Mrs. W cried out.
“Oh, stop that. I’m not hurting you,” Sheila scolded. She picked the apron up off the table and put it around Mrs. W’s neck.
I saw her hands tremble slightly and heard the underlying rage in her carefully controlled voice. What had happened in that bathing room to get her this riled up?
“Now, my dear, you’re going to sit here and co-operate and eat all your lunch like a good girl, aren’t you?” Sheila said, sitting down hard in her chair.
I willed it to break. It didn’t.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and looked over at Tracey again. She raised an eyebrow, shrugged a shoulder and shook her head, as if to ask, What can we do?
I heard Lily and Beth disagreeing beside me and turned to them. “What’s the problem, ladies?”
“That’s my cup of tea. Lily took my cup of tea,” whined Beth.
“It’s okay, Beth. I’ll get you another.” I went to the kitchen with an empty teacup, filled it and brought it back to the table. I placed it in front of Beth, along with the milk and sugar.
Beth smiled sweetly. “Thank you, dear.”
Two of the kitchen staff came around with a cart and cleared away soup bowls. They were doling out plates of tuna patties and green beans when Sheila started again.
“Oh, no, we’re not doing this again. Eat your lunch, or you’ll go hungry until supper.”
Mrs. W grunted stubbornly and tried to push her chair back from the table. Sheila grabbed the chair and yanked it back, causing Mrs. W’s head to snap back against the headrest.
I watched Sheila struggle to control her simmering anger. I’d never before seen her act this badly in front of others. Residents were becoming restless and agitated by her loud, angry voice. Even some of the other staff looked troubled.
Mrs. Sellers dropped her napkin. I bent to pick it up and caught a movement in the hallway from the corner of my eye. It was Abby, preparing to hand out lunchtime meds. Sheila couldn’t see her from where she sat.
Edie, however, had a perfect view of her. She looked at Abby, then at me, and smiled deviously. “Nasty cow,” she said, so quietly I barely heard it.
Georgia looked at her in confusion and asked, “Nasty cow? Who’s a nasty cow?” Her voice was not quiet.
Albert was sitting at their table as well. He looked from Georgia to Edie. “Nasty cow. Nasty cow!” He laughed wildly, pounding his fist on the table, then went back to eating as though nothing had been funny at all.
Sheila turned to look at them suspiciously, then whipped around quickly when Mrs. W began to cough and sputter. She swiped a napkin irritably across Mrs. W’s chin. Her back was rigid and her movements stiff.
“Her.” Edie nodded toward Sheila.
Georgia made a face and nodded. She took a bite of her tuna patty and stared thoughtfully at Sheila as she chewed.
Again, Mrs. W pushed away from the table and again Sheila yanked her back.
Abby stood in the doorway now, frowning as she watched the power struggle.
Before Abby could say or do anything, Edie’s Scottish brogue rang out. “For God’s sake, ya nasty bitch. Leave the poor woman be.”
The room fell silent.
The loud “bang” of Sheila’s fist hitting the table echoed through the room. She stood, marched over to Edie, and put a finger in her face. “You need to learn to mind your own damn business.”
Georgia’s hand snaked out and wrapped around Sheila’s wrist. “You. Are not nice.”
Sheila stared at the hand on her arm as though shocked that anyone dared touch her. She looked slowly from her arm to Georgia.
I saw the look of utter fury on Sheila’s face and pushed my chair away from the table. Before I could even stand up, Abby was there, pulling Sheila away. As she led her from the room, Georgia called after them, “Lord have mercy on your soul.”
* * *
Tracey and I discussed the lunchtime incident after work as we crossed the parking lot to our cars. She insisted Abby would do nothing. “Sheila’s been getting away with this for so long, people think it’s normal. Like I said before, Abby’s scared of her. She won’t do anything to cross her.”
I held out hope that Sheila had crossed a line Abby wouldn’t be able to ignore. No one else would get away with treating a resident that way, not even a visiting relative. Sheila had mistreated Mrs. W and set a bad example for every staff member. Abby simply could not let her get away with it.
