The Bad Old Days

            by Sterling Weaver

 

            “Grandpa, what’s a ‘home’?” Little Tommy asked Martin as they rode in the car down Sacramento street.

            “Tommy, a home is where you live. I told you this already.”

            “You already have a home, so why did mommy and daddy say that were putting you in a home?” Martin looked up from his crossword puzzle, and stared at his son in the driver’s seat.

            “Stop the car, now! Let me out!” he pulled on the door handle, but it was no use. The door was on child lock. “I told you I ain’t goin’ to no damn home!”

            “Dad” his son Steven said, “We’ve gone through this a hundred times. You’re getting too old to be living alone, and we’re of moving out of our apartment. I would feel much better knowing that there is someone with you twenty-four, seven. At least until we move into the new house in two months.” Steven tried to plead his case, but it was no use talking to the senile old man.

            “Steven, I changed your diapers for a two years, and now you can’t change mine for two months” Martin sat in the backseat with his arms folded.

            “Dad, we’ve already signed the lease papers, and moved some of your furniture into your room. The rest we put in storage, and you can get them when we move into the other house.” Martin unfolded his arms and sat up.

            “Two months, you promise?”

            “Two months, not a day more,” said Steven as he looked at Martin through the rearview mirror. They pulled up to the rest home on the corner of Sacramento and Bancroft. Martin got out of the car a stared at his new home. It was pretty modern. Painted a nice dark shade of green on the outside, and was surrounded by equally spaced baby palm trees, which were enclosed inside a thick, black iron gate.

            Martin, Steven, and Tommy walked up the concierge desk in the lobby.

            “Hi there!”  She greeted the three, and smiled.

            “Hello…” Steven glanced at her name tag, and then back up at her face. “Betty…I have a room rented here for my father, Martin McCabe.”

            “Oh yes, the movers just put all his furniture in his room.” she turned and looked at Martin, who was staring at her butt, “Mr. McCabe?” He looked up, “You can have a seat over there in the recliner, while your son and I finish the paperwork.” Martin picked up Tommy and went over to the recliner. It was dull red and smelled like moth balls and pocket lint.

            As Martin and Tommy sat in the chair, Martin noticed an old but very delicate face staring at him from the other side of the room.

            “See something you like granny?!” Martin yelled out toward the woman.

            “Yeah, granny?!” echoed Tommy. The woman got up and walked over to Martin.

            “All I see is a grumpy old man, with a Donald Trump comb over.” she replied sharply. Martin’s opened his eyes in amazement. Never had someone ever used his rudeness against him.

            “Look here lady, if my grandson wasn’t here I’d---” he was cut off by Steven.

            “Dad, the movers already setup your stuff. Let’s go up to your room.” The woman turned away from Martin and Steven, and headed into the recreation hall.

            “If you’re gonna stay here dad, you’ve got to be more polite. Not everyone is going to take your shit.” Steven stared at his dad.

            “If they can’t take my shit, then they should stay out of the bathroom. That’s what I always say.”

            “Yeah stay out of bathroom, shit!” exclaimed Tommy

            “Dad, see what you did.” They got onto the elevator and took it up to the second floor.

            “Okay” Steven said “You’re in room two hundred twenty seven, and according to the floor plan, should be right…here! Well, here you go dad.” Martin walked into the room carrying Tommy on his hip.

            “This is it? You’re paying six hundred dollars a month for this?” They looked around at the room. It was covered in a faded light blue wall paper and had a sliding glass door, which lead to the balcony. Most of the furniture from Martin’s apartment was in the room, and neatly setup.

            “I know it’s not the best, but it’s only temporary dad. Just work with it.” Martin shook his head and agreed.

            As the sun set, Tommy began growing sleepy and soon began to fade asleep.

            “Well dad, we’re gonna head on out. Come over here so you can let us out and lock the door.” Martin got up and grabbed Tommy, who, by this time, was fast asleep. Martin handed Tommy to Steven,  and walked them to the door.

            “Bye dad, we’ll see you on Friday.” Martin waved goodbye and turned around to go back into his room. Just as he was about to close the door , the woman from the lobby walked by his room. She stopped in front of his room and began staring at him again.

            “Can I help you ma’am?”

            “Please don’t tell me you stay in this room.” She twisted her nose and looked at him in disgust.

