Short Stories : The Last Trip of the Hanseatic (Chapter 3)

Short Stories : The Last Trip of the Hanseatic (Chapter 3)

CHAPTER 3

The second day Mrs. Scholz

I slept very well in my new home, I'm surprised myself. The room is small, but the cabin on the Hanseatic was much smaller. Man, that would be something, another cruise through the Mediterranean. Or to the North Cape. But without Alwin, well I don't know. I'm curious how the breakfast is here. Certainly not as rich as on the ship. Someone's knocking at the door. A woman in a light blue work coat looks into the room and asks me if I want coffee or tea. I want mint tea, I say. Otherwise I never drink mint tea for breakfast. But today I just feel like it, I don't know why. She mumbles something in front of her in the kitchen and so on and disappears again. It was different at the Hanseatic. Rodolfo just grinned friendly, said "come immediately!", And one two three he was standing in the cabin with the order. Well, then I just get up and look for fresh laundry from the closet. How long will I be able to dress myself? I don't want anyone to do it for me, it reminds me of when I was a little girl. My mother always decided what to wear. There is another knock on the door. The blue coat smiles at me kindly, puts a tray with a small thermos, a mug, a plate with two rolls, butter and jam on my dessert. I take the tray and carry it to the table, sit down and pour the mint tea into the mug. I smell it for a moment, it's fennel tea. Yuck, I like everything, just no fennel tea. If I chase the blue coat back into the kitchen, he'll kill me. So I pour the fennel tea into the sink, rinse a little so that nobody notices anything. I get a glass of water to choke the rolls down. Tomorrow I will go down to the dining room, where there is supposed to be a breakfast buffet. Well, definitely not like that at the Hanseatic. But at least I don't have to drink fennel tea. I would normally go to my kitchen now and wash the plate and cup. But today I'm in the home. Then do the other for me. What am I supposed to do now? I have to order a daily newspaper. Although I can read so badly. The letters always blur in front of my eyes. When I was still working alongside the household, I rarely came to read. Now I have time for it and I can hardly read. Crazy life.

Well, what the hell, I'll just go out in the hallway. Let's see what's going on here. Oops, I almost tripped over a cleaning bucket right next to my door.

The woman looks at me in alarm, murmurs an apology. She probably thinks what the old woman is doing in the hall so early.

I carefully continue over to the window, the linoleum floor is pretty smooth, so soon after it has been wiped.

At the end of the hallway is a large corner window, in front of which is a cozy seating area. A man, probably about ninety, is sitting there reading a newspaper. I politely ask if I can sit down, no answer. So I just take a seat. Now he looks at me, startled, almost a little annoyed. Didn't hear me coming, the good one. He points to his hearing aid and says he has switched it off. It would get on his nerves too much to hear all the surrounding sounds. Everyone has to know for themselves, I answer. But starting a conversation doesn't make any sense, I think, and stay silent. Suddenly he turns to me, looks at me curiously and switches on his hearing aid. I'm flattered. He introduces himself, a Mr. Paulus, from Bremen. He used to be a captain, he says. Probably on a fishing trawler. But I am delighted to tell him about my passion for cruises. And that I would love to go to the Hanseatic again. He says that he would have traveled three months in the old Europe during his training. Great, I found a great partner to talk to, it just gushes out of me. But he keeps looking nervously at his watch. Now I also see what is the reason for his nervousness. A door opens a few rooms away and a white-haired lady resolutely approaches us.

She doesn't look at me, but takes the newspaper from the captain's hand

And looks at him angrily. Jealousy at that age, I don't believe it. I have to laugh inside, but stay demonstratively. She still doesn't pay attention to me, talks to the poor guy, rolls the newspaper as if she's about to hit it. Mr. Paulus does the only right thing, he switches off his hearing aid, she gets up angrily and disappears back towards the room. The captain looks at me and smiles. I smile back. It could be the beginning of a long friendship.

Elvira - daughter

I switch on the answering machine, put the draft for my boss on top of the stack of pending documents, and I have to finish it tomorrow first. My boss, Mr. Gustavson, is supposed to deliver the opening speech next Monday at the big company anniversary. But today he allowed me to break up earlier. His father also went to a retirement home last year, so he was able to understand my inner unrest quite well.

I quickly tell Gisela, the faithful soul, that I'm already leaving. Then I rush down into the underground car park, start my polo and drive off towards the motorway. The home is relatively far from my company, but the Autobahn takes 20 minutes to the West exit and from there it is only 5 minutes to the Sankt Angelika home. I'm really nervous. How do you think mother will have survived the first night? She shouldn't get her own phone until next week, so I don't have to rush every day. But on the second day it goes without saying that I personally look for the right one.

Mutti greets me very kindly. I'm relieved. Thought she was chasing me away. When I pushed her into the home.

My God, she's missing the newspaper. I have to call the subscription department and give the new address. She is a little disappointed that I didn't bring anything with her. But if I had brought flowers with me, she would surely see it as a guilty conscience. After almost an hour, she almost urges me to leave. When I say goodbye, I see her surreptitiously waving to a gentleman on the large sofa. Well, that won't be a tech quack? When I look at her questioningly, she gets a red head. That's impossible. Who cares, at least she’s distracted, don’t ponder her old apartment. The house is to be demolished soon, the owner has been waiting eagerly for Mutti to finally move out and that he has free rein. I'll say goodbye quickly and go home.

Mrs. Wimmer-Nurse

Uff, just in time. It is half past six, the start of the morning shift at Sankt Angelika Heim. Carmen, the night nurse looks at me half annoyed and half relieved, was probably afraid that I would not come because I had a bad cold yesterday. Then she should have made a replacement by phone and waited until it arrived. And at home the two boys wait so that she can make them breakfast and then send them to school. Although, they would definitely not mind if they could sleep longer and then use their mother's late arrival as an excuse at school.

Well, now I was there. Carmen quickly tells me the most important news. Tonight she had twice the emergency doctor for Ms. Müller, who had to call the 98-year-old from the first floor, the first time he could not find anything, an hour later he admitted her to the clinic. Bile colic suspected.

The newcomer, Ms. Scholz had not noticed her at all, she had a quick look in the room and said good night, but otherwise there was nothing with her.

I'll go straight to the kitchen and see if she can get a place in the dining room, she's still fit enough to drive down to meals.

First of all I have to write the documentation because of Ms. Müller, who was brought to the hospital. My God, they didn't give her the insurance card! The phone will ring immediately and the clinic will ask for the card. If the caretaker doesn't have time, I will probably have to drive past after work and hand it over. Hardly anyone can imagine what else we have to do here apart from our own work, the care. Every year they come up with something new that we could still do to improve quality. But we don't get more people for it. But on the contrary.

Continue Reading to The Last Trip of the Hanseatic (Chapter 4)