Amazing Grace (Chapter 2)

When he finished with the dishes, he made his way to his bedroom, smiling as he did so. He wasn't sure what he was looking forward to more, seeing Stephanie, or actually volunteering, and doing something that people were not giving him enough credit for wanting to do.

After showering and drying off, he got dressed. Wanting to look nice, but also casual, he put on a pair of jeans and a light blue dress shirt, with his favorite beige sweater. Combing his hair, he thought maybe it was time to get a haircut. If he was going to be serious about this volunteering thing, he wanted to look the part, and besides Chief Houts would be happy…he was always telling Johnny to get a haircut.

Making the call to the nursing home, he waited for someone to answer.

"Good morning, Palm Gardens Nursing Home…Cara speaking, may I help you?"

"Uh, yes. I'm calling for Stephanie. I'm sorry, I don't know her last name. She's the Recreation Director."

"Sure, hold on…I'll transfer you to her line."

Waiting for a few moments, Johnny was happy when the next voice he heard was Stephanie's.

"Stephanie Meriwether, here."

"Hi Stephanie…it's John Gage…we met yesterday at the fire safety presentation."

"Of course I remember you, John."

Johnny was pleased when he heard the pleased tone of her voice.

"You said to call you to set up a time to meet. I was kind of hoping to do it this morning…unless you're tied up with something…or someone else."

Stephanie let out a small laugh. "No…nothing else going on right now. My staff is handling things just fine. How about if you come in an hour? We'll talk about you coming to volunteer here, then."

"Sounds great. Should I just come in and ask for you?"

"Yes. Tell the receptionist that you're here to meet with me. She'll give you directions to my office."

"Terrific…see you in a bit."

"Sure thing, John."

Hanging up the phone, Johnny was happy to know that he was about to embark on something that he had hoped would help to make a difference in others' lives. He knew that he did that regularly as a firefighter and paramedic, but it made him smile to think that he could also do it in another way. He would not know till much later, just how much of a difference he would make in one resident's life, nor how much of an effect that the whole experience would ultimately have on him as a person.

Getting his keys and wallet, Johnny headed for the door and locked up.

In the Rover on the way to his meeting with Stephanie, he had the radio on his favorite radio station. He was happily singing along with the music. Currently the song playing was, Three Dog Night's, "Joy to the World."

"Jeremiah was a bullfrog…was a good friend of mine…"

All was right in the world.

To kill a little bit of time, so he didn't appear to be too overanxious, Johnny made a pit stop at a 7-Eleven to get a cup of coffee and a jelly donut. Returning to his car, he sat listening to the radio and enjoying his refreshments. After a few minutes, he was back on the road.

When he finally did arrive at the nursing home, he parked his car, and got out, again admiring the beauty of the building on his way inside. Introducing himself to the receptionist, he signed in the guest log, and given directions to Stephanie's office.

As he made his way to her office, he heard the strains of a violin playing in the distance. Not wanting to keep Stephanie waiting, but quite curious as to the origin of the lilting music, Johnny's curiosity won out, and he went to investigate the source.

Walking down the hallway, Johnny headed towards the music source until it got louder. Approaching the room that the music was coming from, he stood quietly in the doorway, and glanced inside.

The room was about the same size as the squad room back at 51's, and was very bright from the sunshine that was streaming in through the many windows that covered one side of the room. There were four long tables with chairs placed around them, and a baker's rack full of what appeared to be art supplies, along one wall.

The woman sitting at the end of one of the tables was in fact playing a violin.

Seeing someone standing in the doorway, she stopped playing and looked up.

Johnny felt bad for disturbing the woman. "I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to disturb you."

The woman, who looked to be in her seventies, and was impeccably dressed in a blue pant suit and pearls, smiled warmly at him.

"Hello, young man. And no, you didn't disturb me at all. I enjoy an audience." She replied in a French accent.

"I heard you playing…of course I didn't know it was you at the time…and wanted to check it out."

The woman got a measure of pleasure when she noted how Johnny had become a bit tongue tied at his reply.

"Disappointed?" the woman asked curiously.

