Remembering the Park by Michael Seale (Chapter 4)

 Chapter 4

Tom waited at that gate to the park for what seemed like hours, when in fact not even one had passed. He wanted to show Charlie the picture that he had drawn. He felt like a kid waiting to show off to his parents. But it was more than that. He knew it would be special for him. He hoped Charlie would see the memory brought back to life.

The park was crowded with the usual dog walkers and baby carriage pushers. One resident from Oak Hearst sat on a bench with another nurse.

The Oak Hearst Living facility was more of a retirement home with apartments instead of a nursing home with rooms. The price tag was high enough for it be. Whoever was fit enough could live comfortably there, as if they were alone or with their partner. Others, like Charlie, lived in rooms closer to hospital-like. Not to say they were bad, but they were for the ones that needed the help. What Oak Hearst prided itself on was the quality of care. The level of care was astounding, of course, it was still an old folks’ home and there were always a few problems, such as the hallways constantly smelling like urine and there were occasional “break outs” such as Charlie’s little escapade to the park.

Your mother and I pursued each other. Now, back in my day, that was a rarity. A girl chasing a boy. Well, she wasn’t a girl, and I certainly wasn’t a boy at that age. But it is what it is, and it was almost unheard of. But your mom was special. Once she had something in her head, there was no stopping her. I took the job at the restaurant, but much to my dismay, the job was not at the restaurant where your mother worked. We would open a new one. And well, it was much farther away, then I had hoped.

Charlie coughed and produced his handkerchief quickly and wiped his mouth. He started again.

The restaurant had been open for some weeks, and everything was smoothing out. I saw your mother whenever I could, which unfortunately was not as often as I wished, but I made do. This one Friday night, the restaurant was jamming; we were trucking. I don’t think there was an empty seat in the house. Back in those days, we set the restaurant at least twice.

Charlie coughed again and out came the same handkerchief and then back to the story without missing a beat. Tom had to concentrate very hard to hear what Charlie was saying, his voice was incredibly soft. As if it was fading out, the thought made Tom sad.

I had a beer after work, Charlie looked side eyed at Tom and smiled.

“Just one, Pops?” Tom asked.

“Maybe two,” the old man said with a wink. “Just don’t tell your momma, she never liked when I drank too much.”

“Lips are sealed.”

Tom smiled to himself. He might just fall in love with the old guy.

“Per usual, I sat at the bar after the restaurant enjoying my ONE beer. And once the restaurant closed, I made my way to the small room that I rented above the bar. A quick shower and off to bed. Or at least I thought.”

Charlie coughed again and again the handkerchief was out wiping at his mouth.

“You ok, Pops?” Tom asked.

“Yes, yes… just a cough. It will go away.”

In walks your mother, dressed to the nines. She had hoped on a train, traveled an hour and a half, just to have a drink with me and then head back. Charlie smiled to himself. His eyes were distant and tear stained. Tom watched him in wonderment.

There lots of moments like that. She was full of surprises, your mom.

“Pops, where is Marie?”

“Who is Marie? Is she the young girl, you are seeing?”

“No, Pops, she is your nurse.”

The old man looked confused, as if Tom had said something strange. “Where’s Johnny?” he asked Tom.

“I’m… I’m Tom. We talk sometimes. Should I help you back?”

“That would be nice, do we know each other?”

Tom looked dismayed, he didn’t know what to say, even though he played the part of Johnny, Charlie did not know who he truly was.

“No, we just talk here in the park,” he said. “Let me help you get back.”

They strolled back down the stoney path and through the iron gates towards Oak Hearst.

****

Although Marie had broken it off with Manuel, she was still upset. For the last six months he had become a big part of her life, and ending it so abruptly was not something Marie would normally do. If she had been thinking clearly, it would have taken the better part of three months to break it off with him. But she hadn’t been thinking clearly, not after meeting Tom. How could someone she had just met, have such control over her thoughts, she asked herself. His blue eyes and kind smile invaded her. She felt adrift in a sea of emotions and longed for the love of the man she had just met.

After the coffeehouse, she had meandered through the empty streets of the old city, slowly making her way home, thinking not about the breakup but about Tom. Tom and his blue eyes. Tom and his kind smile. She felt as if she had betrayed Manuel just with the thought. She knew that wasn’t true, but it bothered her all the same.

From her first-floor apartment window, which faced into the narrow alley, music blared. Oasis. Mauro must be there, and that meant that Andrea was there. Wonder Wall screamed from the open windows, it destroyed the lazy quiet Sunday noontime. She smiled despite herself. Her break up just moments behind her, now she would walk into an ear achingly loud apartment filled with smoke and the smell of beer. She couldn’t be happier, she thought.

Andrea swung the door open before Marie got her key in the lock.

“I saw you from the window,” she said, pulling at Marie, dragging her into the pounding music.

“You can hear the music, all the way down the street,” Marie said.

Mauro was smoking a cigarette and singing like a banshee in the socked feet. He jumped around the kitchen as if it was his stage and bellowed out the words as loud as he could. He smiled at Marie and let out a scream as the chorus came around again.

The church bells rang out, barely audible over the clang of electric guitars. The noon bells. They would chime for the next five minutes. What a morning, Marie thought. Andrea was sitting at the window ledge, the sun cascaded in, her cigarette dangled from her fingers.

