Page 52 of Sing it, Sam

Ben scratches at the back of his neck. “Um, I could try and find out?” He shrugs his broad shoulders.

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. “If you could, that’d be awesome. I just thought if the dog was local, I could maybe ask the owners if we could borrow him for a few hours one day.”

“That’s a sweet idea. I’ll make a call and let you know. What’s your number?”

I write it down on the back of a business card for the home and hand it to him. He presses the front of his iPhone several times with his index finger. A second later, my phone rings. A random number flashes on display and then the call is disconnected.

“There you go,” he says, and points to my phone. “Now you have my number.”

I pick up my phone and save his number as ‘The Sheriff’. “Thanks. Hey, don’t say anything to Sam, ’kay? I’d hate to ruin the surprise. Well, that’s if we manage to track him down.”

Ben clicks his tongue and winks. “My lips are sealed.”

I press the button to unlock the secure doors, and Ben swaggers through.

“I’ll see you later,” I say and smile.

He tilts his head. “Yes, ma’am.” Ben disappears down the hall, and I go back to my desk and do some more research.

Before long, the secure doors open and Kathleen farewells the two gentlemen who accompanied Mrs Lee earlier. They leave empty-handed, their heads hanging low.

My chest tightens as the doors close behind them. I hope Mrs Lee’s first night is okay. In the morning I’ll pick some flowers from my garden for her. It’d be nice to take some kind of offering with me when I visit. If she feels like talking to a complete stranger, that is.

Kathleen enters the office and slides a slim white folder back onto the bookshelf. She shuffles some other paperwork in the black binder in her hand.

“Mrs Lee seemed pretty upset. Hopefully she settles in well,” I say and smile briefly.

Kathleen’s brows knit together. “Hopefully,” she says and sighs.

“I’ll pop by and see her tomorrow. I thought I could chat to her about her interests. See if there’s something that might help make the transition a little easier.”

“That sounds lovely.” Kathleen glances at the clock on the wall. “You about ready to pack up?”

“Yeah, I am. I finished ordering all the stuff for the scrapbooking workshop. I was just googling some ideas for next month. I’d like to bring back bingo, too.”

“Sounds perfect. Mrs Cassidy is chomping at the bit for scrapbooking. Oh, I forgot that a postcard came for Mr Blandford. It’s in the mail tray. Would you mind taking that to him before you go?”

“No problems.”

I shut down my computer and pick up the postcard from Fiji. I resist reading the card along the way and imagine which of his family members has taken time out of their busy holiday schedule to think of him. It doesn’t happen often enough around here, if you ask me.

I take the tropical photo to room eight. The door is open, and Mr Blandford is asleep in his chair, facing the window. I set his mail on the table beside his chair, next to his reading glasses. It’ll be a nice surprise for him when he wakes up.

***

When I walk into the rear of reception, Kathleen is slumped in my chair, elbows on her thighs, head in her hands.

“Kathleen?” I squeak, moving closer.

She lifts her head, revealing a set of glassy eyes. “I just took a call. This job,” she breathes, swiping a tear from her cheek. “Some days you think, ‘Okay, it’s gonna be a good day’”.

I rush over and crouch at her feet, placing my hand on her knee. “What happened?”

She places her hands over mine. “Mrs Lee’s husband just passed away.”

My brows knit in confusion. “Her husband?”

“They were set to move into one of our joint rooms. When I met them a few months ago, they were both so eager to join us. Mrs Lee was upset today because her husband was in hospital, and she was to spend her first few nights here alone. Her sons expected he’d be discharged within a few days. Unfortunately, there were complications with his health.”

---