Freedom

‘I’m Late’ Harry thought as he hurriedly pulled on his work clothes

He hadn’t been at the foundry long and he knew they had strict starting and finishing times, each late clock-in or early clock-out resulted in docked pay. This felt draconian to Harry but ‘a jobs a job’, and at 25 with no formal education, this is where he’d found himself, ‘for now’ he thought.

The foundry was a loud, hot, toxic place filled with despair, desperation and acrid stale smoke. The ventilators whirred and sucked out the majority of the worst air, but created a constant oppressive noise. Harry’s colleagues claimed he’d get used to it in time, but Harry couldn’t see how until perhaps his hearing had dulled to a nub. 

After 3 months of working, he hadn’t found any redeeming qualities to the job, the pay was ‘minimal', his colleagues were ‘ok’, and the working conditions were ‘within government guidelines’. But nothing made him feel interested or enthused to get into work. 

Most of his coworkers were twice his age, with life excitement as blunted as their hearing. One morning, after learning that Garry, one of his colleagues, had been toiling in the same position in the company for 30 years and was now 52.

Harry had asked him “How can you do the same thing day after day, 9 hours a day, with only a short respite each week for 30 years!?”

“I’d do anything for my freedom,” Garry had told him looking back at him stone-faced, with black smeared across his wrinkled brow, an echo of a dying glint in his eye.

This struck Harry to his core, and as he worked he ruminated on it, ‘I’d do anything for my freedom…. I’d do anything for my freedom….I’d do anything….’

What a strange oxymoronic sentiment, you would sacrifice all of your freedom, for your freedom?

Harry knew, for his part, he’d be doing this for another 6 months, then he’d be out of his rental contract, he could travel, meet somebody, find his true passion, just 6 more months.

================== 3 Years Later ===================

“Harry you're late!” Harry’s foreman was standing at the gate “You’ll have to make up your hours next week!”

Harry looked at him with ever-decreasing light in his eyes

“Listen, Harry, you’ve been with us awhile now, if you keep things going as they are, and don’t clock in late, you could be in his position in another ten years,” He said with a positive inclination as he gestured to Garry now 55, hunched, half-deaf, eyes as tired and grey as the remainder of his hair. He was looking out at them through the dark shadowy confines of the foundry floor, squinting at the sight of the morning light.

Harry looked in and looked back over his shoulder to the bus stop on the road outside the foundry grounds, where a bus had just rolled up. He looked at the faces of all the passengers, not all were filled with the joys of spring, but they were all ‘going somewhere’. Some might be heading to work, others to see their elderly parents on their deathbeds or grocery shopping, or heading cross country by bus, or going to audition for a band position, but each were going somewhere, and Harry envied them all.   

==================== 10 years later ==============

“Morning Harry”

Harry’s new boss yelled to him as he staggered up to the foundry gates. He was the son of the previous foreman, with half the charm.

“You’re rising in this company, you can work in Garry’s position now,” He said with a smirk.

Garry had collapsed during a shift 2 weeks prior, just 3 weeks before he was due to retire, and hadn’t been heard of since. A card had gone around for everyone to put a donation in addressed to his wife. Which Harry could only assume was now his widow. ‘He's free now’ Harry thought. 

“Am I rising or am I falling, and by what measure…? Yours, or mine?” Harry asked, looking oblivious.

“What dya mean?” his boss said as Harry turned at the sound of the bus pulling in behind him.

“Anyway you’re going to be late if you don’t clock in in 36 seconds” he said looking at his watch.

Harry walked toward the stopping bus, with each step he felt lighter, younger.

“Harry get back here” His boss shouted “You won’t get your bonus at the end of the year!”

Harry boarded the bus without hesitation, “where ya headed?” The bus driver asked.

“What's your last stop?” Harry said unsure “Well the terminal is in Detriot, but from there you can get a coach heading to… pretty much any of the northern states, or the airports nearby if you're heading further.” She smiled warmly, 

Harry sat and breathed and looked through the window as the world passed by.

As they traveled Harry felt an overwhelming disconnect between youth and adulthood, without the blurred period of growing, and no memory of the ages between.

A dream of all that could have once been, without knowing why it wasn’t, and when it was left behind. 

====================== 2 Hours Later =========================

When the bus pulled into the terminal Harry waited for the other passengers to disembark before approaching the driver.

“Excuse me miss, which way to the airport?”

“Well it’s not far sweety, if you give me a moment I can walk you to the cab rank, it’s just a small fare from here” She said gently, recognizing his discombobulation.

Harry began to realise he was standing in his dirty overalls and started to question what he was doing. 

‘If I head back now, I could get back before work closes, I could speak to my boss and explain that I’m just exhausted, if I beg I’m sure I could get my job back, I could be back in work by tomorrow morning.’

“This way honey,” The bus driver said,

“.....Thank you” Harry looked up and followed her voice.

“You have enough for the fare?“ She asked generously.

“Errr, sure, I have my card,”

“Ok hun, have a great time, wherever this takes you” She said with a knowing look in her eye.