Name: Tim Francis
Age: 25
Family status: Single (with a girlfriend)
Job: Pub Manager/Bartender/Chef
Religion: No religion, does not believe in this thing
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I spend the afternoon endulging my senses in the delicate, picturesque surroundings of Akaroa. I walk up the hill, not a single soul in sight. The weather is undecided whether to rain or shine. A large rabbit runs across the trail and scares the hell out of me. I decide to focus on the sheep instead. These are no sheep like I've seen before. They are white, curious fluff that gracefully jumps over the low fence to get on the other side, where clearly the grass is greener. What a jump! That's how the sheep jump in your imagination when you are lying on your back, wide awake, worried that you are not going to get enough sleep before that important meeting in the morning. It doesn't jump, it carries itself over the fence with the spring of a ballet dancer, while you lay there frustrated that you can't even imagine a proper sheep jump, let alone to fall asleep. Good news - sheep like that exist. It is at the other end of the World. In New Zealand.
There isn't much to do in Akaroa after dusk. I head for the pub. At 9:30 pm, I am the third and last customer. It is Tuesday..I get a small local brew and pick a table at the corner. I look around while my laptop powers up. It is a rather large establishment with a solid wooden bar, low tables with soft leather sitting on the side and high communal tables in the middle. There are some restaurant tables in the back and more sitting in the garden. All in all, it can fit comfortably a crowd of 150. There are few large TVs playing music videos from my youth. Holly-shmolly, was Madonna really so young when she started?!
I spend some time editing the photo catch of the day. Tim, the bartender, asks me if I'd care for another beer. 'Sure', I say, 'if you are not closing yet'. He is not closing until the last customer leaves. The two local guys leave in a few minutes, which make me the last customer. Tim is quite chatty. In my view, he ticks all the boxes of a stereotypical New Zealander - tall, healthy, and friendly. There is only one thing that bothers me - he is red as a lobster in his face and arms. 'What's up with the sunburn?' - I'm rather direct. 'Aren't you worried about the hole in the ozone layer?' He is not worried at all, but he admits it's a nuisance. I guess he hasn't heard the constant radio infomercials that remind people to use sunscreen. Or maybe he doesn't care because he is young and careless.
'Does the pub ever get full', I switch subjects. 'Oh yes' - he answers - on Friday and Saturday. 'If you haven't noticed, there isn't much to do around here.' Yes, I have noticed. 'What do people here actually do?' 'Not much', he says, 'they drink - it is good for business.' 'I meant, what do they do for a living?' 'Ah, well, farming and construction.' Construction!? - I raise my eyebrows. He tells me that the town is no more than a couple of thousand people right now, but it is growing. Some young families move here, because living close to nature is good for the children. Also, quite a few influential people retire to Akaroa's quaint, French influenced charm. Have I noticed the fancy restaurants down by the harbor? I have.
'Can the pub survive on two busy nights a week?' It can for sure. It is a family run establishment. Tim lives upstairs with his parents. They don't have any employees, plus the markups on alcohol are pretty high. Tim is all - manager, bartender and a cook. Too bad I'm not going to be in town tomorrow. He makes the best stakes. Would I like another beer? Ha-ha, how much is the mark up on the beer? No mark up, this one is on the house. He must be really bored.
It is 11pm, but it feels really, really late. No one has walked in since the local guys left. If it wasn't for Duran-Duran's first ever video that is playing on all TVs in the house it was going to be a complete and utter silence. I accept the free beer and listen on. Tim moved here from Christchurch 8 months ago when his parents bought the place. It can get a bit boring, but it has its positives. The business is good, it is not too much work and he knows he is working for himself. Besides, he gets to meet people from all over the world just standing behind the bar. He hasn't met anyone from Bulgaria before. On behalf of the Bulgarian nation, I hope I'm making a good impression on Tim.
It comes as a surprise to me that Tim has never been up the hill I climbed earlier this day He doesn't care for the sheep either. He doesn't know why the tourists get so excited about it. He misses Christchurch some time. There are busses and people on the street over there. It is a big town. Come to think of it, he should soon go visit for a good night out with his mates. Indeed, the grass is always greener on the other side.
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