It was a sweet, sunshiny day. There were clouds in the sky just hanging in the air like marshmallows, moving ever so slightly. Little Voice looked up at them and smiled. She breathed in the crisp air and felt the soft caress of the autumn sun on her skin.
Yesterday, it had been grey and wet. It had been that way for days. Those days had felt oppressive. The sky seemed to have swamped the earth with an ominous foreboding. People scurried around. Heads down. Hoods up. All of them in a hurry to be somewhere else.
But that was yesterday.
Little Voice got caught in the laziness of the moment and felt her shoulders softening, slowly moving away from her ears. Tension and worry eased from her for a while. All this because the sky was blue and the sun was shining. Such a simple thing. Such a beautiful, simple thing.
But, the laziness was not hers to keep. She had errands to run, people to see and it was time for her to set out and get on with her day. She moved her head a little and enjoyed the easing of the pressure in her shoulders just a little more.
She stepped lightly to her car, opened the door and threw her bag onto the passenger seat. Before long she was driving and humming along to a well-known track on the radio. It made such a difference when the beginning of the day started out well. The heavy, habitual tension released, even if, only for a moment.
She lost herself to her thoughts and before long she was indicating left to turn into the car park of her work place.
The journey had been quick and unnoticed. The smile that she'd worn so easily in the sunshine had faded. The marshmallow clouds had fattened and turned a charcoal colour. There would be more rain.
Little Voice made her way inside the care home where she worked. She made her way through the lobby to the staff room and opened her locker. Inside the locker she found her white trainers and took them out. In the space left free, she quickly placed her bag and her outdoor shoes, filling the void, and then banged the door shut.
After putting her shoes on and tying her laces, Little Voice was ready to begin her shift. She would be here for the next 12 hours with two fifteen minute breaks and thirty minutes for her lunch. She'd repeat this shift for two more days and then have three days break.
Three days on, three days off. That was the pattern. A never-ending loop.
Inside that loop she'd make her way to each of her clients' rooms, checking on their vitals, helping them get dressed, and, where possible, make sure they got some exercise. There were meals to deliver, toilets to visit, showers to be circumnavigated or bed baths and canisters to be emptied. The day would be busy. It always was.
When her fifteen minute break came around, she was helping Mrs Cook with her speech and language puzzle, sounding out the words for her to copy and repeat. She smiled at Mrs Cook and praised her for the hard work she'd put into the exercise.
Little Voice stood and gently squeezed Mrs Cook's arm. "I'll see you later, Gladys. You might want to take a wee nap for the now." She went quickly from the room and made her way to the staff room again.
The kettle had just boiled and Peggy was sitting down in her customary place, blowing her cup that she held with both hands near her face. "Hey, Peg. How's your morning been?"
Peg continued to blow on her cup oblivious to Little Voice.
"Peg, you okay, hen?" Little Voice said as she turned away from the kitchen area and made her way to her colleague.
As she approached, she noticed the vacant look in her friend's eyes. It was a look she had seen before. A look she had experienced herself. She sat down next to Peggy and took the cup from her hands.
"Who?" Little Voice asked while placing the cup safely on the table.
At her words, Peggy blinked and a shudder rippled through her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked at Little Voice mournfully. Clearing her throat, Peggy croaked out, "Mr Edwards."
The two women sat together staring at each other. There were no words necessary for them. Together they sat in silent solemnity honouring the life that had touched them both.
Mr Edwards had been what they'd called one of the youngens at only 74. A graceful man with a wry humour and an infectious laugh. At least, that is what his family told them.
His family had cared for him as long as they could but he'd had a fall. He'd been out in the garden and tripped over some toys belonging to his grandson. He'd broken his hip and after his hospital stay, the family had decided he needed to be looked after by professionals. The dementia had worsened and they weren't equipped.
It was a familiar story. One that Peggy and Little Voice both understood well. The care home was just that, a home where their clients got the care they needed.
It was their last home.
Little Voice and the other nurses all cared fully. It was not easy but they did what they could to make the last days of their clients lives as comfortable as possible. This did not make it any easier at the end.
"Were you with him? ...At the end?" Little Voice asked.
"Yes," Peggy smiled, tears still falling down her face. "He went peacefully enough... Thank goodness. Such a kind man. You could tell. You know?"
Little Voice did know. Although Mr Edwards hadn't uttered a word since he'd arrived at the care home, you could see by his eyes that there was still something of him inside. His eyes followed you around the room. They even crinkled when you entered. "Yes, he was."
Thankfully, Peggy had been there with him when he transcended leaving his blank body behind. Those eyes wouldn't crinkle anymore. His spirit had left leaving an empty void.
Little Voice offered up a silent prayer. It was one she used more often than she liked. But still, she was grateful.
This is my ineligible entry to the Dreem - Word of the Week contest. This is the 4th round of season 1 and the word is blank. If you are interested in taking part, you still have time as long as you aren't reading this after October 25th, 2022, and you can read about it in @samsmith1971's post here.
The cover image is one of my own and adapted in Canva using a quote from Willam Shakespeare's play, As You Like It.
The line dividers were also created in Canva, as were The Little Voice & Dreem-WOTW banners.
Dreemport banner asset used with permission from @dreemport & @dreemsteem.
