Gerald stood quietly in solitude, leaning against his house, sombrely staring at his wheat crop, dried out after another year of drought. It dawned on him that money was going to be a problem again this year. This wasn’t the life he envisioned for his son, Jeff. It was getting to the point where they had to limit the amount of food they ate. Much to his reluctance, Gerald could sense that he had to take a chance and get a job in the city if he and his son were going to have a future.
On the day of their departure, Gerald and Jeff closed their house door for the last time and trudged down their gravel driveway to his trusty old, rusty Ute that was waiting for him. Suddenly, he was confronted with an onslaught of noise. Turning his head in shock, it looked like the whole town had come to see him off, but there was one distinct voice amidst the others. “Hey Gerald! Did you pack that beanie I knitted for Jeff? You never know, it can get quite cold out in the city, he’ll need all the comfort he can get!”
Gerald turned around. It was Jasmine, grinning from ear to ear. Jasmine was essentially Jeff’s surrogate parent, mostly because his mum ran away when he was ten. Unfortunately, she couldn’t come with Gerald and Jeff to the city, as much as she would have loved too. It was too much of a commitment for her, but she supported them, nonetheless.
“Yeah, Jasmine, you know I wouldn’t forget it!” boomed Gerald. He said it in a sort of playful and sarcastic manner, as if it was appeasing for him to toy and joke with Jasmine. As Gerald and Jeff were preparing to board the car, Gerald turned back one last time, to truly soak in and relish the last moments he would have at his hometown, lit up by the dappled sunlight. The father and son were initially reluctant to leave, as they felt a close attachment to their town, and couldn’t stand the thought of being separated from their community. However, he was immediately assured when, instead of convincing him to stay because they couldn’t bear it themselves, which was true, they instead encouraged him to pursue and live his future life in the city, saying “It’ll be good for you and Jeff, plus we’ll finally get to live in peace for once.” That made Gerald laugh at the time. Now, the mere thought made him feel verklempt, as the voices he had heard all his life grew muffled over the loud engine as his car sped away.
When they were near the city, Gerald was shocked at all the glamourous cars that were zipping passing them, dazzling their senses. Even the engines sounded trimmed, refined, and immaculate. Eventually, the father and son arrived at the city. Gerald took in his surroundings in awe. There was a cacophony of noise from the city surrounding Gerald and Jeff, unwinding its unnatural disharmony and demeanour, influencing all those who listen. The city seemed huge compared to his hometown, having incredible skyscrapers towering over everything, forming a complex labyrinth of concrete. The glaring sun ricocheted off the walls of glass high above into the valley below, filled with people and cars and buses and lights and noises, bringing a striking glow to the city. The city felt like it was humming. A machine.
Soon Gerald and Jeff stumbled across a luxury item store that was selling exquisite items they had never seen before. Entranced, they both turned towards the store, watching a woman with dark shades and a long broad-brimmed hat exit, making clinking noises from the metal she wore as she walked, complimented with a strut from her high heels, seemingly oblivious, neither caring, of the two people staring at her. Curious, the father and son walked into the store, while glancing at the delicately displayed items for sale on either side of them, reinforced with thick glass, and accompanied with cameras in every crevice of the store. Gerald and Jeff admired the lavishly polished floor tiles and, at the same time, also looking at their dusty old boots, leaving imprints on the floor, mocking them as if they were unworthy of this luxury.
Soon, they heard someone coming towards them. It was an attendant. There was a sharp “Hi” from the attendant as the father and son wandered through the store, glancing at everything for sale, tightly secured behind glass cabinets. Gerald asked the assistant a question: “So, how much does this one cost exactly?” He noticed his son’s curiosity towards one of the items.
“This, Sir, is an example of our finest work, the new TX8100 model. I can guarantee that you will be delighted with this new product. It is not uncommon for our customers who buy this model to not want to part with it, because the TX8100 is the latest thing out there.” The assistant proudly jutted out his chest.
“Yes, that is all good, but can you please tell me what the price is?” Gerald was getting slightly annoyed.
“Oh, sorry Sir, our customers don’t normally ask for the price tag, but I believe it is two thousand dollars.”
“Two thousand dollars! Good grief! Who would pay for that?” shrieked Gerald as they left, with the assistant finally retreating from them in defeat as they did so.
Gerald and Jeff soon realized after leaving the store that they stood out in their overalls, while everyone else was wearing suits and formal attire. This dawned on Gerald as he chuckled to himself.
“Come on Jeff, we should get changed into something that blends in a bit more than this… Hopefully I can get a job here and then one day I could maybe afford that 2000 dollars for you”.
Jeff smiled warmly. “Thanks Dad”.
The duo soon found a store that was selling clothing and hats and sports equipment. When inside, there was a more diminished tone of luxury compared to the store they were just at. Eventually, Gerald picked out a hat for Jeff, costing him forty dollars. Unfortunately, Gerald realized he left his wallet in the car, and the store owner proposed that Jeff could give him his beanie for it. Amazed at his generosity, Gerald and Jeff happily took the offer and left the store with their new hat. Gerald smiled at Jeff, ruffling his hair, saying “Now you can look more like a city boy now,” as they both headed off back to their trusty, rusty old Ute.