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Part One
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Shrivencraft's Assisted Living Home was one of those place that just smelt of the elderly. A bizarre mixture of soap, disinfectant, rose perfume and death permeated the halls, communal spaces and even in the rooms themselves.
Lily hated going there every Saturday morning. At the age of seventy-eight her cantankerous grandmother had been hospitalised after a stroke, and the family had come to an agreement that a care home would be best, save Merinda Evans going toe to toe with her daughter in law on the daily, and making the two young girls share a bedroom with their elderly grandmother. Lily had been nine at the time, and first relished going to the old folks home because it mean lollies snuck to her by the nurses, and old mister Henry who would always invite her to play draughts. Eventually the novelty had worn off, and whilst Mister Henry was a highlight, the Saturday visits over time turned into a chore rather than an anticipated visit.
Merinda Evans was always a fiery individual, having been the eldest child of eleven siblings, and then the one to outlive them all through, what Lily decided, was sheer spite. By the time Lily was nineteen, her grandmother was still going strong, and although her eyesight was starting to go, was otherwise as sharp as she had always been, stroke after-affects not withstanding. Merinda had made a few friends at Shrivencrafts, and made just as many enemies, of both fellow residents, and the nursing staff.
Nothing was ever good enough for Merinda, first the bedding wasn't soft enough, then the pillows reeked of detergent, then the meals weren't tasteful enough (this pleased the residents when it was solved, but did result in the resignation of four chefs). It seemed that each week, for going on ten years, Lily had to sit and listen to her grandmother as she listed her complaints to her dad, who could only nod encouragingly and make sympathetic noises every time his mother took a breath.
Lately Merinda had turned her ire to the other residents, even ones she had previously gotten on well with. Originally Old Peter was thought to have been a sweet, dotty old man who didn't seem all there, but Merinda had uncovered (somehow) that Peter had been a Nazi officer, and understandably that had't gone down well with anyone when she went on the warpath to unite the rest of the residents against him. Police had been involved and Old Peter had been "rehomed" (which Lily later overheard a nurse gossiping that the old guy was living in a watch unit under investigation because is name wasn't Peter Smith, and his real documentation had been found, with the real surname of Petyrgriew indicating he was not quite as British as he had made himself out to be.
Not all of Merinda's resident issues were a result of her (potentially illegal) snooping, some were just old Mrs Evans showing her usual cantankerous (bitchy, was the most accurate word according to the staff) with her latest case being Mister Henry. Never mind that the old man and his wife with Alzheimer's were living on the complete other side of the home from her room, Merinda had decided that Mister Henry was a perverted moron, and promptly banned Lily from going to see him for their usual Draughts game after lunch. Merinda Evans thought it unreasonable for such a man to be allowing a young, impressionable mind from learning such an unrefined game, never mind that Lily had been playing draughts with the man for nigh on a decade.
Lily managed to escape her possibly deranged grandmother by citing a need to go the bathroom, and trading a knowing look with her dad before fleeing the tea room and heading to the lounge on the other side of the nurses centre. Her grandmother barely battered an eyelid, not even realising that the closest bathrooms were much closer than the ones Lily had headed to. Mister Henry already had the board set up for them, but being that she had been held up, and that earlier in the day he had gone face to face with the surly old woman, he had sat back slumped in his seat, hands entwined over his plump belly as he stared unseeing at the board.
Saying nothing, she grimaced when she saw the unhappy expression on Henry's face, then sat and made the first move, making him blink in surprise as he realised his game partner had arrived.
"I'm sorry I'm late for our game. Grandma's decided to be all self-righteous this week and thinks it's not right for someone like me to be learning such a game as draughts." She rolled her eyes and let the grin form. Henry's eyes sparkled in delight behind his glasses,
"Well, we mustn't let her down then - would you rather I teach you Cribbage or Gin Rummy, again?"
His reply earns him a snort, both of them trading glances as they remembered the times when he had tried to teach her Cribbage (she did not do well at that game) as well as Gin Rummy (where the exact opposite occurred and he knew it was not just beginners luck when she had smoked him eight times in a row, leading him to vow never to play that one with her again.) They played draughts because the two of them found it an easy enough game to play and hold a good conversation at the same time.
