World Men à la Mode

Chapter Sixty - The Bush

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        The sun hadn't even risen, and you were already awake and eating breakfast in the dining area. Jett was wide awake, feeding Wallace some koala friendly food between feeding himself. Darcy stared at the marsupial, earning a glare from the already grumpy creature. Jett simply patted his head to calm him down, chuckling.

        "Oi, Darcy? Is there an issue between you and Wallace?" he asked with a smile.

        "No. I just read something last night that made me concerned," she responded, crossing her arms."

        "It was about the Chlamydia outbreak, right?"

        "How'd you know?"

        "I get asked about it a lot."

        "I'm not following..." Charlotte sighed, brows furrowed in confusion.

        "Awhile back, our poor koala population was devastated by an outbreak of Chlamydia. You know, that awful STD that we humans can also contract? Well, the koala's caught a nasty case of it, and it spread through about half their numbers. It's unfortunate, really."

        "Does Wallace have it?" you inquired.

        "When I tell you no, I mean it. Bloody oath! He goes through regular testing for it, as do I."

        "So can we get it from a koala that has it?" Samantha asked in concern.

        "Ya, but it's highly unlikely. They strain that most of them are infected with can't be transmitted to humans, but the common one for us that they sometimes have can, but that's only if they'd piss on us."

        "Has Wallace ever peed on you?" Amilia asked, genuinely curious.

        "Once or twice when he was a baby," Jett laughed. "It hasn't happened since though."

        "Jett, dude, we've gotta get going. Education time is fun and all, but we've got a schedule to keep up with," Alfred interrupted.

        Jett looked at the watch on his wrist. "Crikey! Alright, let's get a move on ladies!"

        The group grabbed their bags and headed out to the bust with no further instruction. Taking your seats, Alfred stood in front of his own, back towards the driver so he could address you all.

        "Alright, dudes! Listen up! We are going on an adventure today! But that's not until later... Anyway, we'll be out on the waters and in the sky for part of the morning at Sydney Harbor and the Northern beaches for a ride in hydroplanes. Afterward we'll stop at the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House for pictures before having free time for lunch. Then we board the bus again to head into 'the bush'. Jett, care to explain?"

        "Sure! The bush is basically our countryside. It's not quite the Outback, but it's as close as you can get to it out this way in Sydney without having to travel across the country. We'll be there the rest of the day and night, which means cooking our own dinner, Australian style of course. If you don't have bug repellent, I suggest purchasing some."

        The group nodded and looked out the window as you pulled up to Sydney Harbor. The water was a brilliant blue with the lightest shades of green mixed in towards the beaches. Foam washed up along the shore as the waves swarmed forward, then retreated back into the ocean. Boarding a small boat, you and your friends were transported out to the waiting seaplanes docked in the water. Jett remained on shore with Wallace happily clinging to his back. Your time up in the air felt short, but it was a breathtaking experience to get to view the coast from so high above.