Day One Brings a New Dawning

NOTE: A fictitious couple in a retirement village in New Zealand face the first day after the final level of the nation-wide COVID-19 Lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus is retraced by the Government.

Pleasantly lined face Edna Eccles (76) at her 'observation' seat behind a protective fine-mesh curtain of the living room window of Apartment 9103 at the Sunnytimes Retirement Village, reported to Nick, who'd been her husband since he was twenty-eight when she proposed marriage.

"Mrs Clone is limping toward her small Toyota car, favoured by penny-pinching commoners and being parked illegally overnight in the visitor's parking area. It appears likely she's going shopping because she's wearing pearls - imitation ones, I bet - and a cloche hat that she doesn't wear when taking that mangy dog of hers for a pee on Oyster Bay Beach."

Nick (81), a long-retired Postmaster from the days when they still existed in pumped-up self-importance and in the large centres genuinely believing they rated in equal status to an Navy Commodore or Army Brigadier, rattled his newspaper irritated at been torn away from reading the tiny print of classified ads to try to strengthen his failing eyesight.

For some obscure reason he squinted and asked, "What stockings is she wearing?"

"Purple mesh ones and the back seams look quite straight on this occasion."

"Goodie, I'm coming over for an inspection. You know my favourite perversion is dress stockings."

"Too late, she's in the car," Edna said excitedly, loving having docile Nick interested in anything these days.

"Damn, what's her hurry," half-forgetful Nick said, trying to remember which ad he had been reading when being interrupted by the big tease spying from the window.

"Am I really married to you?"

"Yes, dear. I chose you instead of one of the eight Coates brothers because your mother paid me fifty dollars to permanently get you out of her house."

"Then you must have been a great looker?"

"Yes, I was dear, with plump rosy cheeks, well brushed golden locks..."

"Oh, never mind. Bury your nose in that Tory newspaper."

"Edna, I know you spent a year in England after you completed high school when you couldn't find a job and your Aunt paid for you to go to her in London and work as her housekeeper. But there's no need to still think you are English and imbued with the inherited working class' hatred of the Tories."

"No need? May I remind you that was the greatest 18 months of my entire life."

"What about the first year of our marriage, dear?"

"Thank you for the opportunity to express myself Nick but let's move on."

"Where to?"

"Into brighter conversation. You can converse brilliantly except when you're pissed."

Nick chuckled and said, "Do you mean angry at someone or drunk?"

"Take your pick."

"Thanks Edna, I'll have a beer."

She snorted and said he couldn't because it was only 8.57.

"Omigod, look."

"Can't, my eyes don't protrude that far because their stalks are too short."

Edna told him to stop talking rubbish and listen.

"There are people, mainly women with shopping baskets or small shopping trollies, pouring out of apartments and heading for reception to line up for the van to Oakland. There must be forty or fifty of them with possibly more to come."

Nick said it was the first Sunnytimes van shopping trip to nearby Oakland Shopping Centre since the ending of Lockdown that had given back the majority of New Zealanders their complete freedom.

"Those residents are eager to get back into stride and hit the shops."

Edna observed, "Most can't stride. They totter or shuffle, or both."

"Edna, believe that what I said symbolically, they'll be thinking they are striding forth into glory."

"Oh yeah? I say they'll be rejoicing because the Labour Government has freed them."

"Tut tut, Edna. That's the same Government that locked up all of us. They're a pack of..."

Edna yelled, "Control your foul mouth, Nick."

He grinned, having succeeded with that stir. He was pleased that they were poles apart when it came to politics, as it provided him with great baiting opportunity.

Nick said he thought the van seated 11 plus driver, therefore no way could it accommodate 40-plus people except to run as a shuttle service on this occasion to avoid angry residents rioting.

Edna didn't answer that because she was moving on.

"When will we resume going out again, Nick?"

He lied, "When the authorities have had time to clear the streets of bodies of starved to death homeless cats, dogs and pigeons. Then there were the heaps of illegally dumped rubbish in shopping centres left by the motorised mindless who enjoyed the unscheduled holiday break that Lockdown presented them until they became bored and dumped rubbish in public places for thrills. Those venturing out will be greeted by the bleak sight of many closed shops with the probability that some will not open again under present ownership and that won't happen in the near future if there is a change of Government."

"Really, that sounds like something I'd espouse, Nick. Have you crossed party lines to become a neo-rebel rouser?"

"Nah, I said that to get your attention. It's just that I'm nervous about going out through the gates."

"Me too, Nick, but I would find comfort having you beside me, with you symbolically being a man rather than a mouse."

"What was that last bit?" Nick asked, pulling a growing rogue hair from his left nostril.

"Oh, don't bother to ask. It was just me resorting to dream time. Make us coffee, dear."

"I thought the English preferred tea."

"Move your butt over here, Nick, so I can kick it."

He walked to the open kitchen, grinning. He used to wonder why Edna married him, oh yes, she was the one who proposed. But now in their sunset years, he appreciated having her around but not too close to his side. She was easy to rile and fought back like a cat protecting her kittens. There was not much for him to fancy at his age. Edna could be priceless at times. He really liked it when she raged that she would knuckle him or kick his ass if he didn't stop needling her so much. He accepted it as fact the he wouldn't swap her for a more easily to live model, mainly because couples like them accepted the value of being err embraced by loyalty.

* * *

Over coffee and dry crackers, Edna had one of her occasional mood changes

"Should we upgrade from our 1971 uncomfortable car? A Rover would be nice.?"

Nick looked at his wife rather like a pointing hunting dog, ears pricked, waiting for the call to retrieve.

"Are you interested or not?"

"Yes," he barked.

"Well, go ahead and do it."

"I need to discuss it with you first. The Range Rover costs close to 200 thous."

"Sheet."

"That's my thinking. I'm up with new car reviews and my pick is a Mazda CX-5 for about $42,000."

"Then get it. I'll pay half from part of an investment of mine due to be rolled over next week."

"Don't you want a test run first?"

"No, but my colour preference is blue. Get rid of that old heap of ours. I loved that Morris Minor when new and even when middle age, but now it's a clapped-out lady like me."

Nick said, "Good, and thanks. I'll attempt to flick on the Morrie first and get the oil leaks where it's parked removed by contract cleaners before the arrival of its successor."

Edna said she liked seeing Nick almost excited.

"I've seen ads for the CX-5 in magazines and on TV and think it looks refined, pretty and my friends and I will regard it as cool, Nick. We have made a good choice. We'll drive to Wellington in it to visit the Jerry, wife and grandkids and probably impress Jerry and Amy that we now have a modern and safer car, having let go of its predecessor that Jerry called 'a long-expired vehicle from the distant past that miraculously still goes'."

"Wow, I remember that dig at us, too. I thought your memory was on the blink?"

Edna chuckled and said those hiccups mainly referred to recent events and conversations.

Nick said firmly, "I'd like to drive to Wellington encased in modern design and technology and staying overnight both ways at Taupo just like that in the old days when visiting Jerry and family. I'll hit the dealership for a good price as car sales are probably in a slump due to the virus scare Lockdown."

"You know Edna, this big surprise for me is something substantial to focus on in face of that nerve-racking release into greater freedom facing us after benign imprisonment. Let's go to the Oakland Shopping Centre in the morning for take-away coffee and I'll buy a present for you."

"Omigod, a present for me. The last time you brought me a present was a pair of knitting needles that I've never used. The world of home craft has rather moved on since then."

"Well, I expect to buy something more exciting this time Edna because today you've made my day. You have emerged from Lockdown, pitching your thinking at a higher level."

Footnote: Author lives in a retirement village.

The End