Saturday, July 24, 2010
I was very excited to see everyone at Bingo after our vacation, and apparently, they were eager for me to get back, too—so they could make me feel guilty for leaving. I did feel bad that they’d had to cancel two sessions while I was gone, so I bounced in laden with cookies, and there stood another volunteer and Bill, a resident who used to push the prize cart. “Oh, so you decided to show up?” they said, not really all that pleasantly. “No one knew if you were ever coming back.”
(For the record: I told a lot of people that I would be gone, when I would be gone and when I would be back. Mike, however, said that everyone still kept asking him: “When is Sandy coming back for Bingo?” and, again, not really all that pleasantly. Mike also said that the questions stopped pretty quickly after he snapped: “She deserves a vacation, dammit.” I kinda like that guy.)
Anyway, there I was, back at Bingo, and there everyone else was, right in place. Wesley Gourley was calling numbers again (I had heard before we left that he’d quit). Ken Levick was helping Doug with his card (Ken learned that his wife has moved up to the No. 1 position on the Soldiers Home move-in waiting list. He is very excited). Stan Wilson said he had wanted to write to me while I was gone, but he’d lost my address. Ray McDade came in a little late and accepted a sugar cookie, but wondered when I was going to bring in the superior Snickerdoodles. And then, just like old times, the Bingo microphone broke.
Ah. Some things never change.
I spent a little time with Mike in his room afterwards (his stupid wheelchair was low on juice again). He told me how nice it was to have me back, and then tossed on a dollop of extra sweetness: “You’ve lost some weight, haven’t you?” he said. No wonder I kinda like that guy: Not only does he say nice things in person, but he even had my back before I got back.
I was very excited to see everyone at Bingo after our vacation, and apparently, they were eager for me to get back, too—so they could make me feel guilty for leaving. I did feel bad that they’d had to cancel two sessions while I was gone, so I bounced in laden with cookies, and there stood another volunteer and Bill, a resident who used to push the prize cart. “Oh, so you decided to show up?” they said, not really all that pleasantly. “No one knew if you were ever coming back.”
(For the record: I told a lot of people that I would be gone, when I would be gone and when I would be back. Mike, however, said that everyone still kept asking him: “When is Sandy coming back for Bingo?” and, again, not really all that pleasantly. Mike also said that the questions stopped pretty quickly after he snapped: “She deserves a vacation, dammit.” I kinda like that guy.)
Anyway, there I was, back at Bingo, and there everyone else was, right in place. Wesley Gourley was calling numbers again (I had heard before we left that he’d quit). Ken Levick was helping Doug with his card (Ken learned that his wife has moved up to the No. 1 position on the Soldiers Home move-in waiting list. He is very excited). Stan Wilson said he had wanted to write to me while I was gone, but he’d lost my address. Ray McDade came in a little late and accepted a sugar cookie, but wondered when I was going to bring in the superior Snickerdoodles. And then, just like old times, the Bingo microphone broke.
Ah. Some things never change.
I spent a little time with Mike in his room afterwards (his stupid wheelchair was low on juice again). He told me how nice it was to have me back, and then tossed on a dollop of extra sweetness: “You’ve lost some weight, haven’t you?” he said. No wonder I kinda like that guy: Not only does he say nice things in person, but he even had my back before I got back.