Calling Ralph with the big white telephone

The thing with living in the tropics is that it is sometimes hard to figure out what is going on with you. If you get a hot flash is can be fever, menopause, more welcome hormones, heat or a less easily discovered source such as the result of an unnoticed bite by one of the million poisonous creatures living in Australia or love at first sight. Suppose depending on the instigator of the hot flash you learn sooner or later what it is. After less than half an hour of hot flashes I had to go call Ralph with the big white telephone and I got engaged in a very long conversation. I couldn’t get enough of him and kept calling him all evening and all night long. I couldn’t stand up straight, walk or create motion in any other way without him. I can tell you this: this is not a nice kind of dependency. It creates moments of delusion; you suddenly think this would be easier when you live in the country where you were born. There it would be different. BS of course, because nowhere do you call anybody for help. And here it literally knocks on your door. Mind you, being a virtual stranger to your neighbour who shows concern anyhow, not even minding your engagement with Ralph – not a very popular guy with anybody. But it happens. And then you find out you have friends. And people that you trust your child with, very rare, also in the country where you were born. And those lovely people take darling Joy for little outings, just enough to entertain and not too much to worry her. And enough for me to get rid of Ralph and to be able to live a temporarily horizontal life. And darling Joy is only good, she listens and helps and is patient and understanding. God I am a lucky woman. And already over Ralph.

PS Calling Ralph is Ozzie 'slang' for vomiting, info supplied because of general confusion :)