THURSDAY: Holding Hands

BY RICHARD WEST

Copyright is held by the author.

JIM KEPT looking around. She wasn’t in the dining hall. Where’s she gone? He rolled his wheelchair away from the table and took a look out into the foyer. “Jessie,” he called. No answer came.

One of the PSW’s came up, and scolded him, “Jim, she’ll be along. You can’t wake the entire home.”

“I wanted to call her.”

“Yes Jim. But you have such a strong voice. You’ll wake up anyone who’s sleeping.”

“They’re nearly all sleeping. It’s those pills you give them.”

“I’m a PSW, Jim. I don’t give pills to anyone.”

“I know you don’t. But others do.”

“And you don’t take them, do you?”

“No.”

Jim dug his heels into the carpet and put on the wheelchair’s brakes. She couldn’t budge him, even if she tugged really hard.

“OK Jim. Let’s go and find her.”

He lifted his heels and took off the brakes. She pushed him down the corridor marked East Wing until the second to last door on the left. Jim used his foot to gently tap the door.

A small voice asked who it was.

“It’s me,” Jim said.

“Come in.”

The PSW helped Jim through the door. Jessie was in bed. She didn’t look too great. Jim moved his wheelchair up to the side of the bed.

Jessie reached out her hand and Jim took it in his. The PSW stood watching the two of them.

“Why didn’t you come to dinner?”

“I won’t be coming anymore Jim. I’ll be leaving you soon.”

“You can’t. You’ve always been with me.”

“Yes. I have. But it’s now time for your sister to leave.”

***

Richard West is a retired engineer who lives in Canada. Richard’s career has taken him to all continents (except Antarctica) and has included a wide range of experiences. He has always loved to read about new things, discover people’s life stories and enjoy fiction. Exposed to Welsh poetry and verse by his wife, he has a soft spot for Dylan Thomas. But whether it is Dickens, Lawrence or Czerneda, it’s the story they tell that fascinates. Later in life, Richard realized he loved to read what people have written but he had little idea how they did it. Never one to just shrug off a question, he set out to learn how to write. The journey of learning something of this craft has been, and is, most rewarding. Richard has written a number of short stories. In October 2017 and 2018 he publishedtwo novels on Amazon.