“What’s up, little girl?” Andrea asked, straining her voice of chorus of noise.

“I broke up with Manuel.” Marie said matter-of-factly.

“You what? Really?”

Marie smiled. “Don’t act upset. You hated him.”

“I know, but you’re upset, so…” she tried desperately to conceal her smile but failed miserably.

Marie shook her head and smiled. This is what Andrea does, she makes it better, no matter what. The music stopped and Mauro looked at the two.

“Where’s Manu?” he asked.

Andrea threw him a look. Marie smiled again.

“I broke up with him.”

Andrea still stared at him with raised eyebrows and bugged out eyes.

“How was I supposed to know? I mean… sorry.” Andrea scooped an apple off the table and half heartedly threw at her boyfriend.

Marie shrugged. “Don’t be. He wasn’t…” She trailed off. What wasn’t he, she thought. He wasn’t Tom, is what her mind had wanted to say. But that was ridiculous. She knew nothing about him. For all she knew, he had a girlfriend or was gay. All the best guys were gay these days, weren’t they? No, Tom wasn’t gay, that she was sure of. He had a quality, she thought. “It just wasn’t working out,” she said, finishing her thought.

“So, are we sad or are we partying?” Andrea asked.

Marie grabbed Andrea’s beer and took a long, hard swig.

“We are definitely partying.”

They partied, first just the three of them. By late in the afternoon, the beer was flowing and so were the friends. Their apartment filled with people. Marie had long forgotten her breakup with Manuel and how many beers she had drank. The party raged until late in the night. Marie’s morning came fast and early.

That morning Marie’s head thumped, just as the bass from the old subwoofer in the apartment had. Marie sat in the morning meeting at Oak Hearst. The fluorescent lights bored into her pupils, the smell of disinfectant and urine filled the room. It made her stomach roll. Agunda stood in front of the group of nurses. She was on a mission. What that mission was only she knew, but if truth be told, no one else on the staff truly wanted to know. What every one did was get out of her way. Nobody wanted to be in her crosshairs. Agunda could be as sweet as honey on toast one minute and as nasty as pile dog shit the next. Today she was a pile of shit and Marie felt like she just stepped into it.

And Marie, no matter how bad her hangover was this morning, was not having any part of it.

“Something has to be done about Mr. Davis. Yesterday, I found him in the park again, talking to a strange man. The man said, he was Mr. Davis’s son. We cannot have residents wandering about.” Agunda said.

“What do you want to do? Char… Mr. Davis is one of the few residents that is fit enough to walk around the grounds. He is just barely capable of walking to the park.”

“And that is what I am afraid of. That I will have to go off chasing him around. He needs to know that it is not good if he runs off.”

“Runs off? The man can hardly shuffle.” Marie laughed, her head jack hammering away behind her eyes. “Or are you afraid that you will have to do a little more than what is required of you?” Marie was getting angry. What did Agunda want? To put a leash on the residents? To put them in cages, lock the doors and never let them out. Charlie came alive outside. It was as if his fog lifted for one brief moment. His mind was no longer in the dark cave that had swallowed him, but his memories were vivid, real, emotional. Did she want to take that away from him? Just because once he wandered down to the park by himself?

“Marie, watch how you speak to me.” Agunda’s eyes blazed and tone was flat and dry. “I only want the best for our residents. Mr. Davis will just have to deal with not being allowed to go to the park.”

Marie fumed, her head thumped. She bit her lip, forcing back the remark that hung in her throat. She knew how Agunda worked. She knew that if she pushed too hard, she would end up in her sights. For now, she would have to be a part of keeping Charlie in the home, not allowing him to go to the park. That park was special for him; she didn’t know why then, but a few weeks later she found out.

The common room was full of the usual suspects. There were the gamers, not like computer gamers, no these were the puzzlers, checkers, canasta, Yahtzee folks, then there were the tv watchers, the talkers, the loners and the droolers. Marie knew she shouldn’t categorize them, but somehow it made it easier to watch them decline. The residents at the home were mostly in some stage or another of Alzheimer’s and everyone of them would pass away with time. Charlie included. It broke her heart every time and every time she promised herself she wouldn’t get close and every time she did. Her stomach rolled with the remnants of yesterday’s party and in her head banged a chorus of drums.

Charlie sat in the room's corner, staring out the big window towards the street below. She watched him as he smiled and hummed to himself. His wisps of white hair stood out in places, making him look like a crazy scientist. Or maybe like that picture of Albert Einstein with his tongue sticking out. Her heart broke once again.

“Mr. Davis?” she said.

He didn’t turn; it was as if he hadn’t heard her. She leaned in closer. The smell crashed into her nose. He had soiled himself. It wasn’t an unfamiliar smell for her. It happened often to the residents, but this was the first time that it had happened to Charlie.

“Mr. Davis, we need to get you cleaned up.”

He didn’t say nothing, he just hummed to himself and stared out the large window. It broke Marie’s heart all over again. Dammit, why do I always let myself get close, she asked herself. She cursed herself as the tears welled in her eyes. Charlie shuffled, his pants wet and smelly. He smiled at Marie, seeing her for the first time. Then tears formed in his eyes as well.

“I soiled myself,” he said, embarrassed. His cheeks flushed red. The tears streamed down his cheeks. “What’s happening to me? Where is my wife?”

Marie comforted him and slowly brought him back to his room.