I had been away a long time; since the Second World War, in fact. I knew things would be very different, but surely not as changed as I. It was some ways yet to the Columbia, but I chose to walk for a while. I did not like riding in the machines of the white man I so desperately wish to escape. I walked leisurely, with heavy strides along the highway, savoring the aroma of freedom as the sun eased its way over the distant horizon. As the morning mist melted away, I found myself smiling with content for the first time in memory. At the same time, however, a sense of grief for McMurphy gripped my heart. It did not seem right that I should now walk free from the walls of the Combine while the man who truly released me from the confines of my own mind is now gone from this earth.

Before McMurphy arrived at the hospital, my life there had been shrouded in silence. I am certainly a physically imposing figure, but my condition and race left me weak and inferior to the oppressive nature of the white system. The government had humiliated both my father and my race, leaving me to feign a life as a deaf mute. In this state, I was able to avoid virtually all human contact, until Randall McMurphy gave me new life and hopes for freedom. I had to kill him though, for a man of his character should not be forced to live on mindlessly as a pawn of the manipulative Big Nurse. McMurphy has given me strength I did not know I even had, both physically and mentally. I ended my silence because for the first time since my childhood, McMurphy's companionship had given me reason to speak. I know Mac's spirit was with me when I lifted the tub room control panel and cast it through the asylum window.

So here I am, the iron in my boot heels now scraping along pavement instead of on the spotless white tiles in the Combine. I walked for hours along the road, until my legs would carry me no more. I had been lost in my own thoughts for much of the day, and without realizing it I had come upon a small town. Only a few cars trickled along the dusty roads and people on the sidewalks took a little off their steps as their eyes met mine. I was a stranger in a strange land, a land I no longer knew. I had not eaten since the night before at the hospital, so I eagerly approached a small diner on the edge of town. A tattered sign hung awkwardly above the door, and as I walked gingerly up the rotting staircase, I could barely make out the words "Rita's Café." With a considerable degree of apprehension, I pulled open the screen door and stepped inside.

There were only a few scattered souls around the restaurant and they immediately looked my way as the door slammed unexpectedly behind me. The sun fought its way through ragged shades and cast dusty rays of light sporadically across the room. A waitress in a red and white uniform only stared as I took a seat at the counter. The other customers gradually resumed the conversations I had apparently disrupted, though a few continued to steal uncomfortable glances in my direction. I chanced a slight grin towards the waitress, and for a moment she remained frozen, her cigarette hanging precariously from her deep red lips. I imagine my appearance was quite peculiar. While light skinned, I was of a different color from the rest of clientele, and the leather jacket the Mexican had given me did little to conceal all of my hospital greens. Finally, as if pulled out of her trance by the sound of the Righteous Brothers on the jukebox, the waitress at last walked over to me.

My smile seemed to surprise her, as if a man like myself is incapable of such an expression. It hurt me to be so quickly judged, but I decided to change her impression. In a pleasant voice and with the kindest of eyes I said, "Hello...Darlene," reading off the nameplate on her chest. With that, her body seemed to relax a bit as she came to a seemingly startling realization that I was indeed human.

Darlene's deep brown eyes lost all suspicion, and after a slight hesitation she replied, "Hi!" in a friendly tone. "You'll have to forgive my rudeness a moment ago," she continued. "We're just not used to having strangers in here." The corners of her mouth rose in a smile to reveal a set of poorly misshapen teeth. They were stained deep yellow, no doubt the result of years of smoking and drinking three pots of coffee a day. "What can I get for you, Sweetie?"

At this, I found myself unable to reply. I could not remember the last time a stranger had treated me so kindly. For years I had suffered the torments of the Big Nurse and the heckling of the black boys that worked on the ward. I had been shouted at, ridiculed, and beaten. I was not even human until Mac came along and reminded me what it meant to live, that there could be joy in life. Now, here was this kind woman with no knowledge of my past to hold against me in the present. I was content to avoid real conversation, so I simply ordered a bowl of soup and a sandwich. Darlene cheerfully turned away to the kitchen with my order.

After finishing my meal half an hour later, I paid my bill, and left the diner feeling happier than I had in many years. We barely spoke, but I felt as though through Darlene, at least part of the white society had accepted me. Putting the town behind me, I walked back to the highway and continued my way towards the Columbia. My legs were well rested and I figured I would walk on until dark. I was happy to travel by foot for a while. It gave me a chance to reacquaint myself with the environment I had left so long ago. As the sun continued its lazy descent beneath the distant hills I inched ever closer to my old village. I was of course hundreds of miles away yet, but at last I was free-free of the Combine and free of my mind.

Besides, I have plenty of time.