You know those impossible-to-not-overhear phone conversations on public transport at peak hour? This guy on my train today was really taking the cake on that front. He had a booming voice that carried through the whole carriage, and he seemed oblivious to the fact that everyone else was silent. Listening in on the event passed the time, though.
He was on about needing to get some kind of pre-construction termite investigation for the house he’s building. From what I could surmise, in areas that have high rates of termite infestation, there’s an official requirement on the part of builders to incorporate termite-protection mechanisms into construction projects.
Apparently, this guy has recruited a termite control service in Dandenong to carry out this inspection, but his partner has since become so concerned about the local termite problem that she’s having second thoughts about building there. It seems that she’s been traumatised by a past experience with termites – something to do with her bedroom roof falling in in her childhood home.
I hadn’t realised that stories concerning pest management could be so dramatic, but there you have it. This guy was clearly struggling to deal with incoming pressures from his partner, the builders and the council, and really needed this gasbagging session. As for me, it got me thinking about my own house – it’s pretty old, and I’ve never had a termite inspection.
What if my area, like this guy’s, is big on the termite infestations? How would I know about that? What if my bedroom roof caves in while asleep in bed tonight? Okay, so my thoughts are spiralling out of control just a little bit. But it’s probably a good thing, because it gives me an impetus to call in pest management company. Rosebud is lovely, and it’s easy to be lulled by the seaside idyll into forgetting that houses there can be at the mercy of destructive insects.
While I don’t want to take an eavesdropped conversation too much to heart, I do think I’ll take it as a sign from the universe that I’m overdue for a pest inspection.