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.
"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
Wow.
ReplyDeleteI like Miriam. I might have been her, if I'd had children.
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