Come Home

Rose and Dad (ch 21)

Chapter Twenty-One


Rose and Dad


         Timothy comes back to the house after going to purchase supplies. “Rose,” Timothy says. “I got a call from you sister.”


         “Which one?”


         “Matilda.” Timothy answered. “She said that your John is being released from the clinic next week. They need someone to go sign his release and take responsible for him. Someone has to make sure that he is eating. He has to have a good place to live.”


         Rose thinks for a while. The house has been up graded enough to be safe for Dad to live here now. The water is now running. The pluming is finished. The house is even painted. The only things that needs to be done right now is getting the house filled with necessities. The road is passable.


         “Timothy, do you think that the rest of the house will be finished by this weekend?”


         “Yes, definitely.” He reassures Rose. He did not know how he would get all the finishing touches to the house. Rose has worked hard on this, and he was not going to let her down.


         “ I need to go into town.” Rose informs Timothy. “I am going to get the paper work started to have Dad placed in his own home.”


         She took a few digital pictures. The house looked nothing like the one he was taken from.  She drove off for town. “Can I see Dr. Thomas?” Rose asks at the front desk.


         “Do you have an appointment?”


         “No, but I am sure that he will want to see me. I need to see him about releasing my dad in a few weeks.”


         “Your father's name?”


         “John”          


         “Oh yea. Just a minute.”


         “Dr. Thomas will see you in just a few minutes.”


          Rose sits in the waiting room. She could find nothing but information on the elderly. She didn't mind. She was going to need to know if she was going to take on such a task as caring for Dad. There was a television playing the same video of different nursing homes. All of them looking better than the one before. “Yea,” Rose sighs. “I bet that the elderly are as happy as they look.”  She whispers as she turns the page on the newest gaunt remedies.


         Dr. Thomas walks out. “Rose, how nice to see you.”


         “I would like to apologize about how I acted before.” Rose didn't say sorry very often. When she did, she meant the words that she said.


         “That is OK. Nobody like to think of their parents not being able to care for themselves.” He said sincerely. He gestures toward a chair at his desk. He starts to reach Rose a group of Nursing home pamphlets.


         She shrugs, “Those wont be necessary. I have these to show you.” She hands the doctor her camera. “ Take a look at the last twenty picture. This is where I have planned for him to go. I now own the property, and have spent every waking hour fixing it up for him.”


         “Rose, looks like you have a plan.” He said. “However, we have to do an inspection. We can schedule the visit three days before we release him. Thursday about 2:00 pm.”


         “Well, its a plan?” Dr. Thomas asks as he reaches out his hand. “I hate to rush you off, but I have another appointment.”


         Rose shakes hands and leaves the room. Passing a couple with a clipboard. Rose notices that the paper work was applications for a nursing home. She left knowing that she had made the right choice about Dad.


         Rose goes to the local department store. There she walked down the men's clothing isle. Socks. What kind of socks did he like to wear? She put a package of each type of socks: Four pack of tube socks, six pack of knee highs, and several single pairs of different colors. She placed a pair of house shoes, a robe, and pajamas in to her cart. “He will need underware.” She thought almost feeling dirty about thinking about her dad's shorts. Considering that he is getting older, she chose a pack of boxer briefs. She continued to shop. She bought him a few sets of sweat paints to keep him warm. Then she thinks, “What size clothes and shoes does Dad wear.” Then she pulls out her phone. She was sure that Mom would know. She dialed the number.


         Paints 30 X 34, Rose tried to account for the weight loss, she picked up four pairs of genes, two pair of work paints, and five white tee shirts. Looking through the shoes for a practical pair of size 10. She decided on two pairs. One was tan gym shoes. The other was a pair of yellow work boots. Looking over what she had put in the cart to see what was missing, she decides to buy him some of his favorite cologne. Oh, as an after thought, she picked up a straw brimmed hat. It looked just like the one that he wore when she was a little girl. This made Rose smile.


         Bag after costly bag was put into the car. She wondered if she forgot anything. She realized that she was not as finished as she would like to be. She went down the bedding isle. She bought complete bed sets for each bed in the house with curtains to match. She bought a bathroom set of rugs.


         The two weeks flew by with Rose make trips to the store. Shampoo and toiletries one trip. Cleaning supplies the next one. Then there was the many trips to the grocery store. Every time she thought of something that Dad would like she ran to the closest one. It was nice that Dad would have a fridge to put food in.


         The day came and went when the house passed the Adult Care inspection, and now Rose waits to see Dad walk through the double doors. There he was a shell of who he was. Anger on his face.


         “Dad, I have come to take you home.” Rose said.


         “I know where we go after we leave here.” He said as he remembered all those he had seen taken to different nursing homes. He had heard the subject discussed about himself.


         “I have a surprise for you.”


         “If you drop me off at one of those places, I will run off. I know how to live off the land.”


         Rose smiles. She knows that she was taking him exactly where he wanted so desperately wanted to be. The home that he was taken from so many days ago. They drive silently. I think that they both were afraid to say much. Rose and Dad had always locked horns so to speak. They were so much a like that one word could cause an avalanche of bitterness.


         She goes past the top of the hill, and begins to descend. “You can not drive the road. You will tear you truck to pieces.” Dad described from experience. He had torn an axle from the last car that he had owned by trying to drive the rough road.


         “I had the road fixed, Dad.” Rose told him. He watched out the window wondering why crule joke she had planned.


         When they pulled into the yard, he was shocked to see the house in such good appearance. Rose opened the door for Dad. She hands him the folder that Timothy had handed her days ago. “The house is now your house, Dad.” Rose presents him the keys. Mr. Preston sold it to you because you love this place so much. She reached along side the wall and flipped a switch, and the light came on in the ceiling. Dad didn't say a word.


         She led him to the working kitchen. Electric stove, refrigerator, and a functioning sink. In here, you have all the food that you will need for a while. When you need more I will restock. He grabbed a soda from the fridge before she could close it back. She laughed.


         The night fell and Rose ran Dad a bath, but he would not bathe. He felt that she was trying to boss him into the bath. So Rose took advantage of the warm water to relax her own rough day.


         While Rose is in the hot bath, Dad finds a fresh pajamas on the bed. He decides that he like them and put them on. Dad did not want to question all the attention tonight. He had been going to bed at eight o'clock. He finished the soda. He put the can down by his bed, but looking around he decided that he would throw away the can instead.


         Rose and Dad finished the first day together. Surprisingly neither of them exploding at the other as that would be what would be expected. They were so much a like that there was usually a big argument. Rose went to sleep feeling Dad's pride for the first time that she could remember.


My words are ways to leave peices of myself behind for my children.

MY KIDS BE THE JUDGE  (ASR) First contest I have ever done #1554932 by Ida_Matilda_Wright Help

** Image ID #1373893 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1537314 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1358605 Unavailable **

SURVEY

Open Door To Grace Prayer Hot Line  (E) Do you want prayer? Ask for it here! All requests are confidential. #1372909 by Marvelous Friend

** Image ID #1373983 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1373893 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1333076 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #597847 Unavailable **