"No, not at all." replied Johnny, as he walked further into the room to introduce himself. "John Gage…and that was very beautiful."

Putting her violin carefully down on the table, the older woman took Johnny's offered hand.

"Grace Duval. You here visiting someone?"

Grinning embarrassingly, Johnny nodded his head. "Well…not really visiting…more like meeting with them."

"I see. And who would this person you're meeting with, happen to be?"

"Stephanie Meriwether."

"Ahh…Stephanie. Lovely young lady." Grace commented with a sly smile.

"Yes, she seems to be. Listen, after my meeting with her, would you mind if I came back and visited with you for a while?" Johnny asked hopefully.

Returning Johnny's smile, Grace patted his hand.

"That…would be lovely, John Gage. I will be here."

"Okay. It…it shouldn't be too long."

Grace nodded, and Johnny left the room.

Continuing his way to Stephanie's office, Johnny found himself thinking more about his short "visit" with Grace, than his upcoming meeting with Stephanie.

Meeting him outside her office, Stephanie smiled when she saw the paramedic.

"John…welcome."

"Thank you. And thanks for agreeing to meet with me."

"My pleasure. Come on in."

Following the young lady into her office, Johnny's mind began to shift from being interested in chasing after Stephanie, to forging a friendship with Grace.

"So…you want to volunteer?" she asked interestedly.

"Yeah. I…I guess I'm looking for something else to do in my free time."

"You have free time?" came the surprised response.

Johnny laughed softly. "I do. Work keeps me busy, and I do do some overtime, but there is free time to be had in my life. When my partner Roy and I were here yesterday morning, it just seemed like it might be something worthwhile to get involved with…I mean volunteering."

"Oh…it is. How much time are you looking at doing?"

"I don't know…a few hours a week."

Studying Johnny's face for a minute, she smiled as she thought of some ideas of things he probably would be good at, and enjoy doing at the home.

"That sounds good. I have a few ideas for you. There is a men's group that is always looking for other men to help lead some activities for them. Bingo is a big one…the ladies will love you. And there are also one to one room visits…for folks who have no family, and don't have much of a desire to come out and socialize. I'm also open to any other ideas you might have."

Johnny sat quietly for a few moments. While all of those suggestions sounded interesting to him, he was more interested in learning about Grace.

"Stephanie, mind if I ask you a question?"

Smiling widely, she assumed that Johnny was going to ask her about her personal life.

"Shoot."

"On the way to your office, I met a woman…Grace Duval. Could you tell me about her?"

"Grace? Well…she is a lovely lovely woman. She plays the violin…used to be a professional violinist."

"Does she have any family who visit her?"

Stephanie sadly shook her head.

"Sorry to say, no she doesn't. Grace might be the perfect place for you to start your volunteering. You can visit with her, and ask HER all these questions. Would you like that?"

"I would…very much. I told her that I would visit with her when we were through with our meeting."

"I'm glad you two hit it off. Say John…I was kind of wondering…if you're free tonight, how about meeting me for a bite to eat or something? I would love to hear some more about your firefighting escapades."

Johnny was taken aback by Stephanie being the one to ask HIM out.

"Ahh…yeah, sure."

"Okay. How about six o'clock at the Rustic Inn Crab House? I love seafood."

"Great. Sounds like a plan. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me…guess I'll see you tonight."

Giving Stephanie a big smile, Johnny left her office to return to Grace.

When Johnny returned to his new friend, she was again playing her violin.

Looking up when she saw Johnny returning to the room, her face lit up like a brightly moonlit sky. "You're back."

"I am. I said I would be back."

Sitting down at the table beside Grace, he continued to smile back at her.

"So how did your meeting with Stephanie go? Are you in?"

Laughing softly, he nodded his head. "I'm in. I guess I am starting now. My first assignment is to visit with you."

"Really?" She asked with a bit of skepticism in her voice.

"Really. I wouldn't be here talking to you, if I didn't want to be…believe me. If you don't mind, I would really like to hear you play some more on your violin. Stephanie told me that you were a professional violinist at one time."

