie gloated.
“Oh, thanks but I’m really happy where I am, reading all your mail and working for people I actually respect!” Kylie said then walked off knowing she had just shit in her own nest. But she had to be honest, and be herself. Even if it did mean welding already closed doors shut.
“Well that wasn’t very bright you widiot,” Kylie said to herself as she walked back to the bar with an armful of empty glasses. “You won’t ever be heading over the tracks now, as that cantankerous cow won’t leave her job for the next twenty years. You are one screwed dudette! You’ll have to come up with a brand new plan!”
Kylie unloaded the glasses onto the bench, sighed, and rested her hand on the beer tap. Seeing the ice around the pipes, she got her pen and lightly engraved a smiley face in the frost then winked at it. “You’ll be alright Smiley. Good things will come your way. You’ll see,” she said to herself, smiling at her shiny reflection on the beer tap handles.
Later that night Kylie met up with Sophia. They made their way through the six internal bars, giggling and chatting, before eventually finding themselves in the basement Karaoke Bar. Kylie waved to Anastasia and within five minutes her favourite song was being played, ‘Oh What a Night’ sung by Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons. Kylie and Sophia ran onto the dance floor and Anastasia joined them from the stage, taking a quick break from her hosting duties to boogie with her friend. She smiled and waved to greet Sophia then leant in to Kylie’s ear. “I heard what you said to Cherie.”
By this time Kylie had consumed four shooters and five bourbon and cokes.
“Go the Grapevine! Yeah, I’m smart hey!” Kylie laughed.
“Nope. Now what are you going to do?”
“Ahhh, I’ll think of something. Had my cards read today and they said I’m headed for change.”
“You’re always headed for change, every time the bar closes at 5 am you head straight for the loose stuff people drop at the bar!”
“Rogerhhhh! Kylie loves free stuff!”
“So what are you going to do?” she asked again, knowing how much Kylie had wanted to work at MIM.
“Baby when I figure it out, you will be the first to know. Watch this space!” Kylie threw her arms around Anastasia and gave her a hug. “Thank you for playing our song!”
“Anytime. I’ve gotta go. Have a great night!”
‘Rogerhhhhh.” Kylie wiggled and waved goodbye.
By three o’clock, Sophia and Kylie had both had enough. They wandered outside to get a taxi each as they were headed in different directions. As the next taxi pulled up, they said goodbye and Kylie reconfirmed that she would take Sophia to the airport just after midday.
Kylie arrived early to pick Sophia up from her hotel. They chatted all the way to the airport and Kylie helped her inside with her bags. There were other people at the airport who Sophia recognised so Kylie said goodbye and was on her way back to the car park earlier than she thought she would be. The inbound flight had just landed and the passengers were picking up their luggage and making their way to the car park and the taxi rank. It was by sheer luck that Kylie ran into an old work mate. They had worked together at KFC while Kylie was still at school.
“Emily! How are you?” said Kylie.
“Hey Kylie, Wow, I haven’t seen you in years. How are you?” Emily replied.
“I’m great thanks, I’m at the Post Office still and working nights at the Irish Club, life is good.”
“Hey, did you know that BHP Cannington is recruiting at the moment?”
“Yes I saw something yesterday in the paper.” Kylie’s face lit up with excitement.
“I just finished working there because I’m going overseas in a week, why don’t you send your resume through to the Townsville office?”
“Okay, I will. Thanks. I thought they wanted you to send it to the mine site, that’s where I would have sent it?”
“No, trust me, fax it to the Townsville office first thing tomorrow, the number is in the white pages, look I’ve got to go but good luck.”
“Okay, thanks, have a safe trip overseas!”
And that was it.
Kylie got in her car, drove home, and immediately got her resume ready to take to work the next day. After phoning the Townsville office of BHP Cannington at 9.01 am to get the right fax number, she faxed through her resume immediately.
Within three weeks she had a phone call asking her if she was interested in attending a job interview with Cannington. The position was based at the Port. In Townsville. Kylie had thought her resume would be put forward for a site-based fly-in fly-out position from Mount Isa. Nope. Apparently her resume had arrived the same day that applications for the Port Administration role had closed. She hadn’t even been aware that this position was open. The timing of her fax meant that her resume wound up on top of the pile on the Human Resource Manager’s desk. Her resume was treated as a wild card applicant.
Kylie couldn’t believe her luck. She treated the first interview fairly casually and thought the flight to Townsville would enable her to buy three, foot-long Subway sandwiches, one to eat after her interview and two to take back home on the plane. Leaving the Veggie Delights with Cheese with reception on her arrival at her interview, Kylie walked into the boardroom with no expectations of wooing a job away from a Townsville applicant. But just by being herself, she won over both the interviewers with her charisma and charm. She also made them laugh so hard one of them started crying. When she was flown back to Townsville for a second interview, she realised as she taxied out from the Mount Isa airport terminal that she had this job in the bag and she was going to take it, and that her life truly was about to undergo a huge change.
Within six weeks, Kylie was organising her farewell party and saying goodbye to all her lifelong friends. How about that for getting your fifty bucks worth!
Leaving The Isa
“Be Strong, Look Ahead, but don’t forget about what is in your rear view mirror,” Kylie said to herself as she combed her shoulder length dark burgundy hair and then began applying eye shadow above her lovely blue eyes. After covering her light dose of freckles with some foundation and powder, she gave her cheeks a bit of colour and stood back in the mirror to view herself fully. She let out a deep sigh, very aware of the massive change she was facing in her life. Then she patted down her summer dress against her tall and slim frame and rested her hands on her hips as her head leaned over to her right shoulder and she got lost in her thoughts for a moment.
The job Kylie had accepted was not very exciting on paper but she wasn’t someone who saw the glass half empty. Yes, the awful fact was that half her job entailed cleaning the showers,