Miriam Gottlieb

 by Ellen Pepper

An elder woman sits at her desk in a retirement home, working at an online jigsaw puzzle and thinking about her life.

Comes a knock on the door, and a voice calling out, "Mother, it's me, Martha. I'm here to visit you."

"I have no children, dear, but come on in and we can chat."

The middle-aged woman enters, cooing condescendingly, "Of course you have children, I'm your daughter, don't you know me anymore?"

"You're in the wrong room. You've mistaken me for someone else. What is my name?"

Martha: "Don't you remember your name, Mother? Has it come to this?"

"Just tell me the name of your mother, and we can clear this up right away, dear."

Martha: "My mother's name is Miriam Gottlieb, as you should know."

"Well, there we go, then. Mrs Gottlieb's room is down the hall - Room 312. You should visit her - she hasn't had a visit from her children in over a year. Maybe five."

Martha heads toward the door, somewhat confused. As she opens it, the elder woman says, "I think she died this morning. That's ok, though, they don't remove the bodies until nightfall, so you can spend some time with her corpse."

Martha gasps and dashes down the hall.

Almost immediately, chaos erupts in the hallway - doors slam, voices are raised, and running footsteps are heard.

Nurse Hermingard  whips open the snickering elder woman's door, with Martha directly behind her and laughingly says, "Have you been pranking again, Mrs Gottlieb? You gave your daughter quite the fright. She thought you were dead. Now she thinks you've lost your mind."

"She's not my daughter. A loving child wouldn't stick their mother in a tiny room in a dismal place reeking of urine, dismay, despair, and death. A loving child would have taken a beloved mother into her own eight bedroom home and hired nursing staff - she can afford it. She's just here to see if I'm on my way to the final exit. She didn't even recognize me, Hermie. That's why it was easy to fool her. No, I'm done with her. And, if she's looking for inheritance, it's too late, I gave it all away to people who have shown me love, respect and compassion, unlike her."

Martha: "I would have recognized you more easily if you hadn't changed your hair. This is the best home in the city. It's very expensive to have you here. Herb and I had to jump through hoops to get you in."

"You're using my money to pay the fees, so the expense is a non-issue. This is not a home. It's God's Waiting Room. A home is with family. Loving family. I gave up teaching to give you a secure home. I stayed with your father so you'd have both parents in your home. None of that makes any difference to you, does it?"

Martha: "But what about my children -  your grandchildren? Will you leave them nothing? And I want your jewellery. You know how much I love it."

"I haven't seen my grandchildren in the five years I've been in this place. They have no interest in me. I no longer have interest in them. That's fair, isn't it? My jewellery has been given away. There's no reason for you to come back for it."

Martha: "But Mother..."

"I'm not your mother. You are not my child. Please leave and don't come back. Don't worry about my funeral arrangements - they've been taken care of. I'll be cremated and buried under a tree. No funeral circus. I'll vanish into dust. Don't worry, I won't haunt you because you mean as much to me as I do to you."

Martha: "I'll be in touch with my lawyer to get a POA - you aren't competent any longer.  

To Hermie: "I'm leaving. Can you get my parking voucher?"

Hermie: "I'm afraid not. Since you have no family in this facility, you aren't eligible for that."

Martha leaves.

"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child".

Hermie: "Who said that originally, Ms G?"

"Pythagoras, I think."

Both laugh - Hermie knows that she's joking by the mischievous glint in her eyes.

Hermie:"I'll be back with your lunch in five. French onion soup and a chicken sandwich."

Miriam goes back to her jigsaw puzzle... and thinking about her life.

_________________________
© Ellen Pepper 2023

THE WANDERER

by Ellen Pepper

Hi Angela,

I hope all is well with you. I have some news from the farm. It's kind of funny. It would be funnier if I could tell you in person.

A couple of days ago, when I went up to the road to check the mail, I saw a tiny kitten wandering around the backyard all by itself while the other cats were waiting at the feeding area.

I greeted the little one and asked why she was so far away from her mum. Then I asked the assembled mums whose kitten it was. They all put on innocent faces and turned their backs. Except Blackie - she was watching intently to see what I'd do. Eventually, after she ate, Blackie took the kitten by the scruff of its neck and scooted off in the direction of Seb's house. He and his wife are the nearest neighbours.

