CBC - Origins

Jeff Mitchell  (by: Ree ©07/2005)

“Okay Dad, what was so bloody important you had to call me at footy practice?” I wagged my finger at my Dad, then gave him a hug. Standard greeting for us, you know.

“Jeff, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” Dad stood aside and gestured toward a man drinking a beer on the next stool.

“Bloody hell, Dad, you don’t have to go fixing me up. How many times do I have to tell you that?” The man next to Dad spit out some beer in reaction to this remark, continuing to chuckle as he wiped his face with a napkin. Dad laughed long and hard too.

“I didn’t call you to set you up on a date, son. This here’s Terry. And he was just telling me a very interesting story I thought you should hear straight away.”

“Yeah? Well, it better be good.” I signaled to the bartender for a beer. “No offense, mate,” I added, nodding at Terry.

“None taken, mate,” Terry replied.

“So who are you again?” I asked.

“My name is Terry Thorne, and ...”

Dad broke in. “He’s your brother, of sorts. Look at him, Jeff. If you cut your hair, put on a nice suit…”

“Aww, Dad.”

“No, son, I mean it – if you did all that, you’d be right twins. Look at him.” At Dad’s urging, I looked at this bloke Terry more closely. “And there’ll be others, too. 24 all told is it?” Terry nodded and smiled. “And he’s gathering you all up to live in a place in the States called Central. Sounds like paradise, son, do what you want, no one to answer to. And there’s gonna be some fetching sheilas there to take care of you. I tell you Terry, if I were him I’d jump at this chance. Was quite the ladies' man myself, before I met Jeff’s Mum that is.”

“I’m sure you were, Harry,” Terry said, putting his hand on my Dad’s shoulder. “He’s got the story right, mate. That’s why I came here. Went to your house and met your Dad.”

“Thought he was one of your gentlemen callers,” Dad said with a nudge and a chuckle.

Terry cleared his throat. “Of course I had to put that straight right away.”

“Are any of the other brother pooftahs then?”

“Well, no mate, can’t say that they are. But there’ll be all sorts: a naval officer, a couple of horsemen, mechanics, photographer, a policeman or two...”

“Any footy players?” I asked.

“Sure, mate, there are quite a few Aussie Brothers. And I’m sure the Sisters will be an interesting bunch too, if I know Darrin. She’s the Creator of our little group, and will be inviting them,” Terry continued.

“Hear that, son? Maybe…” Dad whispered to me, a little too loudly.

“No, Dad, we’ve been through this,” I countered.

“I told him you’d done it with women too,” he whispered again.

“Dad! You know that was just...” I threw up my hands and turned to address Terry. “Don’t mind my Dad, mate, he’s pretty accepting of my life, but ever since I told him I’d experimented a bit, he’s got these hopes.”

“Well, I just don’t want to see you shutting yourself down to possibilities, son. I want you to be happy.”

“No worries, Jeff. There’s a town nearby, there are places you can go, blokes you can meet. You never know. And Darrin, she has her ways…perhaps there’s someone we could bring in to, well, even things up a bit.”

“Yeah? Well, I can’t leave my Dad.”

“Sure you can, son. Took care of myself long before you came along.”

“And I’m sure there are plenty of women who’d be happy to take care of you, mate,” Terry said with a grin.

“Who knows, maybe I can come visit. You reckon, Terry?”

”Sure mate, you’d be great to have around. But that’s not why I’m here today. So what do you say, Jeff?”

“Son, think of it. It’d be an adventure. You gotta grab these chances when you can. Like I said, if I were your shoes, I’d do it in a trice.”

I took a long sip of my drink. “Adventure eh? Let me think on it a tic. Gotta pee anyway.” After finishing my business I stood at the mirror for some time. Stay? Go? I rinsed my face in the sink several times, then looked up again. Terry was standing behind me; it was like seeing two of me in the mirror. Weird, but oddly reassuring. Suddenly, my decision seemed very easy. “Okay, I reckon I’m up for a little something different. I’ll do it, mate.”

“Fair dinkum, Jeff.” He shook my hand and led me out to a waiting car.

“Wait, gotta say goodbye to my Dad,” I trotted back to the bar, and saw myself sit back down next to my Dad, laughing. Dad must have said something funny. “But he knows…”

“Yeah, for some reason he was meant to at least hear about it. Maybe he will be able to visit later, like we said. But for now, he’s gonna think you turned me down, mate, and things here will just go on as they were created to be. Now you, you’re off on a new adventure, mate. Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I reckon.” As we drove away, I had a few questions about the living arrangements, and Terry answered as best he could. When we got to Central, I met Darrin, and within a few minutes of speaking with her, I knew that I’d be comfy around all the folks here. I was one of the first to arrive. Guess they needed a plumber to make sure all the bathrooms worked before the other Brothers came in. Good thinking! It wasn’t long before Terry brought the rest of them in, and then the Sisters arrived. It was great living with different types of folks, but after a while, it did get difficult. After all, I do prefer blokes. But Darrin picked up on that and arranged for Greg to visit, and then, happily for me, stay. My Dad was right, living here’s been quite an adventure.