Harley frowned down at Mrs. Neeley’s untouched tray.The unappetizing smell of overboiled and unseasoned green beans, what might be carrots or yams, and a mound of brownness that did not resemble the chunks of beef listed on the menu sheet hit her full in the face when she lifted the clear plastic lid.
“Wow.” She wrinkled her nose and braved another hesitant sniff. The food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.She barely dipped her little finger into the pale yellow pudding and touched it to the tip of her tongue.“Yuck.” She hurried to replace the cover over the mediocre meal. “I would have to be starving to be thankful for that plate. How many diet restrictions is she under?”
Rosa flipped to Mrs. Neeley’s chart and squinted through her reading glasses as she tapped the ink pen against the board. “No salt, sugar, fat, or dairy. No gluten—and very little red meat.” She shook her head. “Bless her heart. With all these restrictions, she’d find cardboard tastier than the recommended meals we serve here.”
“She’s ninety-six years old.The woman should be able to eat whatever she wants to, for heaven’s sake. Who wants to live forever?”Harley snorted a disgruntled huff as she pushed the trolley full of dirty dishes into the kitchen and began loading the industrial-sized dishwasher. If she lived to be ninety-six years old, she was going to eat whatever she wanted. Anyone trying to restrict her diet could just kick rocks.
“You better not let Dr. Langerson hear you talking like that.”Rosa pushed her dietary chart cart into its cubby at the end of the counter and locked the wheels in place.“These old folks are a gold mine to that man. He intends to keep them alive and kicking as long as possible.”
“I want to keep them alive and kicking too, but, my gosh, there is such a thing as quality of life.If I’m ever doomed to living on a case of pills, eating tasteless food, and rooming in a sterile, lonely environment—then hand me a gun and make sure it’s loaded, so I can be on my way to a better place.”
“Harley!What a thing to say.”Rosa made her usual scolding sound, clucking her tongue like a ticking time bomb, as she trundled out of the kitchen to hand out the evening meds.
Harley flipped her long dark ponytail behind her shoulder as she clicked the door shut on the dishwasher and started it with a spin of the knob.She didn’t care what Rosa thought about her belief in living and dying. While it was important to take care of yourself and be as healthy as you could be, it was foolish to make yourself miserable and drag out that state of being miserable for as long as possible.
She rinsed her hands, dried them off, and returned the kitchen towel to its bar on the counter. An urge to help poor Mrs. Neeley nagged at her like the gnawing of a headache that refused to be ignored. “I will find her something tasty if it’s the last thing I do.” Sheyanked open the refrigerator door and sorted through the contents in search of something delicious and tempting. “None of this would tempt me. Moving on.” She closed the door and went to the freezer, pawing her way through the frosty goods. Surely, there was something tasty hiding in here. She flipped over a bag of peas and spotted a hidden treasure. “Jackpot. This will be perfect.”
Rosa’s granddaughter had been to visit and loved orange sherbet popsicles. One of them was still in the freezer.It wasn’t sugar free, but that was okay because Mrs. Neeley was not diabetic.Not dairy or fat free either, but the dear old lady had never had issues with either of those things. Rosa said the doctor just automatically put everyone on those restrictions. The popsicle was totally illegal and perfect.
“Okay, let’s put this in a bowl, and then we’ll sneak it to her.”She pulled a small plastic bowl from the cabinet and a spoon from the drawer. As she made her way to Mrs. Neeley’s room, she softened the sherbet off the stick and into the bowl.A glance down the hall made her quicken her step. She wanted Mrs. Neeley to have enough time to enjoy her treat before Rosa came to her room with her meds.
After a light knock on the door, she opened it a crack and called out, “It’s Harley, Mrs. Neeley. May I come in?”
“Of course, dear,” the sweet old lady said. “I always enjoy your visits.”
Harley popped inside, excitement building about sneaking the treat to her kind friend. “I know you’ve already had dinner, but I’ve brought something I think you’ll really like. But it’s our secret.Can you keep a secret?”She placed the small bowl on the bed table, scooted it in front of Mrs. Neeley, then gently curled the elderly lady’s stiff, arthritic fingers around the spoon.
“Harley—a secret?But why?And you know I’m not much hungry these days. Nothing tastes good anymore.”Mrs. Neeley stared down at the bowl, her hand shaking as she hovered the spoon over the sherbet.
“Just try one bite. For me. Please? Just one?I promise it’s not the usual tasteless glop from your diet.” Harley glanced back at the door that she’d left barely cracked open. Rosa wouldbe here soon.She was three rooms up and very efficient when it came to handing out the pills.
With a resigned sigh, Mrs. Neeley barely dipped the tip of the spoon into the melting orange dessert.After touching it to her tongue, she licked her lips and stared up at Harley in amazement.
“Why Harley, that tastes mighty fine.” She dipped the spoon into the sherbet again, took a bigger bite, and was soon shoveling it into her mouth as fast as she could eat it.
“What’s going on in here?”Rosa stood at the door with Mrs. Neeley’s chart and the small paper cup of meds.
“You just leave her alone!”Mrs. Neeley flourished the spoon like a weapon while motioning for Harley to stay close.
“What have you got there, Mrs. Neeley?” Rosa arched a brow at Harley as she sauntered toward the bed.She made a show of rubbing her nose to hide her smile.
Mrs. Neeley curled an arm around the empty plastic bowl as though attempting to hide it.
“I have an empty bowl here. Must’ve forgotten to put it on my lunch tray before Harley picked it up.”The elderly lady smiled, her eyes sparkling with the innocent lie. She winked at Harley and slid the spoon underneath her bedspread.
“I’ll take it for you, Mrs. Neeley, and here, let me straighten your sheets.”Harley couldn’t resist smiling as she recovered the spoon from the bedclothes, then patted the sweet lady’s shoulder.
“See if you can get me more of that fine ice cream,” Mrs. Neeley whispered as Harley adjusted the pillow behind her.
“I’ll do my best,” Harley whispered back.
Rosa followed Harley out of the room and fell in step beside her.“What did you feed that little old lady?”
“Your granddaughter’s last sherbet popsicle. By the way, you need to get some more.”With a wink and a grin at the kindly nurse, Harley grabbed her jacket off the hook and waved as she headed out the door.
The river’sgentle expanse of ripples, nudged along by the balmy night breeze, glistened like silver, like liquid mercury beneath the caress of the moon. Harley wriggled her bare toes in the soft clumpy grass of the riverbank as the mighty Mississippi lapped at the shore. A deep inhale treated her to the soothing scents of the river—not the brininess of the sea but an earthy, primordial fragrance teeming with life. Skipjacks broke the surface, making Harley smile. Silly fish tempted by the sparkle of the moonlight and the hopes of snacking on water bugs. She loved living at the river’s edge. Her camper wasn’t much, but it was hers, and her job at the nursing home enabled her to live on her own. She’d found out the hard way that she couldn’t depend on anyone but herself.
A heavy sigh worked its way free of her. Now that it was summer, maybe she should get a second job. That way, she wouldn’t have as much time like this. Time to muddle over what could have been—what almost was. If she had a second job, she’d be so exhausted by the time she got home that she’d drop into a deep, dreamless sleep as soon as she ate her sandwich for supper. She slowly nodded as she tossed a pebble into the water. Yes. A second job would not only keep her too busy to think, but it would also grow her savings at a faster rate. Money wasn’t the problem, though. Too much time on her hands was the bait that made her inner demons come to life and rip through her heart and soul. A second job might just do the trick. She should definitely look into that.
