The Last Week of Coffee & Connection

The decision of where to spend their final week together required careful consideration. Sophie craved serenity combined with abundant birdlife—specific desires that narrowed their options to locations offering both tranquility and natural diversity. After scrolling through WikiCamps and weighing various possibilities, Greens Lake Reserve emerged as perfect compromise, promising the peaceful water views and avian activity that would create ideal backdrop for their remaining days together.

Settling into lakeside life with the practiced ease of seasoned nomads, Sophie and Sal were immediately rewarded by nature's generosity. Day one unveiled itself as meteorological perfection—cloudless azure stretching endlessly above, the usual Victorian wind taking unexpected holiday. This rare combination of warmth and stillness felt like cosmic gift, prompting immediate decision to abandon all indoor plans in favour of complete solar immersion.

"We'd be crazy to waste this," Sophie declared, already spreading her yoga mat on the grass beside the bus.

The day unfolded in languid perfection. Vitamin D soaked into winter-pale skin while unexpected canine visitors provided entertainment and affection. Two border collies—Olive and Riley—appeared from a neighbouring camp, their intelligent eyes and gentle demeanours immediately winning hearts. Not to be outdone, a fifteen-week-old Jack Russell puppy bounded into their temporary territory, all oversized paws and endless energy, transforming their quiet morning into delightful chaos of fur and laughter.

Sophie's entire bearing transformed under the sunshine's influence. The weather-induced melancholy that had shadowed recent grey days evaporated like morning mist, replaced by radiant energy that would characterise their remaining time together. Sal observed this transformation with maternal satisfaction, noting how profoundly environment affected her daughter's emotional landscape—wisdom that would inform future adventures.

Between bouts of puppy entertainment and sun worship, academic obligations still demanded attention. Sal supported Sophie through counselling role-play practice, their mother-daughter dynamic adding interesting dimension to therapeutic scenarios. When Sophie's assignment marks arrived—revealing she'd passed despite unconventional study conditions—their lakeside celebration felt meaningful and intimate. Academic success earned from a bus beside an Australian lake carried special significance, proof that education need not be confined to traditional classrooms.

Their final week together assumed its own precious rhythm. Morning coffee delivered bedside had become sacred ritual, Sal treasuring these moments of nurturing her adult daughter. Healthy meals prepared with love in their compact kitchen, afternoon stretching sessions that had evolved into moving meditation, evening conversations that dove deep into life philosophy and future dreams—each element wove into a tapestry of connection that transcended typical family visits.

"I'm going to miss this so much," Sophie confided during one sunset conversation, both women aware their time was rapidly diminishing.

As reports filtered through from Melbourne about Anth and Torrin's trial nearing completion, practical planning interrupted their lakeside idyll. An unexpected house-sitting opportunity had presented itself, coinciding perfectly with Sal's approaching birthday. After brief consultation with Anth via phone, they decided to accept—the prospect of celebrating with proper walls and amenities while flying both kids down for reunion too appealing to refuse.

This decision cast bittersweet shadow over their remaining days. Sal found herself caught in emotional dichotomy—profound gratitude for these precious weeks with Sophie warring with anticipatory grief over her imminent departure. Each shared meal, each morning coffee, each laughing moment with the neighbour dogs carried extra weight, the awareness of ending sharpening appreciation for what they'd shared.

Friday arrived with military precision required by their overlapping obligations. The morning transformed into orchestrated dance of efficiency: bus systems checked and secured for travel, Sophie's belongings organised for air travel, fuel tanks filled for the journey ahead. Their route required careful timing—first to meet the house-sitting property owners, then into Melbourne's heart where Anth and Torrin would Uber across from their clinical facility to meet near the airport.

"We're like a precision machine," Sophie observed as they ticked off each task exactly on schedule, their weeks of practice evident in smooth coordination.

The meeting with house-sit owners passed in blur of keys and instructions, Sal's mind already racing ahead to the upcoming reunion. As they navigated Melbourne's familiar streets toward the airport vicinity, anticipation built with each kilometre. Three and a half weeks—the longest separation since beginning their nomadic journey—was about to end.

When Anth and Torrin emerged from their Uber at the agreed restaurant, Sal felt her heart physically expand. The joy of reunion flooded through her even as awareness of Sophie's imminent departure created emotional undertow. Torrin appeared notably fuller-faced after weeks of trial facility meals—a stark contrast to the usual weight loss associated with institutional food. The four of us gathered around a table for one last meal as a complete unit, stories of trial experiences and mother-daughter adventures flowing between bites.

Melbourne Airport's departure gates arrived too quickly. At at the drop off point, Sophie's embrace carried weight of all their shared moments—morning coffees, academic victories, lakeside conversations, canine encounters. The physical separation as she walked toward her Brisbane flight felt like tearing fabric, necessary but painful.

"See you soon," Sophie called back, her wave carrying forced brightness none quite believed.

As we navigated eastward away from Melbourne's urban sprawl, our bus felt simultaneously complete and incomplete. Anth's presence restored balance to Sal's world while Sophie's absence created new void. The road ahead promised different adventures—house-sitting comforts, birthday celebrations, eventual reunion with all our children. Yet nothing would quite replicate the unique magic of these mother-daughter weeks, when two women had discovered new depths of connection while navigating life from a bus beside various Victorian waters.

The sunset painted the sky in shades of ending and beginning as Anth once more took the wheel and turned the bus towards our next chapter.Read more