Here's another section from the book about working in a social work center/dementia clinic in Detroit. Thanks for reading!
We'd often get people serving community service to "help" with the work. By the time most of them saw the working arrangements, they wanted to go back to serve time or at least pick up trash off the side of the road. One guy said that spending an hour at Calvary made him want to "get fucked up really bad, man." He asked me if it gave me the creeps to see old people every day, out of their minds.
"The wave of the future," I said. "We all end up that way." I smiled the kind of evil smile that I reserved for those I felt needed it. But by the end of the day or week or month, the volunteers got to leave. Their sentence was for something bad they did and they paid it and it was over. As for me, I stayed on without a plan. I walked in the doors every day of my own free will, or as free as a person who desperately needed money would ever be, and each day I walked out, no wanderguard attached to me, but sometimes I tripped the alarm anyway, causing a small commotion before I left.
Michelle's Spell of the Day
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." Charles M. Schulz
Cocktail Hour
Drinking book trailer suggestion: Look for Laura's new trailer release on Monday for her new novel, Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts!
Benedictions and Maledictions
Thanks for all the recent comments! I'm particularly struck by the kindness and honesty of the faithful reader and do appreciate the concern and love. Hope everyone is having a great week and recovering from Thanksgiving and gearing up for Christmas!
5 comments:
Hi Michelle!
"Wave of the future", indeed. One of my worst fears is that I get Alzheimer's when I get older. My brain doesn't always work that well now- I don't want to lose what little I have!
Take care and have a great Wednesday!
p.s.- What did you do to your thumb?
It's good that you can bring the names and faces together in a meaningful way. I once tried to write a story about the convalescent home, and it was even more depressing than actually being there.
Somebody has to give these people a voice. Hopefully you can, because I was a failure when I tried.
It scares the hell out of me as well. Did you get a booboo on your finger? Or is the bandaid just for looks?
You are such a fashionista with that "Peanuts" band aid, you trendsetter you. Maybe I'll do my mock Van Gogh and put one over my earlobe.
It is good to not have to have the Wanderguard(c) on especially when you're young and hungry. It is the time of life when set off alarms that sets the crew to running, most for their own personal safety.
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