For his birthday in April 2002, Gordon and a friend visited the Observation Deck of the Rialto Building in the heart of Melbourne's CBD. This event, combined with others were the catalyst for his second short story MetroVertigo , set in part on the observation deck itself.

"There's really very little 'action' in this story. It has a similar tone and pace to Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants ," he says, "but filtered through the influences of second-wave feminism. It's not a story 'about' feminism, but it showcases two particular individuals and the balance of power between them."

MetroVertigo is the story of a failing romance between a man (an anonymous office worker) and a woman (a successful, traveling photo-journalist) while alluding to possible causes for their growing distance. "The male character is affected but what's happening, but can never really put his finger on it. Until the end, where he virtually concedes defeat, he is always two steps behind."

© 2002 R. W. Gordon. All rights reserved.