* * *
Sheila was back at work the next day. Rumor had it that Abby had simply warned her about her behavior and sent her home early after the incident. She had not been written up or disciplined in any way.
Edie had a bath scheduled that morning and I was concerned about her being alone with Sheila after what had happened the day before. When I voiced my concern to Edie, she shrugged it off and marched bravely down the hall to the bathing room.
She came back to her room half an hour later, as I wheeled Mrs. Sellers out of the bathroom.
“How’d it go?” I asked
“Fine, fine,” Edie replied, hanging her housecoat in the wardrobe.
I locked up both wardrobes. “Did she say anything about yesterday?”
“Not a word. She barely spoke to me at all, just did what needed to be done and sent me on my way.”
That made me nervous. A quiet Sheila was a dangerous Sheila. Her silence and compliance were out of character. I was afraid it was the calm before the storm.
Chapter 11 – Forgiveness
THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS were relatively uneventful. Abby may not have formally disciplined her, but Sheila must have taken her warning seriously. She remained uncharacteristically quiet, kept her head down, did her work and didn’t speak to anyone unless she had to.
Georgia settled in more easily than I had dared to hope. She had visitors often, which helped the transition, but I liked to think Rose and Edie had something to do with it as well.
Rose looked up to Georgia. She often followed her around, doing everything she did. Georgia didn’t seem to mind. She was patient and protective of her, treating her as though she were one of her grandchildren. Georgia also provided some much-needed companionship for Edie. They sat together at every meal, played cards and board games and attended activities together, often with Rose trailing along behind. There were days when Georgia didn’t remember Edie, or Rose didn’t remember Georgia, but they were somehow still drawn together. Edie simply took those days in stride. She had a way of making Georgia feel at ease in her company, whether she remembered her or not.
So it was that Edie, Georgia and Rose became an unlikely trio of mismatched companions. Edie was a natural leader and Georgia commanded attention with her presence alone. Other residents seemed drawn to them and often trailed after the pair and looked to them for help.
One day, I escorted a few of the women to the craft room for Crochet Club. Lily and Beth were already there. Beth was struggling to remember and frustrated nearly to tears. She dropped her crochet needle in her lap and looked around the room. Her gaze rested on Edie and Georgia who chatted and crocheted easily. She got up, moved to the empty chair beside Edie and touched her on the arm. Edie looked over at Beth’s pleading face. She held her needle and yarn up and worked slowly, explaining each step. She then had Beth do it with her. Her words of praise had Beth’s face lighting up.
The newfound role of leader gave Edie a purpose. It was something for her to look forward to each day. Her depression seemed to lift a little, but she often seemed lonely when Georgia went home with Lloyd on the weekends. She watched Georgia’s many visitors come and go with a look of envy on her face and often kept to her room when Georgia was gone.
Tom and Ann were Edie’s only visitors. Every Saturday at one o’clock they came to see her. By two o’clock they were gone. They rarely took Edie home, or on outings. I was sure, if it had been up to Tom, Edie would have gone home with them more often, but he seemed to have little say about what went on in his
life.
Regardless, Edie looked forward to their visits. She was sitting on a bench in the main hall one Saturday, waiting for them. Georgia sat beside her, cane resting across her legs, purse and coat laid neatly across the bench beside her, overnight bag at her feet. She was waiting for Lloyd to pick her up and take her home for a visit.
Both women had dressed carefully that morning. We’d spent extra time picking out nice outfits and doing their hair. Georgia wore dark red lipstick. Her favorite gold hoop earrings dangled from her ears. Edie wore a more subdued color on her lips and had even applied a touch of perfume.
I was wheeling Mrs. Sellers out of the dining room when Anne arrived with Tom close behind. It was one o’clock sharp. She marched directly to Edie, looked her up and down, and without even a greeting, said, “My goodness, aren’t we all dressed up today?”
Edie simply nodded and stood to greet Tom with a smile. “Hello, dear.”