Becoming very quiet with a faraway look on her face, Grace sat for a few moments without saying anything.

Sensing that he had inadvertently stumbled onto a somewhat touchy subject, Johnny felt bad.

"Grace…I'm sorry if…."

Putting her hand on top of his, Grace shook her head.

"You did nothing wrong, John. It's a part of my past…I don't really talk about it very much. But, seeing that we're probably going to be spending a bit of time together, I suppose it might be a good idea for me to tell you a little bit about myself. Then maybe you can do the same."

Giving her one of his patented grins, Johnny nodded his head. "Sure. I'll start if you'd like. What do you want to know?"

Raising an eyebrow, Grace continued to smile. "Well, I think the first thing that I would like to know is whether or not you scored with Stephanie?"

Getting caught off-guard, and easily flustered anyway, Johnny started to choke.

"Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by score, Grace?"

"I mean, did you ask her out on a date?"

Johnny paused for a few moments to collect himself. For someone who seemed so staid and demure, Grace sure wasn't what she seemed to be.

"Actually, she asked ME out on a date."

"And you DID say yes, didn't you?' Grace asked interestedly.

"Yes, I did say yes. We're meeting for a bite to eat this evening. Does that meet your approval?"

Nodding her head, the older woman smiled. "Yes, it does. Now tell me about yourself. Where did you grow up, and things like that? And what do you do for a living?"

"I grew up in Montana…spent a few early years on a reservation. When I was about twelve years old, I moved to Los Angeles with my father and Aunt Rosa. He had received a good job opportunity. My mother stayed in Montana with my older brother and sister."

"What are their names?"

"My brother's name is Aaron, and my sister is Jessie. They both still live in Montana. After my dad retired from the construction business, he returned to Montana and bought a ranch. That's pretty much what the rest of my family is involved in now. Me…I'm a firefighter and paramedic with the LA County Fire Department."

Grace's face again lit up at hearing that Johnny was a firefighter.

"Your folks must be very proud of you."

Johnny nodded his head. "I would like to think they are. Mom and dad were very supportive and encouraging of my decision to be a firefighter. I live alone in Carson in an apartment, but hope to someday own a house…with a white picket fence, and a dog…and maybe a few kids."

Grinning at her new friend's response, Grace nodded approvingly. "But first you have to find the right girl."

In the middle of their conversation, a young woman who appeared to be a nurse came in to the room.

"Grace, I came to ask you where you wanted to eat your lunch today. Stephanie had mentioned to me that you had a visitor, and that the two of you might be interested in sharing lunch out on the back patio today."

Receiving a rather hopeful look from Grace, Johnny smiled warmly. "The patio sounds like it would make for a very pleasant area for a meal. If you'll have me, I would love to join you."

Giving the nurse a sly grin, Grace nodded her head. "Then it's settled. My friend John and I will be eating out on the patio."

"Just out of curiosity, what is the meal today?" Johnny asked the nurse.

"It's a choice of either spaghetti and meatballs, or broiled salmon. If you both tell me what you'd like, I'll be sure to tell the kitchen staff."

"What do you recommend, Grace?"

"They're both good. I'm going to have the salmon, but for you…I'd suggest the spaghetti and meatballs."

Smiling, the nurse nodded her head in understanding. "You got it. I'll see you two out there for lunch. Enjoy your visit."

Once the nurse left, Johnny returned his attention to Grace. "Sounds like you guys eat pretty well here."

"We do…I certainly have no complaints. Well, I guess it's my turn to tell you a little bit about myself."

Knowing that some people tend to be more private than Johnny himself was, the paramedic gave Grace an affectionate but understanding look. "Grace, you don't have to tell me anything right now…do it at your leisure. I know some people guard their privacy rather closely. I would never want to take that away from you. I'm not going anywhere. When you are ready to share…you will."

Because of her painful past, it was often difficult for her to talk about it. She was relieved that Johnny was so understanding. "I appreciate you not pushing. Some people just dive in, you know what I mean?"

