The Back Packers Paradise

By

Alena

Mrs Crimson was just finishing her evening meal, when the phone started to ring, not another booking she thought, for her boarding house had been booming over the last few months.  The farmers were looking for seasonal workers, and Mrs Crimson had turned her boarding house into a Back Packers Paradise, making it very affordable place to stay.  She picked up the phone and heard the familiar voice of Fred Ludwick the local potato farmer. �Good evening Rose� he said, just ringing to see if you have any boarders that are looking for work, need about 5 to morrow for about one week�s  work, Fred I have three newcomers and will give them your address, will it be still be the same rate of pay, yes he said $12.50  casual rate an hour plus they must have their visa if they are on a working permit.  Okay Rose said, I will put a notice on the board for you.  How have you been of late Fred, haven�t seen much of you.  Being rather busy it has been a good year for the potatoes and should see us looking pretty good financially this year, we needed it Rose, after the last few years.

Same here Fred the boarding house has never been better since I have turned it into a Back Packers Paradise. Fred gave a laugh okay then Rose will catch up with you later and many thanks, bye Fred.  Rose sipped her cup of tea, and remembered the day when she had bought the boarding house, some 7 years ago,  she had rocked up in her yellow Volkswagen Beetle car with painted colorful flowers all over it, and she  was the laughing stock of the town, when she had pulled up at the corner store, but it had not deter her.

 No one knew her so it did not matter, she had arrived in Forest looking for a new adventure, for her life had not been an easy one.

She had been married for 35 years, when suddenly her husband Alex passed away.   When she found out what the bastard had done to her, she could not get out of Richmond quick enough. For it was a small town, and soon the tongues would start wagging, she still remembers the day Matron Mary called her into the hospital after they had done the autopsy on Alex.  Rose looked at Matron Mary and said what are you on about!  Mary began I have known you and Alex for such a long time and cannot understand why this has happened, Alex has committed suicide, he has taken some strychnine and that was the cause of his death..  Rose sat there with a stunned look, she could not tell Mary how she felt about what he had done.  Alex had always been that Mr Nice Guy, and no one would have believed her.  They had 3 children together a boy Robert 25, Judith 28 and Erica 30, how could she tell them.  Rose was one that held the home together, she was Mrs Fix it, and she had never let the children know of her feelings.  So how could she explain it to them.  How was she going to survive, the insurance company would not pay out the policy now, she had known he would do something like this to make her life a misery even after his death, well she was going to show them all how she would survive.  Then the family put their two bob�s worth in,  and were trying to organise her life, she looked at them all and said  �This is my life from now on! Your father never gave a damn, I have nothing now, all my life I have worked and slaved for you and without as much as a thank you�.  I am still young enough to start again.  She set off to see Mark from the real estate and told him to sell her home, then to the car yard and brought herself a Volkswagen, next stop the spray painter and got him to paint the car yellow.  Then the bright idea hit her she could get some flowers painted on the car with the colours of the rainbow.  Then every one  would then see her coming, and at least they would pay some attention to her.  Judith could not believe her Mum,  she said �for god sake� you are a grandmother what are you planning on doing, she smiled and said, � My darling daughter do you really care! I will tell you now I love you all as you are my children, but this time it is Me that is about to change my life!  And I will keep you all posted from time to time on how I am going�.  Rose had never felt better, she packed her car with her goodies then bid farewell to her children and grandchildren.  Had a few tears as she met her mates from the bowling club, for sure she would miss the good times they had, but then friends can be made.  She turned her key in her car and it purred over she put a tape in the cassette player and it started to play � Hit the road Jack and never come back no more no more�.  Rose had no idea where she was going as she headed north, but the noise of the wheels humming along the road was music to her ears, and gave her that feeling of freedom and happiness, at last, she was finally her own person.

Rose knew with the sale of her home she did not have to worry about money for awhile, but also knew that she would have to invest her money wisely, if she was going to be financial secure for the later years of her life.  She did not have many working skills.

 For all her life had been taken care of her family, and never had given working a second thought, for Alex had always been the provider and did not want her out working, for that was the way he  controlled her. As this was running through her mind she started to feel insecure, her age could be a disadvantage, her figure was not to bad,  but her looks,  well, she had never really looked in the mirror, and as she now looked in her rear vision one she got a shock, that is the first stop the beautician.

