Dunedin Railway Station

Not just this part of the story is untrue.

I talked to my mother, and she told me it wasn't true; that it was a mixed up version of a couple of stories. So let's imagine.

It's cold. The platform at Dunedin Railway Station is very long. My mother is waiting. Marshall often runs late, but this time he is very late. Perhaps he gets off a train or, this is better, perhaps my mother is waiting at the front of the station and he comes across the carpark and garden.

It's getting late. You can smell the smoke of the fireplaces in Dunedin; it's an earthy smell. He apologises for being late, hesitates, and then tells her about his mother. There is the din of a train coming into the station. All those men in suits in hats heading home after work.

It's a nice image, but remember, it's not true.