His taller than average height, burly build and dark coarse unkempt hair was his camouflage for a sincere and sensitive heart. The slightly overlength blue jeans and very short sleeved body huggin tee added the gravel that peaked out that tough man image. He was clearly western. In Asia he turned heads. Mostly female. All young and on bodies jangling with hormones that jangled still further with Brough in their vision. Brough belied his image. He wasn’t a steel erector or a mountaineer. He was a clever and sensitive writer.
I last read his work in a short story submitted to a writers periodical dedicated to award consideration.
In the style of introversion.
The principal character, Brough’s brother, Barrge, had submitted his heart to a Philippina. She was young and attractive; a generation lesser than Barrge. Brough adeptly relayed Barrge’s emotional dilemmas as the relationship, aggravated by distance and teased by culture, convulsed through a storm of dramas each with their own circumstantial twist and intrigue. Barrge was focused on creating a business for their combined future in a neighbouring country. Brilliantly, the character signatures were scribed by Brough’s deft hand. Barrge’s difficulty in interpreting his Philippina’s behavioural characteristics including anomolies such as indesire or inability to communicate in times of difficulty, a desire to literally run from conflict and confrontation, and an insatiable appetite for material gratification were delightfully relayed to beguiled readers. Brough’s tale simmered toward an awesome conclusion as Barrge’s Philippina announced, on what was to be Barrge’s last visit to her home town, her intention to marry an internet suitor. Her underhand deceit and wideangle immorality were cleverly used by Brough to illustrate Barrge’s sincerity and honesty. In the penultimate twist she declares herself pregnant to the remote Barrge with Barrge’s child. An early term miscarriage (?) brings Barrge to the edge of emotional free fall as Brough’s pen cascades toward the punishing finali. No less than three weeks after the miscarriage the still remote and emotionally bedraggled Barrge is informed of his Philippina’s new live in lover, by her sms. Barrge’s pain becomes his strength and Brough’s talent with the written word paints a colourful and indelible image of Barrge mixing realisation with release to close the darkroom door and turn to face a new, bright, exciting future.
Then I realised that Brough was an only child and up until recently he’d had a girlfriend abroad. So… that’s the style of introversion. Please read the title again.
Down The Road 