you be forgettin’ it.”
“Come on, Grandpa G,” Marcus interrupted, not even trying to hide his smile. “Let’s get you back upstairs.”
Marcus stood aside for Grandpa G, but I could tell he wasn’t about to let him out of his sight. Not with a meltdown from my mother threatening if my grandfather flew the coop again. The two of them headed for the hall, amiably trading jokes, while I made my way to the long cafeteria counters. It took a while to attract the attention of one of the uniformed, hairnet-sporting ladies who were in the kitchens, scrubbing lazily at the stainless steel appliances and counters and calling back and forth to each other. One of them took pity on me after hearing my explanatory tale of the baby wait and crazy family antics—“because I had a grandfather just as mischievous as yours, and I wish he was still around to make me crazy,” she told me as she dished up still-warm tomato soup into two foam cups. I knew Grandpa would fuss about it being plain tomato, but beggars cannot be choosers... especially those who force their poor, overworked granddaughters to shield them from the all-seeing eye devoted to keeping said beggar on the straight and narrow. My dad, I suspected, would appreciate more hearty fixin’s, so I opted for the last bits of a steak and snow pea stir-fry that had been mashed unattractively but I’m certain still tastily into a generous helping of yellow rice. Marcus and I hadn’t eaten yet, either, but I was holding on to hopes of forgoing hospital cafeteria food completely once Mel got her show on the road, and making up for it with the tasty evening Marcus had been planning for the two of us back at his place.
But just in case, I grabbed two bags of chips (healthy, I know) and juggled with my purse as I tried to pay the lady. She looked around over her shoulder, then leaned over the counter and whispered to me, “I’d have to reopen the cash register, and it’s already been counted. Just take it, hon, with my blessings.”
She held out the cups of soup. Her gaze dropped to where I already held a cell phone and the cup of coffee I had carried with me throughout my search for Grandpa G.
“Oh, that won’t do. Hold on a sec,” she said, and disappeared back to the kitchen, reappearing moments later with a big paper bag, into which she deposited all three foam containers, the chips, several napkins, the ubiquitous plastic cutlery, and a huge handful of shrink-wrapped soda crackers for the soup. Folding the top over neatly, she slid it across the counter to me. “At least this way you’ll get to where you’re going without mishap,” she said with a wink.
I was starting to see her as my very own Earth Angel of the evening... hairnet and all.
“You know my niece, don’t you?”
I looked at her more closely. Suddenly the round, shiny, freckled face that had seemed familiar made more sense. “Oh my goodness. You don’t mean Annie, do you?”
She giggled, delighted that I’d caught the resemblance. “Yup, my favorite niece. I thought I recognized you. I was there at the café helping out in the kitchen one day when you popped in. I sure am proud of her and what she’s done with the place.” She glanced down suddenly, as though embarrassed. “Well, good luck with that new baby. Hope everything goes okay for your sister.” She waved at me as she disappeared back into the kitchen.
Fumbling with the lot of it, I started to follow Marcus and Grandpa. But then I remembered that there was another smaller set of elevators just behind the cafeteria that was used most often by hospital staff. If I hurried, I might be able to head the two of them off at the pass. I switched directions and walked that way instead.
Goodness, it was quiet now. At this time of the evening, activity in the hospital really started to wind down. Patients were medded up and tucked into their beds, their doors closed and TVs turned on to their visual anesthesia of choice. The various
“Come on, Grandpa G,” Marcus interrupted, not even trying to hide his smile. “Let’s get you back upstairs.”
Marcus stood aside for Grandpa G, but I could tell he wasn’t about to let him out of his sight. Not with a meltdown from my mother threatening if my grandfather flew the coop again. The two of them headed for the hall, amiably trading jokes, while I made my way to the long cafeteria counters. It took a while to attract the attention of one of the uniformed, hairnet-sporting ladies who were in the kitchens, scrubbing lazily at the stainless steel appliances and counters and calling back and forth to each other. One of them took pity on me after hearing my explanatory tale of the baby wait and crazy family antics—“because I had a grandfather just as mischievous as yours, and I wish he was still around to make me crazy,” she told me as she dished up still-warm tomato soup into two foam cups. I knew Grandpa would fuss about it being plain tomato, but beggars cannot be choosers... especially those who force their poor, overworked granddaughters to shield them from the all-seeing eye devoted to keeping said beggar on the straight and narrow. My dad, I suspected, would appreciate more hearty fixin’s, so I opted for the last bits of a steak and snow pea stir-fry that had been mashed unattractively but I’m certain still tastily into a generous helping of yellow rice. Marcus and I hadn’t eaten yet, either, but I was holding on to hopes of forgoing hospital cafeteria food completely once Mel got her show on the road, and making up for it with the tasty evening Marcus had been planning for the two of us back at his place.
But just in case, I grabbed two bags of chips (healthy, I know) and juggled with my purse as I tried to pay the lady. She looked around over her shoulder, then leaned over the counter and whispered to me, “I’d have to reopen the cash register, and it’s already been counted. Just take it, hon, with my blessings.”
She held out the cups of soup. Her gaze dropped to where I already held a cell phone and the cup of coffee I had carried with me throughout my search for Grandpa G.
“Oh, that won’t do. Hold on a sec,” she said, and disappeared back to the kitchen, reappearing moments later with a big paper bag, into which she deposited all three foam containers, the chips, several napkins, the ubiquitous plastic cutlery, and a huge handful of shrink-wrapped soda crackers for the soup. Folding the top over neatly, she slid it across the counter to me. “At least this way you’ll get to where you’re going without mishap,” she said with a wink.
I was starting to see her as my very own Earth Angel of the evening... hairnet and all.
“You know my niece, don’t you?”
I looked at her more closely. Suddenly the round, shiny, freckled face that had seemed familiar made more sense. “Oh my goodness. You don’t mean Annie, do you?”
She giggled, delighted that I’d caught the resemblance. “Yup, my favorite niece. I thought I recognized you. I was there at the café helping out in the kitchen one day when you popped in. I sure am proud of her and what she’s done with the place.” She glanced down suddenly, as though embarrassed. “Well, good luck with that new baby. Hope everything goes okay for your sister.” She waved at me as she disappeared back into the kitchen.
Fumbling with the lot of it, I started to follow Marcus and Grandpa. But then I remembered that there was another smaller set of elevators just behind the cafeteria that was used most often by hospital staff. If I hurried, I might be able to head the two of them off at the pass. I switched directions and walked that way instead.
Goodness, it was quiet now. At this time of the evening, activity in the hospital really started to wind down. Patients were medded up and tucked into their beds, their doors closed and TVs turned on to their visual anesthesia of choice. The various
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