Escape from the Cooinda Cycle: Part One

“I've been looking for freedom,

Since I left my home town,

I've been looking for freedom,”

I was singing along as loud as I could clapping where I could without losing control of the vehicle. As the song came to its crescendo, I belted out the final line in time with The Hoff.

“Still it can't be found!”

The backing singers finished their extended singing of the final line one last time

“Can't be foooooooooound!”

I think I smiled the whole car drive in today, even when a P-plater cut me off and I had to slam on the brakes. Rather than the usual tirade to no one, he just got a small honk of rebuke to let him know he messed up. Wrong of me, as the horn is to be used as a warning not as a rebuke, but it mattered not one whit.

In eight hours, I would be free…

I didn’t even care that a tradie in his ute was looking over at me singing, I could not, and would not be disheartened this day. I quickly skipped the track back to the beginning, and started to sing along again.

“One morning in June

Some twenty years ago

I was born a rich man's son

I had everything that money could buy

But freedom I had none…”

“I've been looking for freedom…”

I kept singing all the way to the centre, and waited in the car until it finished its current rotation before turning off the engine and exiting the car.

Still smiling I entered the centre and signed in, for the last time. Oh, that was glorious…

As I walked to the cafe I smiled and waved at everyone I passed, I got to the cafe and The Chess Man was already there waiting.

“Morning,” I said with a smile.

“It’s your last day today isn’t it?” he asked as I unlocked and opened the door for him.

“Yeah, finishing up today,” I said, following him into the cafe. “Would love one last game of chess later if you’re keen.”

“Oh yes, that will be good, when?” he asked.

“How about four o’clock? I finish at four-thirty so if we go long it’ll be fine.” I said.

Strange, I am so happy to be leaving, but happy to stay back for one last game with him. I did know that leaving the residents would be the hard part.

“I’m in the cafe till around two, then I’ve got to make sure I see a few people before I leave and say goodbye, but you can be my last one so we can play chess, sound okay?

He nodded, and then placed a packet of biscuits on the bench to buy and take to his room.

“I’ll be back in a little while for a coffee,” he said, waving goodbye.

“Okay, see you then.”

I knew I had a tight schedule for my afternoon after closing the cafe, so I was hopeful that a number of my regulars would visit today so I could spend some time with them during cafe hours and have fewer people I needed to go visit at the end of the day.

Well, there’s one at least, I thought, as a nurse brought The Old Man to the cafe to leave him with me for a while so he wouldn’t follow them around.

“Would you like a coffee?” I asked, having just finished setting up the machine. “On the house,” I added after seeing him pat his pockets for money.

“Oh, thank you mate.” he said, a look of relief on his face.

I swear the staff better keep giving him free ones after I go.

We spent some time talking over coffee and explaining to him once again that the bin bag down the corridor was not a person but a bag of rubbish.

Every time they empty the bins…

Soon The Lemonade Man was sitting at his usual table, his finger raised, ordering his drink for the day. I brought it out and chatted with him for a few minutes before returning to The Old Man. I sat with him and explained this was my last day. Just in case he doesn’t wander past again today, I thought it best to rip the band-aid now. He nodded slowly,

“So not here on Monday then?” he said.

Oh dear.

“No, today is my last day. I won’t be back again.”

“Oh, got another job? That’s good, don’t want to be stuck here like me.”

Man, this guy gets it, he may not know what year it is, but he knows an inescapable cycle of pain when he sees one.

The Old Man got up and then leaned on his walker, wandered off on some grand adventure that I’m sure I could never understand or even comprehend, even with a map.

The Old Man, check.

The Lemonade Man was still sipping away and so we talked while he finished his drink. I told him I would be up for one last session of helping with his memoirs in the afternoon, but it needed to be a short one today as I had to see others and say goodbye too.

He nodded and said he understood, then got up to leave,

“See you at two o'clock,” he said.

Most of the morning went by fairly quickly, visits from a few regulars as they got their coffee or tea for the day, ensuring I said goodbye to each one, letting them know I was finishing today. Some whose exploits have not yet been chronicled...

Beatles Boy, The Can Collector, Lady Crisp, Mr. Cheez-el.

This was great, so many of them came to say goodbye, to be fair these were some of the more alert ones. The Ice Lady came for her daily ice coffee, but I don’t think she understood that I would not be back after today.

I pity the person who makes her next coffee milkshake and gets it wrong.

Ice Lady, check.

The lady I had grown attached to, who returned from the expected one way trip to the hospital, came and ordered her regular coffee and cheese toastie, and we spoke about me ending my time here.

“That’s good you can go back to your normal work, I wish I didn’t have to be here,” she said as she ate the cheese toastie. “I’ll miss these, they are better than the food we get from the kitchen.”

I don’t think I’ve ever had a compliment that made me sad before… that really shouldn’t be the case.

Soon she too departed and we said our last goodbyes, Toastie Ma’am, check.

Soon then there was no one in the cafe and it was approaching one-thirty so I started closing and cleaning the cafe for the last time. I made sure to leave some money in the cash box with a note to say it was to cover drinks for The Old Man after I was gone.

I finished cleaning and took out the rubbish, and made my way to meet with The Lemonade Man for one last attempt to help with the memoirs…

To be continued...

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Read Part Two: