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Authors: Anita Horrocks
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Mom.”
“Almost.”
“That’s what you said before, like an hour ago. Can I help?”
“I told you already, you’re too little still.” I leaned on the wire brush as I scrubbed the top corners of the bay window one more time. Really though, I was dawdling, putting off going to Eden a few minutes longer. Suddenly the scaffold shuddered, catching me off balance. I grabbed a support to steady myself then looked to see what theproblem was. Lena was spread-eagled across the crossbar and reaching still higher.
“Lena Margaret Redekop, get down this instant!”
She ignored me. “I’m climbing Dad’s jungle gym.”
“It’s not a jungle gym, it’s a scaffold. And it’s not for playing on. You know that.” By then Lena had climbed all the way up beside me. Tommy leaped down as she scrambled across the boards.
“Fuy,” she scoffed. “I could jump to the ground from here. Bet I could climb as high as Dad even.” She tilted her head back, checking out the top level of the scaffolding.
“Don’t even think it.” I scrambled over the edge, then held my hand out to Lena. “C’mon. I’ll help you down.”
She scooted over to the other side, swung off the platform and jumped down by herself. Then she grinned at me, all cheek. “Now can we go see Mom?”
“Not until you promise to stay off the scaffolding. Dad’ll kill me if I let anything happen to you.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “Promise.”
Beth wouldn’t let us out of the house, though, until we ate lunch and looked “presentable.” Shorts and T-shirts weren’t good enough for her. “You can’t go to visit Mom looking like a couple of rug rats. She’ll think the whole house is falling apart.”
“What’s wrong now?” I asked.
“Look at your feet–they’re filthy. And Lena’s are worse. Don’t either of you ever wear shoes?”
Okay, so maybe she had a point. “All right already. We’ll wash our feet. C’mon, Lena.”
“And put on a blouse and sandals,” she called after us. “And brush your hair!”
She had to give us a final inspection yet before she let us out the front door. “What happened to your leg?”
The razor slice on my leg had been healing pretty well till I’d scratched the scab off this morning. I said the first thing that came to me. “I banged my shin on my bike pedal.”
“Well don’t pick at it. You’ll get a scar. Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?”
Beth was such an old woman. It wasn’t like we’d never been to Eden before. Besides which, it was only ten minutes away by bike, and then we could head straight to the pool after.
From the outside, Eden looked more like an old folks’ home than a hospital. We dropped our bikes on the front lawn. My heart was pounding already as we walked through the two sets of double glass doors leading to the lobby.
“
Fuy
”, Lena wrinkled her nose. “It stinks.”
“Shhh,” I hushed her. For sure she was right about the smell, though. No amount of Pine-Sol could cover it up. The place smelled of sick people, all shut in together. It made me wonder if maybe that was how sadness and heartache and hopelessness smelled, and how anyonecould get well in a place like this. And then right away I was thinking of the other times I’d visited Mom here, even after I thought I’d forgotten them.
All of a sudden I was angry. Why should a smell make me angry?
“Elsie?” Lena tugged on my blouse.
My feet dragged me to the front desk. “Can you tell us where Esther Redekop is?” I wished my voice didn’t sound so little. “Please.”
“I think I saw her in the lounge,” the nurse nodded. “Right through there.”
We knew the way.
Lena and I walked through another set of doors into the lounge. I scanned the groups of stiff couches and chairs and checked the line of tables along the windows that looked into the courtyard. Sometimes we played
knippsbrat
with Mom there, or else shuffleboard at the long table at the other end of the room.
“Almost.”
“That’s what you said before, like an hour ago. Can I help?”
“I told you already, you’re too little still.” I leaned on the wire brush as I scrubbed the top corners of the bay window one more time. Really though, I was dawdling, putting off going to Eden a few minutes longer. Suddenly the scaffold shuddered, catching me off balance. I grabbed a support to steady myself then looked to see what theproblem was. Lena was spread-eagled across the crossbar and reaching still higher.
“Lena Margaret Redekop, get down this instant!”
She ignored me. “I’m climbing Dad’s jungle gym.”
“It’s not a jungle gym, it’s a scaffold. And it’s not for playing on. You know that.” By then Lena had climbed all the way up beside me. Tommy leaped down as she scrambled across the boards.
“Fuy,” she scoffed. “I could jump to the ground from here. Bet I could climb as high as Dad even.” She tilted her head back, checking out the top level of the scaffolding.
“Don’t even think it.” I scrambled over the edge, then held my hand out to Lena. “C’mon. I’ll help you down.”
She scooted over to the other side, swung off the platform and jumped down by herself. Then she grinned at me, all cheek. “Now can we go see Mom?”
“Not until you promise to stay off the scaffolding. Dad’ll kill me if I let anything happen to you.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “Promise.”
Beth wouldn’t let us out of the house, though, until we ate lunch and looked “presentable.” Shorts and T-shirts weren’t good enough for her. “You can’t go to visit Mom looking like a couple of rug rats. She’ll think the whole house is falling apart.”
“What’s wrong now?” I asked.
“Look at your feet–they’re filthy. And Lena’s are worse. Don’t either of you ever wear shoes?”
Okay, so maybe she had a point. “All right already. We’ll wash our feet. C’mon, Lena.”
“And put on a blouse and sandals,” she called after us. “And brush your hair!”
She had to give us a final inspection yet before she let us out the front door. “What happened to your leg?”
The razor slice on my leg had been healing pretty well till I’d scratched the scab off this morning. I said the first thing that came to me. “I banged my shin on my bike pedal.”
“Well don’t pick at it. You’ll get a scar. Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?”
Beth was such an old woman. It wasn’t like we’d never been to Eden before. Besides which, it was only ten minutes away by bike, and then we could head straight to the pool after.
From the outside, Eden looked more like an old folks’ home than a hospital. We dropped our bikes on the front lawn. My heart was pounding already as we walked through the two sets of double glass doors leading to the lobby.
“
Fuy
”, Lena wrinkled her nose. “It stinks.”
“Shhh,” I hushed her. For sure she was right about the smell, though. No amount of Pine-Sol could cover it up. The place smelled of sick people, all shut in together. It made me wonder if maybe that was how sadness and heartache and hopelessness smelled, and how anyonecould get well in a place like this. And then right away I was thinking of the other times I’d visited Mom here, even after I thought I’d forgotten them.
All of a sudden I was angry. Why should a smell make me angry?
“Elsie?” Lena tugged on my blouse.
My feet dragged me to the front desk. “Can you tell us where Esther Redekop is?” I wished my voice didn’t sound so little. “Please.”
“I think I saw her in the lounge,” the nurse nodded. “Right through there.”
We knew the way.
Lena and I walked through another set of doors into the lounge. I scanned the groups of stiff couches and chairs and checked the line of tables along the windows that looked into the courtyard. Sometimes we played
knippsbrat
with Mom there, or else shuffleboard at the long table at the other end of the room.
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