Chapter 22: The sights and the report
The next day, Skye and I, along with her Dad and Aunt went to Sydney to see the sights. We were sitting in the back seat in silence as we start our journey, when Skye touched my arms and started to tell me in hushed tones that she spoke to her Aunt Hazel about Ash, when they went to the shops yesterday. She asked me pointedly, if I would like to hear it.
"Of course I don't want to hear it." I mocked her. I, then make a face at her.
She looked at me gauging my reaction, then grinned, quite pleased that I'm interested in her newly found gossip.
"Aunt Hazel said, she and Dad are friends with Ash's Mom and Dad. Ash is industrious in everything that he does. He's polite, respectful and patient. He's as straight as an arrow, my Aunt said. And he is quite a chick magnet. There are plenty of girls who "follows" him around like puppies and he just ignores them, but there is one particular girl who's been really, really into him that she tells her friends they're on, but apparently it isn't so." she paused, I tried to listen to it with a straight face.
"She went to Ash's house alone and introduced herself to his parents as his girlfriend, so she can be admitted in, his parents are very nice people and the way this girl tells Ash's and her story made them believe her. She stayed in his room until he came home." she finished her story there and I was left hanging for what happened next.
"Then what happened?" I asked intrigued.
"Oh you wanted the rest? I thought you don't want to hear" she teased.
"Quit it and continue the story please!" I begged.
She laughed, "Alrighty then, so when Ash came home, and his Mom said that his girlfriend was let in his room, he went off his head, told his Mom off, said he's got no girlfriend and that she was misled. Of course his Mom, when she heard this went and sorted it out. Well, you wouldn't believe what happens next, Wynter! Not on your eighteen years of life!" she shook her head.
I was so intrigued with her story that I didn't realise that we already just parked and then Skye's Dad declared that we have arrived in the Sydney Opera house. We'll have to continue the story later.
We went out and saw one of the 20th century's most famous and distinctive building. Skye's Dad explained that this building comprises multiple performance venues and hosts well over 1,500 performances annually and attended by more than 1.2 million people. The facility features a modern expressionist design with a series of large shells made of concrete.
He pointed to the shells and said that although the roof structures are commonly called "shells", they are made of precast concrete panels. They are supported by precast concrete ribs and not shells in a strictly structural sense.
He also informed us that even though the shells appear white from a distance, they actually feature a subtle chevron pattern composed of 1,056,006 tiles in two colours which is glossy white and matte cream which was manufactured in Sweden.
He continued like a wise tour guide, telling us that of the two larger spaces, the Concert Hall is in the western group of shells, the Joan Sutherland Theatre in the eastern group. The smaller venues (the Drama Theatre, the Playhouse and the Studio) are within the podium, beneath the Concert Hall.
He also related that a smaller group of shells set to the western side of the Monumental Steps houses the famous Bennelong Restaurant. The podium is surrounded by substantial open public spaces where we are, and the large stone-paved forecourt area with the adjacent monumental steps is regularly used as a performance space.
It has been a very educational afternoon. After the Sydney Opera house, we went to Madam Tussauds which is a bit creepy for me, as all the display celebrities are made of wax. It also have an unappealing odor. I remember watching House of Wax and it gave me the creeps after.
Then we went to Sydney aquarium which is in Darling Harbour. I enjoyed the glass bottom boat where you see the great barrier reef exhibit. We spent the entire afternoon here. I saw sharks, penguins and all different sea life in abundance. The penguins ride was really neat and fun to be up close to them but I wish it was a bit longer. There were plenty of informative exhibits. It was very busy but we still got around and had no wait times.
I turned down the offer to swim with the sharks for obvious reasons, but Skye was game, so we watch her go and she seemed to enjoy herself prior to the dive. After the swim with the sharks, she told me how nervous she is and she got really scared when they were swimming near the sharks.
"I wouldn't repeat that experience," she declared with finality.
On our way back home, I asked Skye what happened to Ash's assumed girlfriend.
"Oh yeah, his Mom asked him to stay in the study and she went to his room herself and found her naked, drunk and talking nonsense. She called her parents and they called triple zero." she said casually.
Triple zero is the emergency number in Australia.
"Oh my" I gasped in surprise.
" Yeah that was my reaction as well, when Aunt Hazel told me the story." she told me.
"Where is the girl now?" I asked curious.
"Aunt Hazel said no one knows after the incident. Ash's parents paid for the girls recovery and rehabilitation. She's found out to be using drugs as well as drinking" she said while she shrugged her shoulders. "Everybody knew about it the next day apparently, Aunt Hazel said the girl's parents made a song and dance about their daughter being in his room and all. The girls parents were pointing fingers on who's to blame for their daughter's demise. It was quite a scandal. Apparently, this street was filled with police, police cars, an ambulance and plenty of gossipmongers that night."
After Skye related Ash's story, she gave me a thumbs up.
"Hey, on the plus side, Ash.. is.. a.. go! If he plays up on you, then.. he.. is.. ash!" she declared, quite proud of herself with the play of words.
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