Hello, readers! (If anyone is still reading this!)
For personal reasons, I've decided to stop my Dr. Seuss for a while. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but I've been busy with school.
Anyways, let's hear about Nora, the British nurse!
Chapter Four: Actions and Words Part One
Nora
The flowers were short-lived, but I had been wrong about Mr. Myles. He lived for two years more and during that time he not only regained more interest in the world around him, but also some use of his speech. That was how he was able to send me his last request.
I had raced over to his place after being informed of his passing. The nurse who was on duty at the time recognized my name on the envelope.
The letter inside was a personal thank-you for helping him "keep living before his time" and gave me a final task: Take care of his garden spot.
No amount of nursing or med classes can prepare you for what you feel when you first lose a patient. Mr. Myles was my first steady client and the first I lost due to death. I was determined to fulfill his last request but was completely unprepared for the onset of emotions I would experience as I began to replant the flowers (and how could I not? This was our second home). I left rather quickly and avoided the area for about a month after that.
When I finally plucked up the courage to try again, I found that not only were the flowers all dead but somehow the barrel got knocked over so there was almost no soil left in it. I burst into tears on the spot. What would Mr. Myles think, I've let his garden wither?
"Are you okay, miss?" I started a little, not seeing anyone when I arrived. It was an elderly man with glasses and a cane. He looked vaguely familiar but when he said his name was Sam and that he was the person who started the water contest, I remembered more.
The two of us sat on a bench someone had put against one of the buildings. We chatted about how we each got to be involved with the garden and I told the whole story of Mr. Myles and how he left me the garden spot but...
Sam nodded and told me how he felt when the boy he had hired to help make a garden moved away. But even if he doesn't have a spot anymore, he will still come out as often as he can. Sam's biggest joy he gets from the garden is when he witnesses different people talking to one another.
When Sam talked about what he remembers of Mr. Myles, he mentioned "how alive he was" and how he ultimately figured out that it was due to ME.
Before we parted, I asked Sam if he would like to grow flowers along with me.
I apologize for the small length of this chapter but it was all I could think of during the past weeks. Nora is the LEAST revealing character in Seedfolks, but it IS clear in the book that she does not have her patient sit back and let the world pass by. I also wanted to explore a bit of her emotions - it's obvious in the book that she seems to be fond of Mr. Myles and I'd like to think they would become friends due to the fact that Nora set him up in the garden.
Nora's experience, now that I think about it, is also what a friend of mine went through.
I was going to combine Nora's chapter with Sam (if you couldn't already tell!), but didn't know how to go about it so we'll just have to hear from him later :D Next up we have Curtis! Was he successful in winning back the girl?! :O
Staaay tuned...