Page 50 of Sing it, Sam

Chapter Eighteen

I tilt forward in my chair. “Between you and me?”

“Yes. What if I was to suggest that maybe, upon medical advice, of course, you took Mr Marshall out one afternoon?”

My pulse quickens.She would seriously let me do that?

“I’d say that sounds amazing,” I blurt out.

“It’d be off the clock, though. You’d have to make up the time. I’m happy for you to use the mini bus, as long as you don’t travel too far.”

“Of course.”

Kathleen lets out a heavy breath. “If things start to get more serious between you two, I don’t mind, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work.”

“You got it.” My heart races. She’s giving us her blessing. This is huge. I can’t wait to get Sam out of here.And finally be alone with him.

“Now, while you werebusy,” Kathleen says, her lips curving up on one side, “the printing delivery came. If you can neatly stack the boxes in groups at the back of the office, we’ll get to those tomorrow.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

***

The afternoon is torture. After sorting and stacking boxes, I just want to leave the office and walk around but I can’t, because any moment Kathleen will be meeting with family members to help settle in a new resident. It’s practically ‘dead one day, your room is filled’ the next around here. To add to the torture, I can’t stop thinking of Sam.

That kiss.

Just the memory of his soft lips against mine has my head in a tailspin and my body wanting with need.Some alone time in the bath tonight is warranted …

To shift my brain back into work mode, I google some ideas for the upcoming social calendar. I look at other aged-care facilities and see what they’ve done. Bringing in animals seems to be popular.

The sliding doors open. An elderly Asian lady enters with two tall men supporting her. The men are also of Asian appearance, dressed in suits with a suitcase each. By the lines across their foreheads and crinkles at the corners of their eyes, I’m guessing they’re in their forties or fifties. By the scowls on their faces, it’s evident they aren’t too pleased to be here.

“This is my mother, Mrs Lee,” one of the gentlemen says in robotic English as he places the suitcase at his feet. The skin between his dark brows puckers.

I stand and nod. “Hello, Mrs Lee,” I say, trying to coax her eyes upwards, but they’re transfixed to the counter in front of her. I smile at the man who just spoke, but he doesn’t return the gesture. Instead, his lips form a hard line. It takes me off guard. “I’ll just get Kathleen, the manager. Please. If you wouldn’t mind taking a seat over there”—I motion towards the couch—“I’ll let her know you’re here.”

The three of them move over to the couch to the side of reception. I buzz Kathleen and inform her that her next appointment has arrived.

The family speaks to each other quietly in their foreign tongue, which I’m guessing is Chinese. The woman howls and the men shroud her in an embrace as she sobs into a delicate lace handkerchief. The men stare at each other over the top of her head. Tension radiates off them in waves.

My heart pangs as I watch a family come to terms with what must be such a trying time. From what my parents told me, Nan wasn’t happy with the idea of moving into a home at first. She didn’t want to lose her independence, but over time, as she got involved and found her place, she made this place her home.

Kathleen greets the family in reception and ushers them to her office.

I grab a fluoro pink Post-It note and write downMrs Lee—interests?and stick it next to my diary as a reminder to discuss this with Kathleen later.

I pick up my phone and scroll through Instagram, searching the hashtag #nursinghome. In no time, I am blown away by the enthusiasm of people who work in homes, their passionate posts, and their dedication to the elderly and making their time memorable. I write down a few ideas to research further.

Dance therapy—the macarena?

Painting.

I know it’s been done before but using different materials and watercolours can mix it up.

Gardening club.

Now is the perfect time for planting bulbs for spring, so it’d be great to get this underway. Also having our own herb garden would be a great project. I can talk to Pauline about using the herbs in our cooking which I think the residents might get a kick out of.

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