This Old Home

CHAPTER 3 BROCCOLI

It had been 2 weeks since Lisa had moved into the nursing home. She had melded so well with the others in the home. Gretchen was so pleased to see how Lisa was doing when she came in on Monday morning.

"Good morning, Mrs. Willard, how is your day going today?" Lisa looked over at Gretchen with a scrunched nose.

"Gretchen, I told you before. Mrs. Willard was my mother-in-law. Please, for the love of all that is good in this world, call me Lisa." Gretchen couldn't help but laugh out loud. In only 2 short weeks of being at the nursing home, Gretchen had learned 2 important things. 1. That Mrs. Willard was as foul-mouthed as any construction worker could be, and 2. to not call her Mrs. Willard because she couldn't stand her deceased mother-in-law.

"Alright, Lisa, I apologize. I will stop calling you Mrs. Willard. How are you feeling today? I heard that there was a slight incident. Can I see your arm?" Lisa sighed, pulling up her sleeve. As a 78-year-old, she may have looked younger, but her body didn't get wounds very well.

As Gretchen was wrapping Lisa's wrist, she made sure to take note of everything that she saw. The incident report had to document everything for her next doctor's visit.

"How are you feeling, Lisa? Did you hit your head or anything else when you fell?"

"No, dear. I may be old, but I am not feeble. I was able to catch myself. By the way, when did my nephew and rascals say they were coming? I know you told me, but I can't seem to remember when you told me."

Gretchen sighed, knowing that Lisa had already forgotten that it was a school day, so they were not able to make it to tonight. The last time she had to explain to Lisa about that, she became irate and demanded to speak to the nursing home director and demand to see her nephew and his children. It was the only incident that had occurred since she had come to the nursing home which Gretchen was grateful for. Luckily, Gretchen was saved at that moment when Mr. Rodgers came wheeling by on his scooter.

"Lisa, hot dog, you're looking mighty beautiful tonight. Would you mind walking with me to the dining room for dinner? I heard they're serving meatloaf tonight. If I remember correctly, you said that that was one of your favorite dishes." Mr. Rodgers winked at Lisa as she pursed and turned her head away. Gretchen looked away and coughed, trying not to laugh at the blush spreading across Lisa's face.

"Lisa, I'm going to check up on you after dinner to see how your wrist is and to make sure it isn't swollen. Do you need me to help you with anything," Gretchen asked while packing the first aid kit. Lisa huffed, brushed off her pants, and shook her head.

"No, thank you. Mr. Rodgers, if you don't stop with your charm, you're going to get more than you bargained for. I'm not one to fall for that nonsense." Mr. Rodgers laughed as Lisa walked out of the room and in front of him. Gretchen chuckled as Mr. Rodgers looked at her and winked before taking off down the hallway after Mrs. Willard.

As Gretchen was finishing cleaning up the mess she made, she took a look around the room. It was almost as if Lisa spent more time outside of her room than in it. Her bed was still made, the floor still had the streaks in it from the vacuuming that was done 2 days ago, and her dressers were completely bare aside from the remote for the television. She picked up all of the items and headed out of the room and down toward the dining hall.

"What is this? You call this broccoli? It's hard as a rock! How can you say this broccoli is cooked? We're old, half of us have no teeth. Why do you think you are giving us uncooked broccoli," Gretchen sighed as she came around the corner with the first-aid kit. Mr. Stevens was screaming at the top of his lungs at the new young nurse, Michelle. As Gretchen came into the room she could see Michelle holding her hands to her chest and biting her lip. She knew what was coming next, and her instincts kicked in.

"Mr. Stevens, let me take care of your broccoli. I know that you're worried about your wife. Michelle, can you head to the kitchen and I'll be right there. Mrs. Stevens, do you need anything else?" Gretchen took charge of the room, picking up the Stevens' plates in both hands and smiling gently at Mrs. Stevens. Mrs. Stevens smiled gently at Gretchen and shook her head. She was the silent and calm type to Mr. Stevens boisterous persona. She still had no idea how they ended up as a couple. If Mrs. Gertrude was still there, she'd probably talk about the magic that used to be in the air long ago.

"Richard Stevens," Lisa hollered from 3 tables away,"When that young lady comes back out here, you better apologize to her. You realize that she was practically in tears. Ah, and you need to apologize to your wife. This isn't a 5-star Michelin restaurant. These people are trying their hardest to take care of us." Mrs. Stevens looked down blushing, while Mr. Stevens grunted and mumbled an apology to the room. Gretchen smiled as she took the broccoli to the kitchen. When she walked in she saw Michelle, wiping her eyes. Her eyeliner now smeared across the side of her face, she sniffed and looked down, straightening her uniform. Gretchen walked over and set the two plates down, and grabbed Michelle's shoulders. Smiling gently, she pulled her into a hug.

"Michelle, I know it's hard, but you are doing fantastic. Mr. Stevens is a pain sometimes, but today is the anniversary of when they came here last year. Don't let him get to you." Michelle wiped her eyes again and nodded her head. As a first time nursing job, this could make or break an individual. Gretchen saw so much life in this young girl's eyes, she was worried that this job would take a toll on her and chase that light away. She grabbed the plates and went over to the stove where the steamer was still on. Motioning to Michelle, she reached over and placed the broccoli in the pan.

"Don't worry too much, just let it steam for another 5 minutes. It'll be perfect by then. Also, take a minute and head into the bathroom. Don't let them see that they made you cry, okay? I'm going to head out and get the medication ready. Let me know if you need any help with anything else. Also, Ryan should be coming in in a half hour and he will be working with you, OK?" Gretchen headed out of the room to check rooms for the night. With how things had already started in the first 3 hours of her shift, she knew tonight would be interesting.