For The Birds

It was mid morning and I pulled up in front of Cottage 44 to pick up John Elliott.

He was 89 and lived in the assisted living building Numenkant. He was forgetful but would take the tram over everyday to visit his wife, Rita. She was in better physical shape overall, despite the fact she had cancer, which meant she was able to live on her own in the cottage.

She was a skinny woman who always wore a brown coat and kept it closed by clenching the two halves together at the collar with a hand stiffened by arthritis. Her hair was salt and peppered and looked dry and brittle. She kept it pulled back away from her face. She spoke with a thick Staten Island accent and would frequently tell me how she loved the deep sound of my voice. Some days I would have to go up and knock on the door to let John know I was waiting outside.

“Hello Rita” I would say after she opened the front door.

“Ahh there he is, and with that voice! You know, some people’s voices are just for the birds, not yours though, yours is something.”

“Thanks Rita,” I’d say, “You’re always so sweet to me.”

This day, the front door was open and they were both standing in the entryway threshold. Rita was buttoning John’s coat for him. John simply stood there and let her do it.

“OK J.R., you take care. Get some dinner later and I’ll call you tonight.”

“Uh huh”

She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He fumbled the screen door open. He was a tall, lanky man of about six foot three. He wore a cardigan and a newsboy cap. His ears were big, as well as his nose, and he wore large metal framed glasses and kept a thin mustache. He walked with a silver walker.

I went to greet him.

“Hey John, you having a good day?”

He glanced at me as he moved his walker past me down the driveway towards the tram.

“Wha? uh huh”

That was usually the answer to most questions.

Rita called to me from the doorway.

“Hi sweetheart.”

“Hi Rita, how are you?”

“Oh, that voice, an angel.”

“Thanks Rita. How has your day been?”

“Oh I’m getting worse everyday. I had a nice time with John though. We sat out on the patio.”

“It’s a beautiful day to be out.”

John climbed into the tram.

“Are you doing anything this weekend?” I asked.

“Oh darling, I’m so tired, I just want to sleep. You know I’ll see J. R. tomorrow but other than that, I’m just sleeping and watching the tube.”

I walked up to meet her at the doorway.

“Well, in case I don’t see you--”

I reached out and gave her a side hug.

“I hope you have a good weekend and feel as good as you can.”

“You're a sweet boy.”

She gave me a small tap on the cheek with her open palm.

I turned and walked back down the driveway, grabbed John’s walker and hung it from the walker rack, then went around to the driver’s seat and climbed in.

“Ready John?”

“Wha? Uh huh.”

Rita called out to John.

“Love you J.R.”

John turned back slowly in his seat.

“Love you too.”

We drove off.

Numenkant was just up the street, a minute and a half ride away.

“You doing anything with the rest of the day John?”

He fiddled in his ear with his hearing aid.

“Wha? Probably take a nap.”

“That sounds nice. You have a good time with Rita today?”

“I had a sandwich. We had a good time.”

“ I don’t think I have ever asked you, how did you and Rita meet?

“Rita. I met her at the public pool in Brooklyn.”

“Oh yeah? Do you remember the year?”

“1951.”

“How did you meet her?”

“She was with a friend, a girlfriend, and I was by myself. I saw her across the way from the pool, on the other side, she was talking with her friend.”

“You guys were in the water?”

“Uh huh.”

I turned the corner onto the Nunnenkamp street.

“Then, her friend got out of the pool and went to get something. And while she was gone, I swam over to the other side and when I got close by, I ducked under the water, came up behind Rita and pinched her on the backside, like this--”

He reached over and gave my shoulder a soft pinch.

Oh yeah? What’d she do?”

“Oh, she nearly lept straight out of the water.”

J.R. gave out a little chuckle.

“She liked it though.”

We pulled up in front of Numenkant. I climbed out and retrieved his walker and met him on the side of the tram. He was already getting out.

“You know John, I’ve asked a lot of resident’s about how they met their spouses and that’s the winner, that’s the best one I’ve heard.

He liked that. He gave out another soft chuckle and smile.

“Yeah. That was a good time. 61 years I’ve been married to Rita. We’ve done a lot. The time sure goes.”

He began to shuffle towards the entrance.

“Have a good day John. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Wha? Uh huh.”