Home is Happy
She took a step back as her boot landed on the dusty wooden floor. Her body bent backward in a slow, slithering motion, swaying to a rush of stale air.
The matron was puzzled and ran to her side, holding out her hands and darting around her, ready to catch her if she fell. She looked like a circus monkey, the only thing missing was a tree branch.
“It’s stuffy in here, even rats could die!” Floras exclaimed when she finally caught her breath.
The matron rushed to the windows at the corner of the bed, throwing them open with one hand and pushing the stale air out with the other. “Sorry,” she muttered with each breath.
Floras was unimpressed.
“I am so sorry, Madam. We usually close the rooms we do not use. We had prepared rooms in the other wing closer to the park. We didn’t know you would be interested in a room facing the trees.”
Floras walked over to the table next to the bed. The lamp had detailed contours, delicately curved sharp bends that reflected a calm yellow light across the room. She knew the matron would dismiss it as a crooked piece of furniture and keep it locked up. She took off her leather glove and wiped the table with her finger, revealing a thick layer of dust, lifting it up for the matron to see. The matron lowered her eyes and shook her head in embarrassment.
The matron was a bag of nerves. She knew the Simone family was one of the most prestigious in town. There were rumors that their mother needed a nursing home because she was tired of living alone in the mansion, waiting for her children to visit.
Floras had wanted to take her to Washington to live with her. She had a five-bedroom apartment with a guest house, a 24-hour butler, and transport services. Floras was even willing to transfer the children to a nearby school to keep her busy. But when Merri remembered how cold she felt all the way to her bones, she swore never to board a flight to the States again.
Floras could not understand why her mother had insisted on coming to this desolate location on the outskirts of town. She had never heard of it before. The receptionist spoke English with an Italian accent, and she could not find it on Google Maps. Floras had checked out other homes and stated her argument. There were better nursing homes with spacious rooms, high ceilings, warm blankets, and a personal nurse at your disposal.
The matron knew the manager would fire her on the spot if she didn’t secure this client. The only reason he had allowed her to take them on the tour was that he was out of the country. So she said again, “Madam, I assure you, we can get this place sparkling in an hour if this is your desired room. We have all the best care your mother will need at this time; she doesn’t need to move a muscle.”
“She is not incapacitated,” Floras snapped irritably, stamping her heel on the floor, scaring a rat out of the cabinet.
It squealed and ran past the two women, jumping into a crack in the ceiling. The two women screamed in unison, the matron sprawling to the ground, holding onto the curtains that covered her face as she hit the floor.
Floras had had enough.
She marched out of the room, calling out for her mother. She knew there was something she was missing. There was no way she would allow her Merri to live with animals roaming freely like this.
“Mother! We are leaving!”
Merri was sitting on a rusty bench in her cashmere coat, her glove filled with breadcrumbs. Doves surrounded them, pecking at the crumbs. Merri let out a loud laugh, as if she were drunk. Floras was shocked. She moved closer and saw two ladies and an old man sitting on the other bench.
Her normal self would have forced her to rush to her mother’s side and take her away. Her feet glued her to the ground as she watched. Merri seemed to have no care in the world.
The matron caught up with her and saw the group of four on the bench.
“I am so sorry, Madam. I will bring her to you,” the matron offered.
Floras held up her hand to stop her. She wanted the scene to continue, even if it would not last. For the first time in her life, she saw her mother again, and that was something money could not buy.
She turned to the matron and said the words she never thought would come out of her mouth, “Clean up the room. My mother will be staying.”
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