            “Fine, I won’t tell you, you look like a smart kid, you figure it out.” Martin replied. she raised her finger and attempted to reply, but was interrupted.

            “C’mon Doreen before we miss the wheel” said another woman. She turned to Martin, who looked at her, and then slammed the door in her face. He walked back to his old lounge chair, sat down and turned the T.V. on.

            That night, Martin couldn’t sleep. It was his bed, but it didn’t feel like home. He got up, put on his house shoes, and stepped out on to the balcony. The scent of cigarette smoke twirled around through the cold winter air. Martin looked over to the left only to find Doreen on the balcony and her half empty pack of Newports.

            “You know those things can kill you?” Martin told her as she took another stick out of the pack.

            “Yeah, so will your comb over, but whose complainin’?” Martin cracked a smile.

            “You got me there.” He looked away from here and toward the night sky.

            “So what brings you by grumpy of the seven dwarfs?”

            “My family doesn’t like the fact of me living alone. They say they feel better knowing there’s someone around me 24/7.” He stared at her in her pink nightgown, as she puffed away on her cigarette.

            “Same here. They tried the whole ‘Life Alert’ thing on me, but I flushed it down the toilet…three times. So, they decided to send me here.” she took three more quick puffs of her cigarette, and threw the rest into the street.

            “Well, it’s getting kinda nippy out here, guess I’d better hit the hay. I’ll talk to you later, umm, what’s your name?” She asked him.

            “Martin, Martin McCabe” he replied.

            “Martin, hmm, interesting. Alright, see you later.” She went back into here room, closed the sliding door and blind, and turned out the lights. Martin soon followed after. When he got back in the bed, he was still smiling. He rolled over, turned out the lamp on the end table, and went to sleep.

            "Mr. McCabe?" said nurse Betty. "Mr. McCabe your breakfast is ready." Martin sat up and looked around.

            "What'd you say?" replied Martin, as he reached for his glasses. "It's time for breakfast. Put on your slippers and come downstairs and grab a plate." Betty looked at Martin who, was still confused.

            "Are you okay Martin?" she asked him.

            "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'll be down there in a minute." He said as he got up to find his slippers. Betty nodded and left the room. Martin got up, washed his face, and walked down to the elevator.

            He walked into the lunchroom, and could feel everyone's eyes focused on him. It was like the first day of school all over again. He grabbed a tray, a plate, and some of the plastic silverware from the cart next to the serving area, and then stood in line with everyone else. Martin looked around for a place to sit. Every space at almost every table had been filled, he looked around and soon found an empty table in corner of the room. He sat down, said his prayers, and began eating his oatmeal and cold toast.

            "Can I join you, or will that kill me too?" Martin looked up from the table and saw Doreen, still wearing the nightgown from last night.

            "No, go ahead." Martin replied as he stirred around in his oatmeal. They sat in silence for about three minutes before Doreen finally opened the conversation

            "So, how many grandchildren do you have?" she asked Martin. "Me? Just one, and yourself." He replied. "Thirteen and a half." She quirked back.

            "Thirteen and a half? What are they like just a chest with a head attached?"

            "No. The oldest boy is trying to 'find himself', so he's decide to dress like a woman. When he figures out what he is, he'll become a whole grandchild." She said as she took another bite of oatmeal. Martin stared at her as she chewed on her oatmeal. "I never noticed how beautiful you were until now." He told her. She looked at him in disbelief. "And I never thought you were so nice." She said back. Their conversation continued through the breakfast hour. They talked about everything, from Donald Trump, to Donald Duck.

             "Hey you two!" exclaimed nurse Betty as she walked over to the table. "I see you guys are getting along now."

            "I guess you can say that," said Martin as he smiled at Doreen.

            "Well, it's almost bingo time, so you two should be heading upstairs to get dressed. But Doreen, I need you to come with me and get your medication," said Betty.    "Alright, here I come. Well it was nice seeing you again Martin," said Doreen.

            "Same here. Should we say same place, same time tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure," Doreen replied. She got up from the table, dropped her place in the bus boy tub, placed her tray back on the cart, and left the room with nurse Betty. Martin smirked, and soon did the same.