It was far easier to talk to Henry than her own grandmother, especially when Merinda's usual reply had become "go straight to the boss and get the mess sorted." Henry had guided Lily when it came to going about applying for her barista course after finishing school, had actually cheered her up when she didn't get into her first pick of universities, and always endeavoured to keep her honest as a teen, even when she accidentally tripped, fell and broke her grandmother's glasses.
Henry was like the grandfather Lily never had, Merinda being the only surviving grandparent on either side for the entirety of Lily's life.
Henry made his move on the board, and the game continued.
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A scant ten minutes later, Henry took the day's victory, six to three, and let Lily lean across to kiss his cheek in her weekly farewell, before moving to the older woman mutely rocking a doll seated next to him. One thing he adored about this young girl is that she always made time for his absent wife. Each week Lily had to reintroduce herself to Dot, which she did without any hesitation, and always with her warm smile. Dot would often reach out a soft hand to the girl, letting go of the firm grip she usually kept on her support doll. Despite the introductions that occurred each week, Dot somehow knew Lily was safe person, and would let Lily softly stroke the fake baby's cheek s she greeted it with a soft hello. The baby's name would sometimes change, but Dot never faltered in letting Lily come close, a feat not even the trustiest of nurses could claim. The baby's name that morning had been Fleamont, a call back to Dot's much younger brother, though when Lily had asked, the baby was Charles, their very much grown up son, who was scheduled to visit after lunch.
Lily said a quick farewell to the couple before making her way back to her beleaguered father, who at that stage was blindly reaching for biscuits as his mother was casting a disapproving eye at the nurse who had come to do her mid-morning medicines. She mouthed an apology towards he dad, who mouthed back that it was okay. Out of the family, her mother Rose Evans had the best reason to not join them, having a Saturday shift fourth-eight weeks of the year. Petunia, however simply announced she would only go once a month as she had a life. Given that Lily was the only child living at home still, it fell to her to join her dad on the painful, weekly pilgrimage. David knew the trips were mind-numbing for the family, but he knew if he didn't show up to the home, his mother would escape (again) and visit them instead.
after Merinda had swallowed her medication the nurse left them alone again, she had taken no notice that Lily had spent nearly twenty minutes in the bathroom, and Lily hoped her sensibilities wouldn't mention it. Instead her grandmother launched into a tirade about Lily's shoes. A young woman shouldn't be traipsing round in military boots whilst wearing such a respectable dress, the message she would be sending out - such a combatant gesture.
Lily took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
She tried to look chagrined, but nearly lost her composure when she caught the eye of her dad, smirking over his cup of tea.
When Merinda had run out of steam on the topic of Lily's entirely inappropriate wardrobe choices, she went full swing back into the usual criticisms of the staff and fellow residents. That was an easy enough monologue to tune out, but Lily her her ire raise when her grandmother tried to be derisive towards the Potters, saying all sorts of untruths about Henry and Dot.
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It took all of five minutes post Merinda's loose-lipped commentary about the Potters for Lily to absolutely lose her cool at her grandmother. The red-headed feistiness had not skipped a generation (Dave was well known for his grumbles), but Lily was the one who received the lions share of the temper.
Dave had initially been highly amused when his youngest child had blown her top at his mother, but did acknowledge he was probably required to intervene and remove Lily from Shrivencrafts when she called her own grandmother a "vicious, bad-mouthing, lying, snoop of a baby boomer dinosaur". As amusing as it was for everyone not involved, he knew it was time to take his combative red-headed child home before his mother got over her shock and decided to retaliate with her own words. After depositing Lily in the car, knowing she would have a short sulk before he drove her to work, h went back inside to say a quick farewell to his mother.
His mother was still sitting where they had left her, her cup of tea back on its saucer. Kissing his mother on both cheeks, he took her hands in his own and caught her eyes, shrugging at her and saying in farewell,
"I'll see you next week mother, I am sorry for Lily's reaction this week, but you know how fond she is of the Potters. I imagine her outburst was a result of the influence of those combat shoes of hers."
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