Guy was cycling down the momentarily quiet street in the heart of the City Business District, one hand idly scratching his abdomen the other adjusting the volume of a flashy mobile phone that was blue toothing to the unit clipped to his ear.
"Loretta I am so gonna be there! you have no idea. sure I'm busy - I'm flat out as usual today - the RO has me doin' all his rush jobs as usual...yeah well maybe I am the only one who can get them done on time, or who tries to at least.. but I am gonna meet you at lunch, I know you're gonna be gone for a while and I don't want to miss our last moment together... yep down by the aquarium...5:10 on the dot...ok bye booful."
Guy and Loretta had met at the usual hang of the cycle couriers on a Friday night when they let their hair down and relaxed after mixing it up with the traffic all week. She was actually a walker, delivering regular items by just walking the CBD, so she knew of the couriers and usually avoided them but she'd fallen for Guy's laid back honesty. Riding kept him fit and gave him time to plan the house he was building in the country.
They'd gotten close but Loretta had to leave town for a while to visit her ailing Grandmother. She had no idea when she'd return as she have to stay on and care for her grandmother.
Guy was nervous, it was early days maybe things wouldn't stick. Loretta had similar fears. She'd seen plenty of the office girls that also came to the same nightspot eyeing him off at the Nelson. The couriers were young, fit and always working the scene.
Then tragedy struck. Guy was making his second last delivery for the day when the elevator he was in stopped mid floor. Every minute it delayed was ruining his chance of seeing Loretta and he couldn't use his mobile phone to call her because the signal didn't work in the building. He was distraught.
It was already 5:25 when he finally made it out onto the street but he had to make it across town to their arranged spot. It felt futile, Loretta would be catching the airport shuttle in 5 minutes thinking he didn't want to see her off.
Guy unlocked his bike from the street lamp and hit the street peddling hard, his heart in his mouth. Knowing he'd be too late didn't mean he wasn't going to try furiously.
As he neared the top of Market St, which ran down hill from Hyde Park to Darling Harbour he heard the growing sounds of his salvation without yet realising it.
Approaching from the other direction was an ambulance. As he neared the lights at Market St he saw the ambulance was turning toward the West as he was - he pumped even harder as he saw the wave he had to catch.
The traffic stopped and split as it heard the ambulance coming and Guy followed in it's wake but it drew away from him meaning he would soon be swallowed by bustling traffic. But for safety's sake the ambulance had to slow at each intersection which gave Guy the chance to make up lost ground.
Pedestrians watched amused as the sprinting cyclist caught up and trailed the ambulance through each set of lights down Market street until finally the ambulance turned off into Sussex street just meters from where Loretta was waiting.
Guy bunny-hopped the curb and sliding the bike to a standstill stepped off it and into Loretta's arms.
"Why you ambulance chaser you!" giggled Loretta. "I was almost hoping you were in that ambulance rather than standing me up."
"Sorry babe. I wasn't chasing no ambulance I was, and always will be, chasing you."
"Now you've wasted enough time, fetch me to the shuttle, and you make sure you're here when I come back," murmured Loretta as they embraced each other.
