An attempt at psychological realism in fiction — I don’t know about you (clearly) but I am not a resolute individual. Faced with an inconvenient challenge, my responses vary from profuse sulking to outright denial. I have a fourth dan black belt in procrastination. I am a ninja of non-action. I’m reluctant to admit that I’m wrong, or…

Reckoning — First thing on Saturday morning, I send Kaja a text. Scant thirty words, but it takes me half an hour to write and rewrite them. Hello, love. Can you get away from the store for half an hour this morning? I have something important to say. I’d prefer to tell…

Cruel Sea — Nothing will ever be the same again. The tide is well into the ebb when I step out onto my deck in the grey half-light. Earth is pinned between the equinoctial sun and the full moon; the two astral bodies work in tandem to draw up big tides. These ‘spring’…

Tide and Time — Sooner than I would have liked, the ‘Tide and Time’ exhibition in Lorne opens. The moonah has become a towering sculpture that I’ve titled ‘Hard Rain’ in allusion to the lengths of rusty chain dripping from its truncated boughs. I’ve managed to produce three short editions of coloured mezzotints that…

An Undeserved Grace — The uneasy, stormy late summer passes into a warm, quiet autumn. Kaja and I settle into a routine. The consensus is that my place is charming — and romantic in a grungy, boho way — but hers is more comfortable. She comes down to fetch me from my work every…

The Visitor — ‘Hello, mate. Can I help you?’ The visitor has a round, ruddy face, but doesn’t look at all jolly. I’d put him at about forty years of age. He’s clean shaven with a powerful jaw and thick neck. He has a boxer’s nose, a broken nub of a thing with…

Angels and Demons — Bleary-eyed and tousle-haired, Kaja gets up at sunrise. I can hear her on the phone, cajoling some reluctant staff to come in early and take receipt of the morning’s deliveries. She goes to open up the store. Twenty minutes later, she’s back, having left her surprised assistants to fend for…

Taking the Plunge — ‘We should eat something. Leftover quiche Lorraine okay? With home-made coleslaw?’ ‘Sounds great.’ After dinner, we broach a second bottle of red. ‘You’ve got a reputation around here as a solitary man, Les. A bit of an eccentric.’ ‘Guilty as charged.’ ‘I don’t think so. I think you’re just a…

Temptation — I’m outside Kaja’s café at five forty-five. Not too keen, not too late, hopefully. The outdoor chairs are stacked and chained, the sign is turned to CLOSED, the blinds are down. She opens the door on my second knock. ‘Hello, Les. Come on in.’ She looks me up and down…