            Their morning dates continued for about a month. They'd meet in the lunch hall everyday for breakfast, and talk about anything that came to mind. Soon their breakfast dates turned into walks to Jefferson park on Allston way, and late night news hours. They began seeing each other as more than friends, and were starting to get serious, until one morning.

             As Martin lay asleep in his bed, he was awakened by the sirens of a fire engine and ambulance. Although they were in the distance at first, they began to get closer and closer. Martin got up and walked over to the window, and saw they were stopped in front of the rest home. He ran to his front door and looked through the peep hole, he could see people running back and forth through the hallway. He opened the door to see what all the commotion was. As he peeped through the crack in his door, he could the paramedics rush into Doreen's room. Martin opened the door and walked into the hallway. He could see Doreen’s lifeless lying on the ground. He put his hand over his mouth as he stared at his friend being loaded onto the gurney. Shocked and distraught, he got down on his knees and began to cry. He was then helped up by nurse Betty and lead back into his room. Martin watched from the balcony as his best friend was loaded into the ambulance and rushed away.

             The next morning, at breakfast Martin sat the table, alone. Hoping that Doreen would bring that beautiful smile through the door. Just as he began to say his prayers, nurse Betty entered the room. "Excuse me everyone, I have an announcement to make." Everybody stopped talking, and turned to look at nurse Betty. "Last night around 2:30 in the morning, a nurse doing her nightly rounds discovered Doreen Williams lying face first on the ground of her room with the door open. The nurse then called 9-1-1 and attempted CPR until the paramedics arrive. They came and rushed her to the hospital. She died of an apparent heart attack on the way to the hospital." Martin's face dropped. He got up from the table and ran out of the room and toward the elevator.

            Martin stayed in his room for two days. He just couldn’t except the fact that his friend was gone. He learned from nurse Betty that the funeral was on Friday, in the recreation room.

            Friday came sooner than expected. Martin put on his old black suit, and headed downstairs for the funeral. He sat in the rear so not to disturb the already underway services. Everyone was there, from Nurse Betty, to her drag queen grandson.

            After the funeral, Martin took walk down to Jefferson park, and sat on the bench him and Doreen used to sit on and eat Skittles that they bought from the gas station. He sat there until nightfall.

            After returning from the park, Martin went back to his room, closed the drapes, and climbed into bed. Covering his head like a four year old who didn’t get his way. As he laid in the bed, he began to hear thumping noises coming from Doreen’s room. He got up, put on his slippers and walked outside his room. As he walked by Doreen’s room, he could see a slim figure in through the streaks of moonlight that shined through the thin curtains. As he moved further and further into the room, he noticed the figure began to look more and more familiar. He stood in the darkness silently.

            “Where is it? That old bat had to put it somewhere in here?” said the figure quietly, as it rumbled through Doreen’s drawers. “Wait, I think I might have…YES!” it said again as Martin reached for the lamp, and turned it on to find, Nurse Betty with a set of keys in her hand.

            “Is there something you’re looking for?” He asked as he reached for the keys. Nurse Betty pulled her hand back.

            “No, Mr. McCabe, now return to your quarters.” She replied attempting to pass by him.

            “Where do you think your going with Doreen’s safe deposit key? Those aren’t your to be touchin’ and what not.” He turned and slammed the door in her face, blocking her inside the room.

            “What the hell do you think your doing? Move now!” she barked at him.

            “I’m keeping you from taking advantage of her, those are her keys and no one is allowed to touch her assets until the reading of her will, no give ‘em here.”

            “No, Martin. Now move. We both know that you were only pretending to like her to get to her money. No one could ever like that old hag.” She said as tears began to roll down her eyes.

            “What makes you say that? You hardly even knew the lady!” he snapped back.

            “HOW COULD I NOT KNOW THE LADY WHO BIRTHED ME?!” she screamed. Martin stood in amazement as he looked at the woman who was now fully engulfed with tears.

            “Wait, What? You mean, Doreen was your mother?”

            “Yes, she was. And I’ll be damned if some old man she knew for two months is going stand in the way of me and her money.” Just then, Betty pushed Martin onto the bed. He grabbed her by the neck, but could not grip her throat. Betty then picked up one of Doreen’s body pillow and laid it over Martin’s face.

            Martin struggled and fought back, but his effort was useless. The well-toned nurse drove the pillow even further into his face, as his chest let out one last gasp of air.