Daph and Clem

Clem and Daph are friends, sell epiphytes from
their site, not exclusively, they have other types
of plants as well – but ‘testicles’ (orchids were named
by Ancient Greeks who thought that’s what they
kind of looked alike) are the general rule.

Daph and Clem the Testicle Team; we’re glad to have
made their acquaintance, Market life just ain’t the same
without ‘em. Daphne was around back when we were
a tin-pot, one-table part of Rina’s Stone & Pip Fruit Stall,
sold our avocados uneasily without a license.

Of course it’s all changed, Rina’s retired to Brisbane
and Daphne’s the Out-Front-Boss-Woman-Honcho
on the Epiphyte site assisted by Clem’s ‘coming-out’
of shy retirement. We’re legal at last, doing okay
on Rina’s old spot – or so our return customers say.

Daphne is the one who tells scurrilous jokes unbelievably
well, implacably straight faced, loves her scotch neat,
shoots accurately from the hip; Clem has an incredulous
baby face, sports a hearing-aid and wears glasses
but he’s no male-apologist, definitely no shrinking violet.

The long-haul driver’s tales he tells are legend, would make
a navvy grin, but he’s a VIP who owns an original FJ ute,
beat that dudes! We’re pleased we’ve got to know them,
it’s like rediscovering that even at our age
the World’s full of interesting older people.
© I.D. Carswell