Escape from the Cooinda Cycle: Part Three

I was surprised when I looked at my watch, and rekindled with energy to make it through the last time here, I quickly left the area and used the staff code to exit the back door towards the bins. I enjoyed the small amount of time in relative calm while doing the bins and did not rush back, but slowly made my way back down to The Gypsy’s room.

At least I’m getting my steps in today, I thought as if that was important during a global pandemic where I was having delivery take out food for dinner every night of the week.

All too soon I was back at The Gypsy’s door, I tapped the door gently as I opened it and stepped in. She was there, in her normal armchair, staring at me with eyes that have surely cursed many a man's heart in their time.

“Ooh, is you!” she said. “How are you, my love?”

I found it odd that she liked me so much, I spent nowhere near as much time with her as The Young Man, but I had upped the time with her since his escape. She had apparently at one time expressed to him that ‘if she were sixty years younger…’ which I thought must have been playful banter. Until she said a similar thing to me, but hey, when you’re stuck somewhere like this, even escaping to fantasy in your head must be nice.

We spoke for a little while, I let her know The Young Man said hello, from the other side… and that today was my last day, so I would soon be leaving too. This made her way sadder than I would have thought possible.

“Oh, I will miss you,” she said. “Now I will have no one to talk to, just the idiots here.”

She certainly doesn’t mince her words, maybe if she was sixty years younger we could have lived the Gypsy life together.

We talked for about ten more minutes and at one stage I tuned out slightly and she was going on about something, and I must have left too long a pause,

“Ehhh, maybe I’m just talking crap,” she said with her thick accent. “What think you?”

“Uh, yeah I don’t know, I think it sounds fair enough,” I said, trying to recover the conversation.

After a minute or so I said my final goodbyes, she called me a ‘good boy’ and I waved farewell as I shut the door.

The Gypsy, check.

The Chess Man was already sitting at a table outside the cafe waiting for me, I looked at my watch I had around twenty minutes before my official end time. I opened the cafe door and told him to come in, it was a bit warmer inside the cafe and would be more comfortable for our last game.

The game lasted about thirty minutes, with the normal level of him forgetting which were his pieces, and whose turn it was. I did try my best to give him one last final victory, but even intentionally trying to lose is difficult when your opponent forgets their tactics and stratagems part way through the game.

Oh, split my sausage. I don’t think it’s possible for him to win now… dammit.

There was no choice, I had to take his king and end the game, it would have been too obvious otherwise, and it was now a while after I officially finished.

“Sorry to do this to you,” I said as I took the piece and won the game. “Checkmate.”

We said our final goodbyes, and he gave me his phone number to contact him if I wanted, I thanked him and wished him all the best, but I know I won’t call, for my own sanity I need to cut all ties with this place after today.

The Chess Man, check.

On my way out of the centre, I returned the cash box and record book for the cafe to the manager’s office.

“You’re still here?” she said, slightly surprised. “I thought you finished at 4:30 and were gone already.”

“Had one last game of chess before leaving,” I said, placing the box and book into the cabinet they were stored in. “Tried to make some time with my regulars today, mostly went well.”

She thanked me for my time in the centre and especially for running the cafe and the time and energy I spent in trying to improve the quality of life for the residents, we both got a bit more emotional than either of us probably planned. She asked if she could hug me goodbye, strange thing to ask- oh, yeah, global pandemic and I suppose there’s workplace rules about these types of things. I said of course, and we hugged and then said goodbye.

I headed for the front doors, I can’t believe it, it’s finally here… the end.

But the centre had one last gift for me, there sitting on one of the armchairs in the foyer was everyone’s favourite biscuit thief, and possible cat-shagger, The Old Man.

“You off home then mate?” he asked as he saw me. “I’m just waiting for my bus to Ryde.”

“Oh okay, sure it’ll be here soon,” I said, no point crushing his dreams now. “Yeah so I’m off, and remember I mentioned this is my last day? So I won’t be back anymore.”

I felt a real connection to The Old Man, he was possibly my favourite of them all, the first I had bonded with, and I felt I earned the strong connection with him after all the time spent with him, plus once you help a ninety-something year old shower themselves off after they have the mother of all follow-throughs on a walk, you earn the right to call them ‘friend’.

“Okay? So it’s been really great getting to know you, but I won’t be back again,” I said, desperately hoping it filtered through.

“Okay mate… see you tomorrow.”

Ouch, that stings…

I turned, found my name on the overly fancy touchscreen bundy system they used to sign in and out of shifts. Tapped my name, and then as the last of my cohort of conscriptees, tapped for the last time, Sign Out...

Ooh, I think I just peed from excitement.

I punched in the code to open the doors and felt a fresh breeze hit me as I walked out, the fresh air instantly calming me and giving me a sense of… What was that? Freedom?

It was over…

Time to wake from the nightmare.