so here i am in the western lands of sydney, not the one you see on your tv screens, this is the real sydney here, geographically central hardly any white fellows around, mostly vietnamese, i'm sticking out like a mad holy monk at the mathematicians annual pi conference. cabramatta was once upon a time known for its heroin deals, you didn't even have to leave the train carriage, the dealers would jump aboard, all part of the service, it was boom time until it got violent, there was a lot of bad press, the gangs were enforcing their own kind of law, the police were fighting a loosing battle, the media loved it as it fuelled seven different types of drama all resulting in the assassination of a local mp.
these days it's heroin free and thriving in it's wonderful restaurants, cafes and shops, it's a vibrant colourful town, pulsating with life and energy. 
i drive in with wayne, who has been up all night on hot russian brides dot com, so he's now in love with twelve different women from the ukraine who will all break his heart and leave him sad and unhappy but he don't know this yet, he's in a fantasy land and i have no choice but to hear about his romantic cyber space desires. it breaks my heart that he will burn up chasing this dream but when you get to this age there's three ways a man can go, compromising defeat, acceptance and peace or eternal romantic. i love this about wayne but it irritates me to, i want to balance his dream with a little healthy cynicism but who the hell am i to take that away from him, so i play along, offering the odd encouragement. 
for the moment he's happy following his fictions. 
wayne buys up a bag of spinach and cooked duck, i get some seaweed and a big bone for my dog. we have lunch at a vegan restaurant and across the way i wander around a vegan supermarket that stocks the most incredible stuff i have seen in any shop on earth. it's cheap as chips, the most obscure products all sourced for clean karmic nutrition and lifestyle, i make a mental note to return soon but wayne wants to leave, he is fat and sluggish, lazy and has no stamina, a little walk around and he's wheezing and drooling, panting for air. he smokes his cigarette and tells me i should drink juice, i agree but can't help feel a little sad.
the next day wayne drives to bondi beach, i wanted to introduce him to pete at the suv, but wayne is moody and dark, he's grumpy and an angry tide surfaces so we go to newtown where he wants to eat food and sit down, he complains about the parking metres and complains about the food, he complains and complains and i start to feel awkward thinking there's nothing i can do to salvage this. we pass a chinese leprechaun standing in the middle of the road and i smile to myself, that has made my day. wayne nags me about the parking meters and decides he wants to go to glebe for a cake. i direct him, pointing out the big car park with three free parking hours but wayne drives in and out, missing an opportunity to park, he is in a filthy mood, i can see his skin cooking as blood boils through his veins. 
he decides to drive home, so thus ended the road trip, wayne throws down a couple of painkillers, he's addicted to them, it makes him lighten up but i feel a sense of loss, as though the day has ben sucked into a sad void and i feel a sense of missed opportunity as i come home and watch the moon over perfect waves.