[War] Australia: Friday Night Tradition

[Daniel Sanderson]

“Friday Night Tradition”
Prime Minister Jack Decker
Australia
Friday August 8 2014

“How’s it going over there?” Jack asked. He was standing in his office, his phone to his ear.

“Just fine Jack.” Simon O’Neil said from the northern hemisphere. Simon was borrowing the Ambassador’s office at the Embassy in Tokyo. “They’re a good bunch over here.”

Jack and Simon had worked together at DFAT when Jack was still there. When Jack had been tasked with forming up the ‘A Team’ of the Department, Simon had been one of his first choices, an Asia guru fluent in Mandarin, Chinese and Indonesian. Joanna Griffin, with Decker’s strong suggestion, had sent Simon as the leader of the advance team to Japan.

“Got a full list of who’s coming yet?”

“The Japanese sent out the invitations at the start of the week, some have replied quickly, others are mulling it over.”

“Ok. How’s your team?”

“All good. We’ve got Federal Police, Justice and military people working through the nuts and bolts of some of it, and I’m in for the rest. The Japanese are very gracious.”

“Better hosts then the Chinese?” Jack asked with a smile.

“I’ll let you know after the summit Jack.” Simon replied with a chuckle. There were recurring jokes in DFAT about the hospitality of some nations versus others. “I better let you go and get your dinner. Fish and chips, right?”

“Always. I’ll talk to you later Simon. Good work.”

“Thanks boss. Tokyo out.”  Simon replied, and the line died.

Jack grabbed his wallet from his desk, and walked outside. One of his AFP watchers was waiting.

“Shall we?” Jack asked with a smile.

“Yes sir.”

The PM’s car drove ten minutes from the Lodge to the nearest Fish And Chip shop. Friday night Fish and Chips were a tradition that went back for years. His family, on both sides, had always maintained the tradition. Once upon a time it had been related to their Catholicism, after a while it just became a cultural thing.

The white Commodore pulled into a park a few shops down, and Jack climbed out. It was hard, considering where Canberra was, to get half decent Fish and Chips, but this place did ok. Then again, Jack had been spoilt growing up in a small town based around fishing.

He walked into the shop, pushing aside the plastic strips that hung over the doorway. They slapped against each other and the door frame, one of those familiar sounds, along with the hiss of the bank of fryers against the wall behind the counter.

“Hey, Mr. Decker!” The owner, a fat Greek-Australian called with a smile. “Excellent timing.”

The Prime Minister had to wonder about Nick’s ability to have the Fish and Chips ready just as he walked in. It must have been some sort of sixth sense. Either way, he didn’t complain. He grabbed his wallet from his pocket and handed over some cash, and took his change from Nick.

“Thank you very much Nick.”

“No worries Mr. Decker!”

Jack grabbed the paper-wrapped parcel, and they returned to the Lodge. By the time he got home the family were gathered in the lounge room, sitting on the floor in front of the TV as the news wrapped up. Following that, it was, as usual, Simpsons repeats. The cult show had wrapped up in 2010, but since then, Channel Ten had simply gone back to the very beginning and played episodes from the beginning.

“Here.” Jack said, passing the package over the back of the couch to Michael, and walked through into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of Coke, six glasses, and sticking the bottle of tartare sauce into his pocket. He walked back into the lounge, depositing his kitchen finds on the floor, and sat down beside his wife.

Michael and Jennifer were by now at the age where they wanted to be doing things every weekend, however, Jack had ruled that they could do things on Saturday night, Friday night was for family. Of course, the twins had enough sense to curb their own social lives when they had to study. Their Year 12 exams would be upon them soon. 

Jack reached into the mound of fried food, digging for his own fish, but at the same time throwing a potato cake and a corn jack to Anna, and a pair of Dim Sims to Tom. He squeezed tartare sauce onto his fish, and tore a bit off so he could eat one-handed, his other around Lisa’s shoulder. The kids were all facing the TV, laughing at episodes that Jack had, by now, seen at least five times each.

But this was Friday night for the Decker family…


--ACTIONS TAKEN—
1. The PM checks in with the advance team in Tokyo
2. Character development. Life for the Decker family

OOC: Sorry I’ve been a bit quiet, real life’s a bit hectic :D




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