Prompt: On an outing with their caregiver, a nursing home resident recognizes a “Missing” poster for something/someone.
“But she looks familiar…” I said weakly. The sun was getting to me, as were the hours in the day.
Just like the days themselves.
“Geraldine, we spoke about this yesterday. At your age, everyone may look familiar. Your brain is doing things I can barely explain… We can’t expect you to understand.”
Her baleful blue eyes stared at me from far away, like birds on a wire you saw across a field just the other day, but can’t quite remember.
“You’re right.” I sighed. The wheelchair creaked loudly as she pushed me along on my afternoon walk. I pulled my felt tennis hat lower. The sun was hot, but the tears in my eyes were embarrassing. Even though Nurse Clawson took me down the side route behind the apartments, shaded by quiet trees and silent bushes, I felt like I was being watched by the windows around us.
I swear I had seen her somewhere before, but the Nurse is right. How could I argue? I forget who I am sometimes.
“Just around the next bend, Gerry.”
Birds flew from the concrete as we squeaked around a bend, leading to my ramp. The Nurse was handy and I remembered her throwing it together one day. The car was a bit warm while she was inside of Lowes, but the music that played was the soft golden oldies I loved. Crooning at me, Frank always comforted me. The music reminded me of quiet times. Happy times. A husband?
“A family…” I said quietly, as I bumped off the top of the ramp.
“What was that?” Nurse Clawson smiled at me.
“…Nothing. Just some memory that probably isn’t true.” I didn’t know anymore. I just knew that I would be able to get to watch the TV during dinner, and there may be some cute animals on Discovery Channel. The animals made me feel better somehow.
The microwave dinged as I sat in front of the blank TV. The blackness stared back at me, as did a woman whose face I had seen somewhere before.
Tales of a Travelling Salesman 