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Sarah's Rings
After pushing
the walker to one side, Jack eased Sarah into a comfortable sitting position on
the side of her bed. After placing her overnight bag on the bed opposite, he
helped her to take of her "sensible" shoes and put on her well worn but comfy
slippers.
"Now don’t worry about the bag," he told her gently but firmly. "I’ll
empty it just as soon as I’ve made you a nice cup of tea. Then you can have a
nice little nap."
In the kitchen Mary, was already pouring the boiled water into the fine china
teapot, the tell tale teabag strings, Sarah’s only concession when making tea,
dangling, over the side. "What are you going to do, dad?" she asked.
"I don’t know yet, love," Jack replied solemnly, reaching up to the overhead
cupboard and removing three matching teacups and saucers which he placed next to
the teapot.
Mary smiled, "Mum still likes her fancy cups and a saucer doesn’t she." It was a
statement not a question.
Jack opened the fridge and took out a carton of "proper" milk. "Aye, she does
indeed. When you get to our age, old habits die hard" he mused in his still
broad Manchester accent.
Mary poured a the milk and then the tea, deliberately leaving two cups short of
the brim, these she passed to her father who grasped each saucer firmly with his
knolled hands.
Entering the bedroom he found his wife standing beside her bed, the contents of
the overnight bag spread across the bottom of the bed.
"Sarah love! I told you I’d put your clothes away after we’ve had a cup of tea.
Now sit down and drink your tea while it’s hot" he chided.
"Well, you didn’t say you were going to make to tea" Sarah reproached him.
Jack shook his head, inhaled a deep breath and muttered something that sounded
like "Patience, patience", then carefully placed a cup and saucer on each
bedside cabinet. He then sat down on the opposite bed facing his wife. "Sarah
love, I want you to try to remember something important."
He sipped his tea and waited to see if he had gained the attention of his wife
of fifty-five years.
"Does anyone ever expect it to end up like this" he wondered? Sarah had always
been the one who organized him. He’d resented it bitterly on occasion. Now he’d
give anything to have her organize him again.
Sarah picked up her cup and without taking her eyes of the steaming liquid began
sipping the tea, her mind somewhere far remote from Jack or the life they once
shared. He placed his hand gently on her knee trying to catch her attention
"Sarah love," he spoke slowly emphasizing each word, "When you were in the
hospital, do you remember what happened to the rings you were wearing?"
Sarah looked across towards Jack, her mouth twisting as it always had when she
was concentrating. Finally she asked, "Have I been in hospital?"
"Yes" Jack sighed. Resting his elbow on his knee, he stroked his burrowed
forehead. "You were there ten days. You really had us worried for awhile."
Sarah reached over and gently patted his hand "Oh dear Jack, I didn’t know that.
I’m so sorry to worry you like that."
She then turned her attention to white furry teddy bear dressed in a knitted
blue jumper sitting amongst the strewn contents of the overnight bag. "I’m so
glad you didn’t forget Teddy at the hospital."
She began cuddling the teddy the way she once, so many years ago, cuddled her
own two babies.
Returning his empty teacup to its saucer, Jack took a deep breath in
exasperation. "Sarah. Have you any idea what happened to your rings? Did you
lose them? Did someone take them from you?"
"My rings?" Sarah turned her soft wrinkled hands over as does a magician proving
to his audience they are completely empty, "I haven’t got any rings."
"I know that, Sarah. But do you know where they are?" Jack rose slowly from the
bed, picked up the two now empty cups and made to leave the room, then paused.
"Leave the bag. I’ll be back in a minute to put everything away."
As he left the room Sarah spoke in a whisper, "Teddy knows where the rings are,
but don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret!"
Jack said nothing. He just shook his head and left the room.
"Did you get anywhere?" Mary asked, sympathetically.
"No. I’ll have to contact the insurance company. Then I’m going to have few
words with these hospital people. I can’t believe anyone would be so low as to
steal from a sick, old lady."
"What if it was a patient dad?" She said, hoping that it would somehow make it a
lesser crime perpetrated on her mother. She gave her father a comforting hug. "I
just find it hard to believe a nurse would do something like that."
"Well, love, it could have been one of them orderly blokes. It couldn’t have
been any of them patients in your mam’s room. They was all elderly, could barely
walk even wit’ nurse to support ‘em."
"You go and phone the insurance people then and I’ll take care of Mum." Mary
offered finding the whole subject matter quite distasteful.
Having made her mother comfortable on the bed Mary gathered up the contents of
the overnight bag and carefully put them away in their respective drawers. It
had been a long, tiring week for everyone, but her mother was home again and
that’s all that mattered. However, mum’s illness had brought with it the
realization that this had been but a practice run for the real thing some day,
hopefully not any day soon. How would she cope she wondered? How would dad cope?
Suddenly she realized that ever-dependable dad wasn’t getting any younger. He
had given his wife’s needs priority ignoring his own, while she and her younger
sister, busy with their own lives, had taken it for granted, never realizing,
until now, the strain their father was under. Not that he ever complained. Dad
never would.
But from now on, she vowed, dad was going to have time out.
Jack returned to the bedroom looking somewhat relieved although not elated.
"Done" he said. "They’ll send out forms. Said I can expect to get the $1000 each
they were insured for."
"That’s great, Dad’" Mary said, hoping that would placate her father in some
small way.
"Not really" he sighed sitting on the bed beside his wife and taking her hand in
his. "Them rings had sentimental meaning to your mam and me. Money means
nothin’. We wanted to leave them rings to you girls."
"I gave the rings to teddy to look after," Sarah whispered again, placing a
finger on her lip, ‘but it’s a secret."
"He’s a lovely teddy, Mum." Mary smiled, remembering how her mother had once
tucked her and her sister into bed each night, always giving each of them a
goodnight kiss, their teddy bears included.
Mary leaned over her mother and kissed her gently, and placing her hands around
the bear’s middle section, she lifted it towards her lips. Instead of the
expected soft tummy her thumbs pressed on something hard and lumpy under the
bear’s woolly jumper. Lifting up the blue jumper a handkerchief, knotted into a
small parcel, emerged. Concealed inside were one gold band and two diamond
rings.
Teddy Love
Art Print
Kaesling, Olga
Buy at AllPosters.com
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