it's a long way to the shop . . .

. . . if you want a sausage roll

I remember singing that parody/fake line as I walked to school one morning, down Lilli Pilli Point Road, just past the corner shops, past the Roberts' house, past the shop where I could possibly've bought a sausage roll.

Now and again I dream about those shops, the Lilli Pilli corner shops. When I was small the shop was right on the corner, a shaded way in, fruit for sale, peaches in the summer. Later on that shop became a travel agent and another fruit and grocery shop opened further along - the Gum Tree Store, and between the two was a shop that sold something indeterminate, perhaps clothes, and a bottle shop. Down towards the school on the side road was a hairdresser - Rob's Silver Scissors - Rob was Roberta. Beside that was a pharmacist.

Rob/Roberta would cut my hair, or someone else in the shop, this is a lot later on. I'd got my hair cut one day and had given over the money to pay, and the assistant came back with the change, saying "Did you give a $20 or a $10?" and Mrs Roberts was sitting there and started slanging me off for not being sure what I'd handed over, but she shut up shortly. Either I'd given her a look, or she realised that it was out of place for her to comment.

Mrs Roberts had got me into trouble years before, back in infants school, I was supposed to go to her house after school or I'd told my mum that I was going to Rachel's, but then, the Smith twins had asked Rachel to their house and I'd gone along. I don't know the ins and outs. It ended up badly. My mum worried when I didn't come home, phoning Mrs Roberts who didn't know where I was either. But eventually I turned up from the Smiths.

I got publicly shamed the next day at school. Called up to the front, made to stand on the steps, made an exhibition of: "This girl went after school to a friend's house without telling her mother."

Oh, get over it!