“Hello, Mother,” he replied, hugging her. He took her hand and held her at arm’s length. “You look very nice today.”
“Thank you, lad, that’s ni—”
“Why don’t you ever tell me I look nice?” Anne interrupted. “You give your mother a compliment, but not your own wife?”
Tom sputtered and stammered, but didn’t even have a chance to reply.
Anne looked at Edie. “Where in the world is your wheelchair? I tell you every time I see you, you should be using it. If you fall and end up with a broken hip, it’ll be nobody’s fault but your own.” She turned to Tom. “I told you didn’t I? When she came home for Christmas, I said, ‘She’s going to fall, and when she does, I’m going to tell you I told you so.’”
Edie’s expression was tight with anger. A couple of months ago she would have said nothing. She would have swallowed her angry words to avoid an argument. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
I was on my way to Mrs. Sellers’ room to help her with mouth care and toileting, but there was no way I was going to miss this. I pushed her chair closer to the wall and bent over with the pretense of tucking her lap blanket around her legs. I peeked through my blonde ponytail as it swung across my face.
Anne didn’t wait for a response from Tom. She turned to Edie, and, oblivious to her mother-in-law’s growing fury, continued on. “We worry about you, Mother. We’re not young anymore, you know. We wouldn’t be able to look after you if something happened.”
Georgia snorted loudly.
Anne glanced at her. She looked thoughtfully at the cane on her lap, then at Edie. “Well, since you won’t use the wheelchair we bought you, maybe we should get you a cane or a walker.”
“Ye booght me?” Edie exclaimed. “Ye booght that wheelchair wi’ mah money!”
Anne’s expression grew dark. It reminded me of Sheila. I shuddered at the thought and it occurred to me Edie might be better off in Dementia than living with Anne.
“Money that we look after for you. Just like we look after everything.”
“By yer ain choice!” Edie cried.
“Stop talking that way. You sound like a fool.”
“Ah soond loch a Scot,” Edie shot back in an even heavier brogue. There was pride and defiance in her voice.
“N-no need to get angry, you two,” Tom stammered, looking around uncomfortably.
Edie rounded on him, but reigned in her temper when she saw the desperate look on his face. “No need to get angry, you say? No need, when she criticizes and demeans me with every word out of her mouth? Maybe you’re willing to put up with it, but I’m not. Not anymore.”
Anne’s mouth dropped. “How dare you? How dare you speak that way after all I’ve done for you? You, you, ungrateful old—”
Georgia’s voice rang out, cutting Anne off before she could say something irrevocable. “Oh, Lord Jesus in heaven, silence this woman’s tongue.”
Anne stared at Georgia speechlessly as the older woman took her cane in hand and came slowly to her feet. She pulled herself up to her full height, looked down at Anne, and said, “Shame on you.”
Anne glared at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Georgia was not finished.
“Shame on you,” she said again, waving a finger in Anne’s face. “Speaking to her that way. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“I don’t—I only—”
“Did your mother not teach you any manners? Did she not teach you to respect your elders? If one of my children spoke to me that way, I would box their ears. Shame on you!”
Anne pressed her lips tightly together. She didn’t look as ashamed as she should have after being publicly scolded by a ninety-eight year old woman, but she certainly looked guilty. And she wisely kept her mouth shut.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
Georgia stomped back to her seat and sat down with a thud, while Edie, Tom and Anne wandered off toward the lounge.
The show was over. I leaned over Mrs. Sellers’ shoulder and said quietly, “I’m going to take you to your room now, Mrs. Sellers.” I straightened up. And looked right at him.
Jay strolled into Dementia wearing jeans and a tailored pea coat that showed off his long, lean body and broad shoulders.
My heart stopped for a moment, until I noticed Lloyd behind him and remembered they were there to get Georgia. Jay went straight to Georgia, lifted her carefully from her seat on the bench, and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her cheek loudly before he let her go and turned to gather her things. Our eyes met. Once again I’d been caught staring.
