He had stayed on past the State Retirement Age
and would probably still be there today
had his boss – decades his junior and
exasperated at his lack of understanding
of the ‘New Technology’ not chided him.
This was the proverbial final straw.
He could take no more.
“Stick your job” he remembered saying
and walked away, the office silent
for the first time he could remember
in his twenty years of service.
With boss and workmates jaws asunder,
his mind a mix of fearfulness and wonder,
he had set his face, picked up his case
and walked out, head held high.
It had been a silly exchange and they
had asked him to change his mind.
But his course was set and he didn’t regret
that one defiant answer for one minute.
It felt so queer – he had no idea
how he’d manage on half the income
he was used to, or what he’d be reduced to.
But the deed had been done and he
had never felt so free.  His heart began to sing.
What would this new retirement bring
after that last day at the office?