New Moon

'Aim for the stars. If you miss, you may hit the moon.' - Clement Stone.

** Explicit Language used**

July 21st 1971

The welcome heat of the spotlight caught my attention instantly. My vision fogged with the cigarette and weed smoke and mingled with the scent of alcohol encrusted rotting carpet. My adrenalin kicked in.

'Have you ever told a person how lucky they are to have you?'

'YES'

The entire room exploded with the reply.

'My partner is very important. However, sometimes he forgets just how lucky he is to have me. You see, his work sandpit has spaces for politicians, businesses leaders and philanthropists. He tells me every day how amazing he is… I say, yes, you are. In fairness, he really is! Compared to my husband, he is a god!'

Applause and laughter combine and the manager raises a glass to me.

'Now I say, are you ready for your latest business trip? Have you got your socks? He rolls his eyes at me before answering.'

'Of course, I have my socks, and before you ask me, I have my jocks too.'

'Excellent, I say, where's your pants… This is when that blank lost expression appears,'

'OH Shit,'

'There you go. Without me, he would be a star in the emperor's new clothes movie.'

Laughter explodes around me as I look out at the audience.

Applause engulfed the small, dank smelling, conveniently dim-lit basement of the comedy club. The feeling of elation forms within me like a heart-pounding vibration. I come alive because of the mildly tipsy and wildly intoxicated crowd of misfits. My fellow humans who understand their lives are full of drama and confidence eroding reality. Here in our safe place, we laugh at ourselves, our loved ones, and the crazy things in the world. If there is a god, I thank them every day for bringing me here two years ago.

* * * *

July 21st 1969

'Ok, pull the door open a little more, Beep.'

'I'm going to pull it now, BEEP!'

'Houston Radio Check, Beep.'

'We can hear you loud and clear, beep.'

There in my lounge room, I sat with my cup of tea halfway between my mouth and saucer. The new Pye TV set that sat in the corner beamed live shots of the first landing on the moon. The sight was incredible. I had become so enthralled I almost missed the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.

Peaking my head up over the windowsill. I saw it was my husband's pride and joy, a 1968 Holden Monaro GTS 327, its red colour bounding rays of the sun into my eyes, its tinted windows so black you could not see inside. He parked it on an angle on the lawn. I spent two hours every day making green. I pushed down, my rising frustration at his carelessness.

'Damn!'

It was unusual for Gerry to come home during this time of the day. As an officer, he was responsible for his unit and the army. The Vietnam war was not going away and there was always controversy over conscription in Australia. He had his work cut out for him. His job was to look after Australia's security and welfare. My job was to look after him. Usually, I would be at my fitness class, but I had skived it to watch the landing on the moon.

I turned off the TV, as I did not want him to think I was not a dutiful wife. I began fussing over some books and dusting spotless shelves to ensure I looked productive.

As the key turned in the door, I heard Gerry's laugh. A smile touched my lips. I loved Gerry's good mood. The world was always wonderful when Gerry was in a good mood. Then I heard a giggle, sweet and cute. My mind raced with no clear thought. I dropped behind the couch, holding onto my feather duster, mouth agape and eyes wide. Surely, I am being silly. We had only been married for six months.

'Oh, Gezzy, are you sure she won't be home?'

The feather duster dropped on my lap.

Cherie! My god, it was Cherie! Her husband only left for Vietnam three months ago. My breath caught. I could not move.

'Don't worry, Cherie. She is in her fitness class, where I might add you should be!'

The mock discipline sent Cherie into raptures of laughter.

'Well, come on then, let's get on with it, so you have time to remake the bed!'

I had always loved Cherie's sweet voice. Now my stomach threatened to bring up bile and my homemade Anzac cookie.

The two ran up the stairs as I sat on my toosh in shock. Cherie and I had been roommates and we met our partners on the same night. Surely my ears were playing tricks on me! I shook my head, trying to understand what I heard, before mechanically tiptoeing up the steps to the second floor. The door was as open as Gerry's shirt. Cherie, completely naked and lying in a precarious position, they continued their activity as I stood there, stunned.

'Oh Yes, That's it, Gerry, that's it..'

My mind went back to the landing of Apollo 11, as the door opened and the radio check occurred and then yes, the bounding on the moon. While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin jumped on the moon, my husband and best friend jumped on each other on my bed!

'I hate to break up the landing.'

I did not recognize my own voice. Its haughty tone did not match the broken feeling within me. Cherie screamed,

'Oh Angela, you should be in your fitness class. You should not be here! It is not what you think. We are in love!'

My brow arched and my lips thinned. Cherie's lip tremored before she grabbed her spurned clothing and sprinted down the stairs.

'Now look here Angela, you must understand, Cherie is lonely and er, I was simply trying to comfort her and well, one thing led to another. I am being posted to Hawaii, so really, this is good timing.'

