By Jeffrey Paolano
“Mrs. Lence wants a hat,” offers Francine, squirreling into her bag after a smoothie.
“What kind?” questions Nancy who’s the recently minted nurse, new hire.
“Straw with flowers, something else we’ll have to screw with,” points out Francine the other night nurse. “Maybe she’ll forget. Well, time for rounds.”
Mrs. Lence is whimpering. “What is it, dear?” Francine asks, arranging the bedclothes.
“I want a hat.”
“Certainly, dear; you can have a hat.”
“No really.”
“Yes, really.”
“This time really.”
“Yes, dear, this time really.”
“Did she remember? We should log her request.”
“Oh, if asked we forgot. OK?” says Francine.
Echoes from a song by John Prine; Hello in there. Good story, Jeffery,
Should the last line be “Or, if asked, we forgot.” instead of “Oh, if asked, we forgot”? Great ending. Packs so much into a short piece.
How utterly depressing. As a doctor, I visited loads of rest homes, loads of times, over years. And am in wheelchair myself. Sorry – this does not ring true. Well written, though ?
Should it be “points out Francine TO the other night nurse”? Since Francine has already been mentioned. And a comma after “Nancy questions”? I love the story, but these grammatical things don’t make sense to me. Perhaps I’m being stupid or overly pedantic.