Life begins at retirement

They reach the café before their mid morning cup of coffee dressed in their Sunday best, from the hat to the tie and the suit and shining shoes. Then they spend the day with their friends, reading newspapers, smoking, playing cards or backgammon, drinking coffee, eating or just chatting. These are the old men of Cyprus and so characteristic of roadside cafes that these corners would look vacant and insipid without them. They must have had a rich past, some of them are possibly even relics of the first decade of the last century but they are not ready to put the gauntlet down. Not yet, not at 90.They do not seem tired in any way, still want to hang out with their mates, still want to dress and go somewhere purposefully in the morning and come back home in the evening after a day out.