He smiled and walked toward me.
I wiped my palms on my scrub shirt and cleared my throat as he approached.
“Hi Sarah. We’re here to get Ma.”
“Great, I, uh…helped her pack her bag this morning. She’s really excited to go home.”
“We’re excited to have her home. We’ve missed her.”
“I’m sure she misses you too. She seems to be settling in well, though.”
“You mean she’s not cantankerous and bossy?”
“No, not very often. She’s become friends with another resident of mine, Edie. And she’s taken her roommate, Rose, under her wing. It’s funny, I know some days she doesn’t remember them, but they always end up together. I don’t know if I’d say she’s happy, but for the most part she seems content.”
Jay looked at Georgia, his expression soft with affection. “I guess that’s all we can hope for. Sometimes I think she’s even forgotten how to be happy.”
Without thinking, I touched his arm in consolation. “I’m sorry. I’m close to my grandmother too and I know how hard it is when they’re sick.”
Jay smiled, put his hand over mine, which was still resting much too familiarly on his arm, and said, “Thank you.”
A shiver went through my body and I felt warm suddenly. I quickly pulled my hand out from beneath his and looked away as I felt the heat creep up my neck. Would I ever be able to look at him or talk to him without blushing and tripping over my words?
“I should go. I, um… I have work to do,” I said, taking hold of Mrs. Seller’s wheelchair.
“Wait. What time do you finish work?”
“Two-thirty.”
“How about meeting me for coffee when you’re done?”
I stared at him blankly. Had he just asked me out?
“Sarah?”
“I—I can’t, I’m sorry, it’s frowned on. I look after your grandmother. It just isn’t professional.”
“It’s only coffee. And who’s going to know?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Please be sure to sign Georgia out before you leave.” I hurried away, pushing Mrs. Sellers ahead of me. I already regretted saying no.
I beat myself up for days over the way I’d handled Jay. I lay awake at night thinking about it. What would have been the harm in meeting him for coffee? Coffee could lead to drinks, which could lead to dinner, which, judging by the level of attraction I felt for him, could lead to, well, lots of things.
The whole spi
el about it being unprofessional was simply an excuse. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I was scared. I’d been hurt before and now I had Kayla to think of. I would never date a man who couldn’t accept Kayla if things got serious, so I’d made it a rule to tell every guy I went out with about her by the second date. Third dates did not exist in my world. Who was I kidding? First dates barely existed in my world.
I didn’t tell Tracey about Jay asking me out. I knew what she’d say about me turning him down and I didn’t want to hear it. I kept the feelings of regret, the fear of always being alone, bottled up inside like I always had. I had every right to be scared, I told myself, when every man I’d ever loved had abandoned me.
* * *
It had been nearly a week since Jay had asked me out for coffee. I hadn’t seen him since. Lloyd had been alone when he brought Georgia back to Tranquility that Sunday. I was sure Jay was avoiding me and I didn’t blame him in the least. I’d made it clear that I wasn’t interested in going out with him.
I wasn’t having a good day at work. Tracey was off sick and her replacement, Maria, didn’t know our routine. Mrs. Amaral didn’t like Maria, or the change in routine, and became obstinate and uncharacteristically aggressive. I spent a good part of my morning trying to calm her and worked through my break to help Maria catch up.
Sam thought he needed to go to work and I had to convince him numerous times throughout the morning that it was his day off. I couldn’t even distract him from it with his music. Lily and Beth bickered like children and mediating quickly became tedious. Albert wandered into John’s room looking for his precious Hairball and the two men nearly came to blows.
By the time lunch was over, I was hungry, tired and stressed. I’d just finished helping Rose get cleaned up and changed. She’d had an accident when I was unable to take her to the bathroom right away after lunch. Again, I’d been busy helping Maria, and had fallen behind on my own routine.
I was in the hallway outside Rose’s room, crouched in front of the supply cart getting clean towels for her bathroom, deep in thought, immersed in my own misery and longing for the day to finally end.
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