Renard Halson stared lonely at the windows; the blinds on them looked like prison bars and nothing that anyone could say or do would convince him otherwise. The 87 year old had started to look at life as what it was, a burden.
He had enjoyed his life previously, before his ungrateful brats of children had forced him into this place three moths ago.
“Its for your own good, dad.”
“Horse shit, Gabriel, its just so that you won’t have to look after me.”
“Now pop, you know that its not like that, but you know that Sandi and I just can’t come down here and do every little thing for you – its two hours from Beacoton, and we can’t just drop everything and come to your rescue.”
“I was doing fine before that god forsaken light bulb, Gabriel.”
“I know, dad, I know, but thinks have changed now, you’ve had a stroke, and the doctors restricted your access to ladders, or had you forgotten about that?”
“No Gabriel, I HADN’T. You KEEP reminding me of it.”
Gabriel blushed. “Sorry dad.”
“Damned straight your sorry.”
“But Dad I really think that you should be with people that are more your own age, you might be able to meet a few friends and be able to go on some more of those outings, like you and mom used to take.”
“Yeah, those were fun, weren’t they?"
“I know, I remember the time that we all went down to the lake and you and I used to catch fish down at Camp Offakalno, don’t you?”
“Yeah, that was great. I had such a great time with your mother after you went to bed.” Renard mused to his son.
Gabriel smiled. “I know how that must have been.”
Renard blushed. “Sorry boy.”
“ It’s all right, I know that you miss mom.”
“You bet your ass, boy.”
“Tell you what, maybe we can hook you up with one of those senior excursions and you can go out there and go have some fun with someone of your own age, what do you think of that?”
“Sounds down right wonderful, Gabe, sign me up.” ‘What the little snot didn’t tell me, was that’ excursion company’ that he hooked me up with, was really and old folks, or retirement home.
‘I walked in the first day and thought that it was kinds of nice. There were pictures and such on the walls and there were several nice people, but it just wasn’t home. I was introduced to a Mr. Collins who turned out to be the head honcho here at the home.
“There you go Mr. Halson…” Collins said.
I started to say, “thank…” only to have Gabriel thank him for me and continue toy fill out the last of what I found out to be commitment paper.
“All right, pop. I’ll see you next week.” Gabriel hugged me and left me on my way.
He left me there, stunned in the lobby, full of other old codgers like myself, some of whom were watching TV and others that were milling around in the common room.
“I saw what he did, that was very unkind of him.” A voice to my left said to me.
I looked and saw a very beautiful woman, seventy if she were a day. “My name is Louise Raglan, everyone around here calls me “Wheezy”
I started to ask her why, but then saw the oxygen tank that she was lugging around with her.
“This is what four packs a day for thirty-two years will get you.” She smiled ruefully as she saw where my eyes had wandered too.