As she was driving through Launceston the traffic nearly brought her to a standstill. She nearly died how was she going to maneuver her car around all that traffic, but she remembered her dad had always said �take it easy girl� and you will get around the world.  So that is what she did, drove slowly, with every second car blowing their horn she started to panic and then when they yelled, �Hey Mrs. Flower Power� what do you think you are doing,

 get grip and learn to drive, made her even feel worse.  She found a service station and pulled in, the young attendant came over and said �are you okay lady you look like you have just seen a ghost�.

Rose stepped out of her car and shook her head, no mate it is this traffic they must be all mad.  Fill it up please she said, the young man started to admire her car, and said you are a brave lady driving

your car around here, every young kid around town would give their right arm  to have this beauty, better make sure you lock it up or sleep in it tonight.  She smiled to herself, yeh she thought what has this world come to. She gave him the money then pulled back into the traffic, she finally pulled into a car park and as she did  congratulated herself, she can still hear Alex yelling at her every time she was in the drivers seat.  �What do you think you doing, stop here. Do that, put your blinker on, he never let up,� and she always panicked when he was in the car with her for he made her feel so inadequate.

The car stood proud amongst the posh city cars not even a scratch on it. She found herself the beautician and told her she wanted to walk out a new woman, if they could see past what they had to work with.  Angela was ever so nice. Now Mrs Crimson I think you lovely already!  maybe we will just trim up a few edges as we would say.  Oh no Rose thought but as she had never had anything like this done before who cares, she would just enjoy it, and that is what she did, her face, her nails, toes, and her hair.

Slowly she heard a voice �Mrs Crimson are you okay� what do you mean she said, well you have been in a daze while we have been busy working on you.  Oh no, Rose could not believe it, but then Angela produced the mirror and said, �would you like to have a look�, she was frightened to open her eyes.  Slowly she opened one eye., then the other., and the look on her face  was one big oh noooooooooooooooo what have you done, she was looking at a complete new woman, her long hair had been trimmed into a bobbin style and dyed a golden strawberry blond, a fringe over her forehead, her eyebrows were no more, her eyes seemed to have a pink glow and her lips were tulip red. She stood back and shook her head this was a complete new woman standing there looking at her, and she started to like what she saw and smiled and smiled now she could set about and start her adventure after all.

She gone through many towns,  and still had not found what she was looking for, she pulled into Devonport and stopped there for the night, in the morning she headed off towards some place called �The Nut�, some big lump of Rock near Smithton, she needed no man now to show her the way, her self esteem was getting better everyday. She drove into Forest a small community of farmers that brought back memories of her childhood, and found herself at the corner store, talking to Mrs Biddle and getting looks from the towns people, that could scare a crow away,  Mrs Biddle with her nose up in the air asked her where she was going.  Rose told her she had been on the road for about 10 days and was looking for somewhere to settle, or maybe buy a business as she felt it was time to settle down again.  Mrs Biddle informed her that the boarding house was up for sale or lease, but it needed some repairs done to it, with the farming season coming in full swing again, it might not be a bad investment.  Rose set about and checked the place out, found the real estate agent and brought it for a reasonable price.  Like all small towns, no one wanted to make Rose feel  welcome, for one had to be born there to be a resident of the town, through her self motivation she soon started to get the people from the town to show an interest, specially the men, they were soon running backwards to help her, which started tongues wagging from the women, how could one woman have so much influence, but she soon proved herself.  Mrs.Biddle from the corner shop wanted to know what her plans where and Rose said �Opening Day was not to far away, and they just had to have patience as she  smiled to herself�.

 The big day had come Rose had called it the �Back Packers Paradise� and everyone was invited from old Dan the blacksmith, Pastor Daniel, Mrs. Biddle, Mr Steve Older the Postmaster and the local farmers.   Rose had advertised it well, she had taken out a full page advert with the Advocate.   The Paradise was painted, Yellow and the Flowers were the colours of the rainbow. So it could match her now famous little volkswagen beetle, everyone was amazed. And thanks to Rose Crimson the town of Forest has now become a big tourist attraction!  Back Packers Paradise has brought her financial security for the rest of her life, and as for her family she has kept in contact with them and now it is them that are saying, �Wow Mum we never knew you had it in you�.  Rose gave a small smile to herself and said �I never knew I had it in me either�, but I have done it and I am proud of it! .