By Therese Evans
Everything was gloomy, the weather, the economy, the job market, the chaotic world, and so was her mood. After having a fight with her mother over some stupid, tiny things, Finny wanted to escape. Escape this absurd reality. Escape home. Now, it felt like a cage — a place that only brought her sadness and painful memories such as the "yelling kitchen”, the “bleeding single bed”, every corner reminded her those unhappy things had happened there. It had been a place that restricted her emotions.
"I can’t stay even one more minute here.” She got changed, grabbed the hand bag, and locked the door.
Where to go? she didn’t know, random driving was the thing that could relax her a bit.
After about 150 km of driving, she stopped at a small town named Manawa Ora. “That means “hope” in English,” she said.
“This is the quiet place I want to stay for a while now,” she muttered to herself.
She got out of the car, walked down the street aimlessly.
“Hey, Fanny, is that you?” A middle-aged man walked toward her, who wore an army green jersey with a grey hat, his steps were light, he looked energetic.
“Er…” She was trying to remember his name, but her brain didn’t give her the word she needed.
“Eugene, I’m Eugene, we met at the morning market in Kingstown, I’m a friend of Jimmy.”
“Oh, right! Eugene! Of course! How are you? It’s so good to meet you here!”
“I’m good, yourself? What brings you here?”
“Well, it’s a long story, would you want to find some place to sit down and talk? Drink’s on me.”
She desperately needed someone to talk to, her dead babies, the long-term tension with her mother, the quarrels and misunderstandings with her husband … she was not going to share the specifics but just hoped for someone to listen. She wanted to talk. While he seemed a good listener, friendly, and unfamiliar.
“What’s the long story, I am all ears.” He flashed a beaming smile, like a sunbeam shooting into her heart.
“ I just want to escape, escape from my daily life, feel a bit suffocating.”
“ For what?”
“Life, it’s crushing me…” She held her tea cup tightly, staring at the clouds outside the window.
The conversation went on, he listened patiently. Occasionally, answered some questions or talked about himself.
She felt better. The man sitting in front of her brought back the days of her youth.
“Eugene,” A woman approached their table, “Amy said that you were down South, what are you doing here?”
“Meeting a client nearby.”
“Ah, sorry to interrupt your meeting, carry on, I’d better go, see you later.”
“See you.”
Both of them were embarrassed by this unexpected incident.
“I should get going too, thanks for your time and listening. I hope I can see you soon again.” Fanny said.
“Yeah, it was nice talking to you, I hope your life gets better.”
“Thanks, take care.”
“You too.”
They left the cafe, she went left, he turned right, they never met again.
#####