Yesterday, I thought I saw it lying dead on the bike path near the road but when I went up to what I thought was its corpse, it turned out to be an empty and abandoned bird's nest.

This morning at around 8am, a text came from Seb, asking whether we'd lost a kitten. The poor mite was in Melissa's wheelbarrow and M was quite taken with it but they have already rescued several cats and thought that it should be with its mum. Melissa described it as looking like it's only a week old, but that I know for a fact that it's closer to being 2 months old - it's just small for its age.

Derek went over there and put the kitten in an Amazon box then took it back over to the  feeding area on our patio. Blackie was crying for it near the front door when she heard its meowing as it was taken into the house. She was frantic. She raced to the back and pulled it from the box, started licking it and gave it an exasperated lecture. Then Brown Mumma came by and they discussed the little globetrotter.

Blackie picked it up by its scruff and went off, back toward Seb's place.

About 10 minutes went by.

The next thing we saw was Melissa walking up to the feeding area with the kitten in her hands. It seems that Blackie had returned it to her yard. We all had a laugh about it - a good way to start the day. I think that Blackie wants her baby to live with Seb and Melissa.

Did I mention that this kitten is very cute and appealing as well as being an adventurer? It's obviously tugging at Melissa's heartstrings and I have the feeling that she's going to adopt it, sooner or later. I've never known such an intrepid wanderer amongst the annual crops of kittens.
I'll let you know how this turns out.

Take care, Sis
love, Emily

P.S. Tell your Amos that I'm proud that he graduated high school. They grow up so fast, don't they?
P.P.S. The farmer is tilling out back - he started up after all the fooforaw this morning.

©Ellen Pepper 2023

 

Spark of Life

 by Ellen Pepper

There's something magical about the human condition.
We are born. Most of us don't remember being born and yet, here we are.
We start breathing on our own but remain helpless for quite a while afterward.
We are not able to walk or talk or feed and clean ourselves. Somehow, we survive.

Time passes and many of us, in certain parts of the world, follow a set pattern in living: attend school, find employment, become involved in partnerships, and become parents. Not all of us follow that blueprint, though. Some are lucky enough to break away from societal norms to lead a somewhat more free life. This can be hazardous if one wants to live in comfort and ease. Walking away from the set program comes with the risk of being an outcast - not many can face that grim reality. Some, on the other hand, relish not being stuck in a prison of expectations.

Time passes, shit happens and we grow old. Then, inevitably, our bodies die and we're gone.

Children learn pretty early on that, not only do people and animals die, but they will cease to exist at some point. To a young mind, death is inconceivable until loved ones and pets vanish from their lives, never to return. Some question the reason for this. As time goes on, they ponder  the point of even participating in a life that will end - at which time they'll find themselves back in the non-place they were before they were born... that they can't even remember.

As far as we know, or are taught, our spark of life began when a sperm met an ovum and they hit it off, creating what would be us in less than a year. After that, the "adventure" begins.

Out of every 24 hours, we must stop what we're doing and become unconscious. If we fail to do this for too many days, we tend to become psychotic. Meanwhile, when we're "asleep" our minds create dreamscapes that may or may not be a product of our own mind but could be spiritual in origin...or just the effects of postprandial digestion.

During life, there are those who hold fast to a religion. Religions being created by power-hungry humans in order to control other, more gullible humans. Religions that cause people to exterminate others who don't share the same religious beliefs, all in the name of their "God", who, realistically - having created this vast Universe - has little time to give a toss about what people on this planet are doing in "His/Her/Its" name.

Death. Now that's always an unexpected kick in the ass. We claim to comprehend that our time here is finite, but, really, who ever believes that they will die? Sure, health enthusiasts do everything in their power to stay alive, or at least live longer - what with gulping down vitamins and following a healthy diet, but without taking into account the possibility of a Mack truck smashing into them, or myocardial infarction, or plague, or their Segway falling off a cliff - sending them into Eternity before their time.

Here we are, nurturing our own precious spark of life, even though it will be snuffed out, with our little lives passing unnoticed by those who come after us shielding their own spark of life against the harsh winds of actual living.

It seems to go on for so long, but, in reality - looking at the eons of time already passed - it lasts just as long as a spark from a matchstick.

Enjoy yourself and take shelter from the storm.

It’s later than you think.

©Ellen Pepper 2023

 

Artwork of the Eternity Symbol

by Mark Garlick