Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Empty Nester/Retirement (from work) (09/10/09)
-
TITLE: The oil of Joy | Previous Challenge Entry
By carissa Hibbert
09/13/09 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
“If you break that tape recorder I am going to break you.” Caroline shook her cane threateningly at me. My fingers fumbled over the rewind and fast forward buttons. “Hello?” a voice echoed out from the tape recorder. “Hello? Caro sweetie? A mans voice dripping with the auditory symptoms of love. “Sweetie since you’re not in I’ll call again later I love you. BEEP! The message was over; Caroline grabbed the recorder back with shaky hands. “Thank you” the tears that lingered in her eyes told me there was more meaning to the words we just heard then it seemed.
“Lunch time” the cafeteria servers called; I looked at Caroline and gestured to the kitchen. “You sit down, I pay enough to live here I’ll eat lunch when I please.” I sat back at the bistro table set up just outside the kitchen. I looked around at the huge mansion setting that was the golden spring’s retirement home. I wondered if I would ever have the type of career that could afford a person to live here. “Young man, I wasn’t always the old women you see hobbling along on this cane.” “Just last year I drove a car and had a job; it was last year this time that I had my stroke.” “Now I can’t even hold a steering wheel!” I tried to think of words to comfort her but none came to mind. I guess sometimes just listening is best. “You know what else I had? I had Sully.” “ Sully died last year too, that message you heard was the last one he left for me then he went into the hospital.” “After that I never saw him again.”
Caroline’s trembling hand went to her bright red hair as if it were a magnet, she ran her fingers through and sighed. “Young man this place was bearable when I had my sully.” Tears fell down her face as if any minute now the dam that held all her pain and fears would come crashing down. “His family didn’t like the idea of their father falling in love again but they saw that I really loved him.” Once again my mind was blank as I struggled to find just one word to console her. “W, w well” I stammered “you know one day soon you’ll see Sully again.” Caroline just stared at me; the realization dawned on me that I just told this lady that she was going to die soon. I prepared my head for the whack I was sure to receive; a deep rumbling sound started from her stomach and erupted into steady waves of laughter. I slouched into my chair. Whew! I was not going to get beat after all.
“Boy are you crazy?” “Even with this cane I’ve still got two working hips and two good legs.” I looked at her in bewilderment. “I’m not ready to go yet, I’ve still got a few good years left and I plan on Fox trotting my way right through them.” The laughter waves continued as I stared blankly. “I’m retired, I’m going dancing!” I watched as she got up from the table and made her way into the kitchen. I could still hear her laughter as she disappeared around the corner. Her laughter was contagious as a few other people joined in with her joyful song. “God is good” I heard someone say.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
