I’m kind of jealous of Tony’s sweet work vehicle. I don’t know what the go is with his employers, but they must be doing pretty well for a small construction company, because they’ve given Tony a brand new dual-cab ute with a custom half canopy to drive. Evidently, they don’t know about his love of cross-country driving marathons and history of taking other people’s cars down unlikely gravel tracks that they aren’t made to drive on.
I guess they’ll find out soon enough. He’s taking the week off to drive across Tassie, and he’s bringing the work ute down with him on the boat. More to the point, I’m pretty sure his boss thinks he’s flying to Auckland to visit his ailing mum. This is the kind of fib Tony likes to use to put someone off the scent of his improper vehicle usage.
In this case, for once, the vehicle might actually stand up to the treatment Tony has in store for it. Not only is it a 4×4, it’s also got one of the strongest-looking commercial ute canopies Melbourne tradespeople are likely to come across. It looks like it had a new set of tyres, too. The main thing Tony should be worrying about is scratching up the underside or putting a big old dent in the body – all too real possibilities, given his history of careless off-road adventures.
Back to the plus side. This thing has a really nicely designed aluminium ute toolbox. Melbourne, don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Even if you’re not a tradie, you can still appreciate a solid bit of custom design, executed with finesse… right? Maybe you need to see it to get what I’m on about here. Tony’s filling it up with camping supplies, which shouldn’t be a problem – it looks solid as all get out.
I asked Tony if I could come with, seeing as he’s got all this space in the back seat and all, but he said no. Maybe he doesn’t want any eyewitnesses of him not being in Auckland.