The eve of my time in Australia was uneventful. It seemed like a bit of anticlimax after my farewell to Jess. If my life was a book, that is where the story of the year actually ends. Much like literature, things always have more power when there is a symbolic connection. I didn't really say goodbye to Jess; I'll see her again. I said goodbye to that stage of our relationship, the idea of life in Australia, settling down, having children (at this moment anyway), basically everything I devoted my life to over the last two years. But, life is not a book though and I still had a week left in Broken Hill and I still had some more difficult goodbyes ahead.
Besides helping Les with a massive tiling project, I didn't find any work at my old jobs; I only had three weeks in town anyway, though the little extra New Zealand money would have been nice. Most of my time was spent on the net, facebooking, writing blogs (you saw how prolific I got in June!), and planning my month in New Zealand.
I returned to the sad truth that the few friends I made in Broken Hill had either moved or moved on in my six month absence. Most of my invitations for a last minute catch up session were either turned down or ignored. Not to say that the old friends I did see were cold, they were quite nice; they just had their own life and I had mine.
I was able to spend some quality time, however, with those I truly cared about, Les and Sharon and Joe and Diane. I shared a few dinners with them. On the Sunday before I left, Diane made homemade pasties for us and the lovely Aunty Avis. I shared a wonderful meal with Les and Sharon at the Musicians Club on my last night.
As can be expected, saying goodbye was not easy. The train whistle blew and I took my seat. Of course I left on a train; it is the most symbolic mode of transportation. The two minute wait was an hour long. I sat staring forward, trying to not to look out the window at Sharon crying, fightine tears myself. Finally, the train pulled away and waved farewell to Broken Hill and my Aussie family. Les and Sharon have always been there for me, giving me a place to stay, good meals in my belly, friendship, and most importantly, always providing support, even after Jess and I broke up, even when I wasn't showing my most positive side. I'll forever be grateful to them for this. The Eyles are some of the greatest people I've met in my life; their kindness is rare.
As the train rolled on down the line, (suddenly, this is becoming a blues song), the desolate outback was left behind me, a dust storm was brewing in my wake, just like on the day of my arrival. The blood red dirt of the empty outback faded, leaving my broken heart in Broken Hill. The land grew more and more green, more and more lively the further I got from town. I felt a bit cheated by the symbolism considering how sad I felt to leave such important people behind. Did this mean that life will flourish, be filled with new opportunity after some of the disappointments of my experiences in Australia? After studying literature and writing for so many years, I'd become programed to recognize the something in everything and the everything in nothing. Sometimes I forget that maybe a tree can just be a tree, that some things aren't good or bad, happy or sad. Some things are just what they are.
The End of Aaron Assonant Adventures in Australia
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