“Alright, boy. Let’s go inside,” I say as I turn off the car. The nursing home we visit is a long brick building. The front sits on a hill of green grass with large pine trees that give shade to sitting areas located all around the building.
“Hi, Beth,” I say quietly while giggling. Beth is in charge of greeting people as they come into the building. At least she should be greeting people but she’s always asleep in her wheelchair with her chin tucked to her chest and her blue hair is the only thing you can see.
“Damn.” I sigh to myself. Now I want some cotton candy. Every time I see her hair, I get a craving for the stuff. I look down at Beast and his head comes up. “Looks like we’re gonna be making a stop at the store on our way home, boy.” I should have bought more than one pack of cotton candy the last time I was there. He looks at me and tilts his head.
“Okay, boy. First stop is Max, so you better be on your best behavior,” I tell him, walking into Max’s room. Billie Holiday is playing on an old record player and Max is sitting in his chair with the newspaper in front of him.
“Hi, Max. I brought Beast here to see you,” I say loudly, knowing he never remembers to put in his hearing aid.
“Well, hello there, pretty lady. How are you today?” he shouts at me.
“I’m good. How are you?” I ask, bending to give his wrinkled cheek a kiss. I find his hearing aid in a small bowl by his bed and hand it to him. He shakes his head and puts it in.
“Well, gotta say that my day just got better,” he smiles. “Hey, Beast. How are you, boy?” he asks as Beast places his head in his lap for a rub. “Betsy was in here earlier bugging me about going to the dance tonight. I keep telling her that I’m not interested but she won’t leave me alone. She’s already stopped by four times,” he grumbles.
I laugh. Betsy is one of the older ladies here and has more energy than I do. She’s always on the hunt for a new man. “Aw, Max, you should go. You might have fun. I hear the band that’s coming is really good.”
“Nope, I aint going. You couldn’t pay me enough to go to a dance.”
“Well, you don’t have to dance. You could just go listen to music.”
“Not happening, darlin’, and we’re not talking about it again.”
I giggle. Max is set in his ways. I know there will be no convincing him. We visit for a while longer until I look at the clock and see how late it is.
“Oh, crud, Max. Beast and I better go. We have a few people to visit before dinner.”
“All right, darlin’. See you in a few days,” he says while still petting Beast. “And see you too, boy.”
Walking down the hall, the smell of cleaning supplies is overwhelming until we reach the assisted living units. Then, it’s like walking into a country club. The floors are beautiful printed carpet. There are fresh flowers on all the tables along the wall. The whole place looks warm and inviting with sitting areas and cozy nooks to read. I can’t help but feel bad for the people who can’t afford to live on this side of the building.
“All right, boy. One more stop. Remember, be good,” I say, looking down. He just looks at me, and then back toward the direction we are walking. I was just dismissed by my dog.
Walking into Miss Alice’s room always makes me happy. She has photos and things from all over the world on shelves and bookcases. Her husband was in the military and they traveled a lot. When he retired, they moved to town and opened a hardware store. They were married for sixty-two years and when her husband passed away, she refused to move in with her family. She moved here when she could no longer be on her own. But still, the room feels like a home.
“Hi, Miss Alice. How are you?” I ask, leaning down and kissing her cheek.
“Oh, November. I’m wonderful. I was just talking to my grandson. He’s on his way to visit too.”
“That’s nice. We won’t stay long then. I just wanted to bring Beast by and say hi,” I tell her, sitting down.
“Hey, you handsome boy. Come here and give me some sugar,” she says, patting her leg. Beast walks to her and puts his head in her lap. “You are such a sweet thing, just like your mama,” she says, making me smile.
Beast is like my child. I feed him, love him, and make sure he is cared for. But I hope one day I find someone to have a real family with. I don’t want to be single for the rest of my life and become known as the crazy dog lady. Since I’m allergic to cats, I can’t even be the norm and have a million cats. Well, I could but then I’d just walk around with puffy eyes and a runny nose.