My mouth dropped in disbelief. My man, my husband, showed no emotion, shame, or care for his actions.

'What are you saying, Gerry? Good timing to find out my husband of six months has slept with his wife's best friend while her husband is at war! Where is your integrity?'

'Now, that's enough. I was going to break this to you, anyway. I want a divorce. Cherie and I are going to Hawaii to start again. I will be back at 7pm tonight. I think it is best we sort the rest of this out then, so you have time to calm down.'

He left, still doing up his shirt buttons without another word, letting the door slam behind him.

Stunned, I stood in my living room staring at the turned-off TV set. My body slumped on my newly covered secondhand couch, and I did not move. By the time I could, the sun filled the west windows. I made it to my kitchen, found my wedding champagne glass and filled it with Gerry's thick sweet, expensive special port. It slid down too easily. A shiver went up through my spine as I picked up the bottle. I poured another. Finishing the stunning liquid, I felt a warm neutrality overcome my emotions. My vision blurred, softening the edges of the harsh reality of desertion. Slam! The front door was in motion once more.

'Damn! I thought

'He couldn't be back. What do I say? What can I say?'

'Have you taken all my port, Angela? Who do you think you are? That is the last time you take anything from me. Pack your bags and get out!'

Giving him an evil eye, I staggered to the hallway, grabbed his car keys, and left the house. I had the car facing out of the driveway before Gerry realized what I had done. Standing in uniform on our manicured front lawn, he said something to me, but it was unclear. I waved and pulled a finger before flooring the accelerator pedal and skidding down the road.

'Impressive car. I knew I could drive this baby!' I thought. 'Now that's how you leave an arsehole!'

I could smell Cherie's two-dollar perfume mingled with Gerry's cigar smoke.

'AGH'

As I screamed, exhilaration mingled with devastation.

The betrayal set in. Tears creating channels through long-forgotten makeup. Lights flashed ahead, bright, beautiful and promising. I screeched the brakes and just made it through to the car park as a pissed off male driver started shouting abuse at me.

'Learn how to drive GIRLY.'

'Agh! You are all the same, unfaithful wankers!'

I went towards the club's lights like a honeybee to a flower. An urge overcame me to find something, though I did not know what. My memory recalled coming to this bar only once before, with Cherie and Max on a double date. As I entered, I heard an annoying manic laugh. Looking around, I finally realized it was me. The crowd looked away from the stage. A man on the microphone stopped short and stared at me like I had six heads. I controlled my insanity and looked away towards the bar.

'Scotch on the rocks and put it on the officer's tab.'

I didn't know if an officer would be in the bar, but being close to the base, there would be a good chance one of the patrons carried the title. If there was, they always had a tab.

'Coming right up.'

Well, that was some luck, I suppose. It came and I cradled the glass, staring into the bronze liquid as a feeling of rage came over me.

'How can he do this?'

I yelled into the glass, my ferocity threatening to spill the contents all over the bar and myself.

'Hey Lady, what the hell? I'm doing a set here, either take over the microphone or shut the hell up.'

SNAP

Sculling the burning liquid, I demanded my legs march. Straight up on the stage, the man's eyes popped like an explosion.

'Lady you, you can't just….'

'Ha! Can't I just! You watch me. Girls, how many people in this room are girls or wannabe girls? Yes,! There are a few of us. Look at that.?'

The women in the room cheered, giving more ammunition to carry on.

'So, you all know, our job description is spending our whole day to prepare for our husband's coming home, right? Fitness to keep us trim, dinner to keep him happy, beer, wine and port to keep him content. We all do it. That's our job!'

All the audience agreed with that one.

'How many of you remember exactly what you were doing when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon today?'

'YEH!' the entire room yelled.

'Yeh good, because I know I will never forget what I was doing when he and Buzz kangaroo hopped around the moon! I got to view a whole other moon as I watch my husband kangaroo hop, my best friend!'

Laughter came thick and fast

'Well, I suppose it's my fault... It's what happens if you decide to take time out of the set routine to watch the first man on the moon!'

Silence. I could hear the humming of the fridges.

'Let me share with you this story.'

Retelling the story of my unexpected visitors in the throes of passion had the entire audience in hysterics.

'What was the world coming to when a wife didn't stick to her schedule? How dare she deviate from the routine of a rut! So now my dear friends, my best friend and my husband are heading to Hawaii. While her husband is being shot up in Vietnam, and I am lining up the shots in a Sydney bar! So, if any of you guys want to take pity on me or you girls want to join me, I will be up there waiting for the next round.'

Laughter and applause followed me as I found the damp seat out of the spotlight. The night became a blur after that. Every person in that bar, including the poor comedian I had dropped in on, ensured my glass was never empty. Then came the job offer. The manager said he needed something to liven up the bar and keep the boys coming in.

'Yeh, why not! After all, I just lost my last job!' I replied.