I hadn't seen Susan or Maddie since the summer of 2011 when I was Maddie's summer swim team coach, and I had never actually met the father, Warren. Yet still, Mrs. Smith flew me down so that I could watch over Maddie while she and Warren went to Thailand for a week and a half. Not only did they kindly pay for my flight, but they had a spare bedroom made up and ready for me, and gave me the keys to their car to drive around while they were away.
My first night in Manly they took me out to their favorite fish and chips place near the beach and even though in mid-October Sydney was MUCH colder than up in Surfer's Paradise, I still had a blast seeing the family again and being around fellow Tennesseans. And it was incredible to see how much Maddie had grown since seeing her last! I'm 10 years older than her and she's almost taller than me!!
While spending my first week in Sydney, I took Maddie and her friend down for an afternoon at the beach and on the way back home, I stopped at a random cafe to grab a coffee. I noticed how busy the place was and asked the guy making my coffee is he was the owner. Turns out he was. We got to chatting and within the length of time required to make a coffee, I had a new job, starting as soon as the Smith's got back from Thailand.
I was stoked.
The week and a half taking care of Maddie flew by and before I knew it the Smith's were back in town. I announced my decision to not fly back to Surfer's Paradise and in complete surprise, the Smith's were just as happy for me. So happy, in fact, that they immediately offered for me to stay at their house with them free of charge for as long as I needed. Again, I was absolutely blown away by their kindness.
I started working at the cafe part-time, making enough money to survive (especially since I didn't have to pay for most of my food or rent - again, thanks to the Smith's). And ironically enough, it was through the cafe that I started making a lot of new friends.
Being an American, let's just say that my waiting services were MUCH HIGHER than the other waitress's. I was kind, attentive, and worked as though I was going to get tips (which is NOT common in Australia). And because of my friendliness, a lot of regulars and locals started to know me as the "Girl from Four Olives Cafe".
And it was through the cafe that I met two super awesome people: Angus and Luke.
Luke and I quickly became good friends, and since he was quite older than me, he became a mentor of sorts. Not only did he take me around in race cars and introduce me to a more "fancy" side of Sydney life...
...but he became someone I could talk to about all my fears and worries...and receive confidence, guidance, and wisdom in return. He was there for me when I had a lot of concerns about what I was doing with my life, where I was going, and what in the world I was going to do next. For his friendship and willingness to show me the true meaning of Aussie generosity, I don't think I could ever thank him enough.
And then one day in November at the cafe (exactly one month from me arriving in Sydney) I was minding my own business when a very handsome and energetic man walked up to order a muffin and a coffee from me. I had seen him at the cafe before, and for some reason or another, that particular morning we happened to hold each other's eye contact for a bit longer than usual. Then he left and I went on with my shift...until about twenty minutes later when I walked outside to greet a new table and there he was. The same cute guy, with a friend, sitting down to order more breakfast and another coffee. "This can't be a coincidence," I remember thinking to myself.
Angus (Gus) proceeded to be the most needy customer I ever had, making me run back and forth to get cracked pepper, avocado, Vegemite and everything else in between. But I had a sneaking suspicion that he was just trying to find ways to keep talking to me (since it was VERY busy at the cafe that morning) and by the time he and his mate finished up breakie, I made up my mind and in a rash moment of confidence, told him that he should add me on Facebook so we could catch up sometime.
(TIP TO THE LADIES OUT THERE: Telling a guy to add you on Facebook first is usually a much better option than giving out your number, because this way you can kind of suss the guy out through his profile.)
Gus seemed to be very taken aback by my forwardness, but quickly wrote down my name and when I got off my shift a few hours later, I had a message from him waiting for me. And on a whim, I decided to take up his offer for dinner...
And we haven't looked back since.
He started off just showing me the sights and experiences to be had in Sydney, and in between all of that I began to fall quite hard for him.
It's almost the end of February now, and I still can't believe so much has happened to me since moving to Sydney on October 17th. I will never forget the absolute kindness of the Smith family, nor will I ever forget them. I consider them all to be part of my family now, and I know that time will never change that. All three of them mean the world to me.
Luke and I still keep in touch when he meets Gus and I on the weekends for breakie and he and I still chat like little high school girls about life and relationships.
I'm writing this near the end of February and Gus and I are now officially dating and still going strong. He makes me so happy it's a tad bit ridiculous, really. But I don't want to say too much about him just yet because my next post is going to be about a very VERY special thing he did for me and my very strange obsession with Lord of the Rings.
Until then...
-Little Blonde Traveler
