Short Stories : The Last Trip of the Hanseatic (Chapter 5)

Short Stories : The Last Trip of the Hanseatic (Chapter 5)

CHAPTER 5

Mother's Day

I slept badly tonight. Would love to stay in bed longer and rest. I woke up every few minutes. And now I'm obviously tired. But this is not intended in the home. Here everything runs according to a fixed time rhythm. Well, it must be like that, how else can the few people do it, all the work here. It's also Mother's Day today. My big day of honor, as Elvira always says pathetically. But after she and her Hans delivered the flowers and the pack of Mon Cherie, they made themselves comfortable at my large dining table. And I was allowed to cook. But I liked doing it. Especially since Lili, my grandchild, was there, it was better to eat with me. In the restaurant it is always packed on Mother's Day and expensive on top of that. Well, today Elvira will have to cook for herself. I'm in the home, the beautiful one. Now there is nothing left with "Let's eat with grandma". Today is cooking, for me! Beef roulades are on the menu. I'm curious to see if they taste as good as mine. I always fill them with thick strips of cucumber and smoked bacon. And I spread thick mustard on the meat. Woe, they do it differently here. After lunch I will definitely take my afternoon nap today. I earned it on my day of honor! And then Mon Cherie is announced again. "You like her so much, mom!" Well, actually not, but I never got over my heart to tell her that, my Elvira. I would have much preferred that she would have put herself in the kitchen and cooked for all of us. But cooking is not her thing, she always says. So what is my daughter. I'm most looking forward to Lili. She will definitely say a poem again. And gets stuck in the middle of the text. But it doesn't matter. It's so cute. When it became clear that I had to go to the home, she begged me. "Stay home, granny. You cook so delicious. You can also sleep with me in a cot. I move a little to the side, then you have space too! “Really cute!

But now I'm going downstairs for breakfast. I need strong coffee to keep me awake, I'm so tired. Who knows what this day will bring.

Elvira, daughter

I almost forgot to get the Mon Cherie. Today is Mommy's day of honor. And she likes it so much. I would much rather bake a cake for her. But no, it must be Mon Cherie! Hopefully Lili doesn't fail to recite the poem, like last year. Now we have to go, Mutti is definitely waiting for us. Hans doesn't come with him, he says she doesn't like him. I can't blame her when he was against her moving to us.

Mrs. Wimmer, nurse

Today is this horror day again, Mother's Day. The house is full of relatives. They don't show up all year round, but on Mother's Day they all follow the herd instinct and storm the Sankt Angelika Heim. Fully packed with flowers and candy boxes. Most residents would much prefer to visit them more often. Just talk, listen to their concerns. Show that their opinion is still in demand. You could leave the sweets at home. There's really enough to eat here all day.

Mrs Scholz

I know how many days

What a nice day today! I slept well, never once did I wake up. Finally ! I stay a little longer in the warm bed, then I get up. No, what is that? Nooo!

This can not be! I want to die right away. Disgusting! I lie in my own droppings. It smells so bad. How could that happen to me? I do not want to live anymore. If "growing old with dignity" means waking up in your own excrement, then no thanks. Not like that.

I stand up carefully. Hopefully the sister doesn't come into the room just now to say good morning. This is not a good morning! In the bathroom I take off my nightgown, soak it in the hand wash basin. Quickly in the shower. Actually I have not been allowed to take a shower without the support of a carer since I slipped in the shower tray last week. Only a few bruises, but who knows what could have happened.

So now I'm at least clean again. Now quickly washed out the nightgown and hid it in the laundry bag so that the sister didn't notice it straight away. I'm so ashamed of myself, it's almost like when I was a little girl. That's what happened to me too. And my older brother, Philipp, may have laughed at me. And of course he did the trick. Back then I was ashamed of myself.

The poor nurses who have to touch something like that. It's gross enough to get rid of your own filth. It won't happen to me again. That definitely came from sauerkraut yesterday to Szeged goulash. But I like to eat sauerkraut for my life.

I'm going downstairs for breakfast. Actually I am not in Essen now, after this shock experience. But I have to drink at least one tea.

I meet Frau Beck again in the elevator. We lived house to house for almost twenty years, sharing all worries and needs. Now she only greets back briefly, as if she didn't know me. She must have Alzheimer's. Hopefully that won't happen to me! Must be terrible. Although, Ms. Wimmer, the nurse told me that the dementia don't even get to know about their illness. In this respect, it is even an advantage to be forgetful.

Elvira, daughter

Man, I have to call mom, I have a guilty conscience because I haven't been there for a long time. But is also not easy with the visits. Sometimes you disturb distributing food, then cleaning the room or she is sleeping. The last time I woke her up, she was totally upset. I had so much stress with Hans that I couldn't even visit her. He wanted to go to the zoo with Lili and me. Two against one, that's how we finally overruled him. Was pretty angry, Hans. And then she wasn't happy about my visit. Frau Wimmer comforted me straight away. I shouldn't take it personally, she said.

But it's been a few weeks now, I'll call her right away.

"Hello mom, how are you?" I ask cheerfully.

"Oh yes, quite good!", The receiver sounds wearily. The answer worries me. Especially the way she speaks. Completely kinked, as if she were dying miserable. I'm going there tonight, I promise her. Who knows what happened, she doesn't want to tell me anything on the phone.

Continue Reading to The Last Trip of the Hanseatic (Chapter 6)