Having a sense of what she meant, Johnny nodded his head. He needed only to look in the mirror to get it. He tended to do that to others, and he definitely did not want to do that to Grace. The woman was well into her seventies, and deserved that respect.

"Well, the way I see it…we have all afternoon to talk about it." Giving her a wink, Johnny had a warmth in his heart that he was not used to.

Suddenly getting up from her chair, Grace snapped her fingers.

"I have an idea. How about if I take you on a tour of this place? Seeing me walking with a very handsome younger man will make the other ladies jealous…and give them something to gossip about."

Laughing, Johnny nodded his head. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Can I help you put your violin away?"

"If you'd like to. My case is over there on the other table."

Getting up, Johnny went to retrieve the case. Noticing a wooden cane on the table next to it, he assumed it to be Grace's and brought it over to her.

"Here. And I guess this cane is yours, too."

Sighing loudly the older woman sadly shook her head.

"Yes, it's mine. I need it for support. I don't quite walk like I used to. But I figure that I'll also have your arm to hold on to, so I'll be all set."

Helping her to put the violin in its case, Johnny observed the lovingly way that she handled the stringed instrument.

"That violin…it must be one of your best friends."

"Yes, it is…and for many reasons. I'll tell you about it in due time. Right now, it is time for you to escort a lady on her rounds."

After putting Grace's violin case on the floor by the windows, like she asked him to, Johnny escorted her out of the room.

Going down the hallway, they passed a room where a small group of residents were watching television.

"This is the TV room. About this time Monday through Friday they enjoy watching the game shows…The Price is Right, and Let's Make a Deal."

"Do you spend much time with them watching TV?" Johnny asked Grace.

"No. I never was much of a television watcher…too many things in life to do."

Johnny nodded his head in agreement. He didn't watch much TV either…too busy camping or spending time with friends, not to mention working, and any overtime he might have.

Continuing on down the hallway, they came to a rather large room with about 15 square tables and chairs placed around each one.

"What's this room?" Johnny asked interestedly.

"It's the game room. Mainly bingo games that take place here. There are also card games, bridge, Scrabble, and other board games. Some times this room is used for church programs."

Approaching the two of them from the opposite direction were two older women.

Seeing Johnny standing with Grace, the two women became very curious, and stopped to investigate.

"Grace…hello there, dear. Who is this handsome young man?" the first woman asked, hopeful of getting the necessary information.

Grasping Johnny's arm a little tighter, and looking up at him with a big smile, Grace shared her answer.

"Martha…Minnie, this is John Gage. He is my very new friend. He will also be volunteering here."

Smiling and batting her eyelashes, the second woman, Minnie attempted to flirt with the younger man.

"So you'll be calling bingo, perhaps?"

"Perhaps." Johnny replied.

"Guess you'll be my new good luck charm." Minnie continued.

"Well, girls…we must be on our way. John and I have to get ready for our lunch out on the patio."

Without waiting for any other replies, Grace nudged Johnny, and nodded for him to start walking.

"Bye, ladies…" Johnny called out, so as not to be rude, as he was led away from the curious looks.

"Friends of yours?" asked Johnny, unsure of what Grace's response would be.

"I suppose. I get along with everyone, but I also keep my distance."

Spotting the familiar face of the paramedic, Mr. Conway, the facility's administrator came over to Johnny and Grace.

"John…" The man greeted warmly, as he held out his hand.

"Mr. Conway…Patrick." Johnny returned, shaking the other man's hand.

"It's nice to see you, John. But I admit that I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

"I decided to look into volunteering here. I met with Stephanie this morning. I've been visiting with Grace all this time."

"I'm glad." Patrick replied with a smile. "She is wonderful company…and one of my favorite residents. Never a cross thing to say, and always a smile on her face."

Bending down, the administrator gave Grace a peck on the cheek, to which she merely shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, 'what else is new…and it really is no big deal.'

"John will be joining me for lunch out on the patio today."

Patrick winked at the older woman.

"I'm impressed, Grace. Carry on. I'll catch up to you, later. I hear that there will be make your own ice cream sundaes today after lunch. I never miss that."

"Sundaes? Count me in." came Johnny's response.