Most of the people were warehoused here by
ungrateful children who sucked the life out of them for years and then, finding
their children doing the same to them, had neither the time, resources or
interest to care for their own parents. Because the State frowns on the elderly
wandering the streets pissing themselves, they pay corporate-run cesspools like
this to make the problem go away. And at
Shady Haven, “The Welcome Mat is Always Out.”
So then it was all the more ironic that this
should be the place where, after a lifetime of self-imposed solitude, I should
meet my one true love. Lila was as
lovely as her name; truly a gentle woman who had not yet had the twinkle in her
sea green eyes dimmed by the harshness around her. Blessed with dementia, hers was a world still
filled with dresses of fine lace and the crooning voice of Sinatra, and I was
her beau coming to court.
Because the staff cared little about what we did
as long as we were no bother, my plan of escape for us was easy to execute. I had been saving the little yellow pills for weeks. Lila readily accepted my tale of Valentine’s
Day and the box of candy I brought for us to share. Where I had filled paper cups with tap
water, she saw fine bone china filled with lightly-sweetened Earl Grey
tea. We held hands, her head resting lightly on my
shoulder, my head resting on hers… and then we slept.
This post is from the prompt “haven,” part of the “30Minus 2 Days Writing Challenge” from the gal who can talk anybody into just
about anything, the fabulous Nicky at We Work For Cheese. Click here to
visit the others she’s managed to lure into today’s particular exercise in
stress, panic and frustration.
