Member-only story
Vignettes — #15
Miriam & Stavros
As usual, Stavros is sitting in his wheelchair, away from the other residents at the aged-care facility. He gets the attention of one of the care assistants and has her wheel him to the table where Miriam is having morning tea.
“Hello, Mrs Kloss. I sit here, okay?”
“Certainly. And please call me Miriam, Stavros. How are you?”
“I am well, thank you.”
“You never seem to have tea or coffee between meals.”
“No, I not drink much of that. It is habit.” He points at Miriam’s cup. “You drinking …?”
“Coffee. Tea in the afternoon, coffee in the morning. It’s a habit.”
Stavros laughs, then grows quiet. Eventually he looks at Miriam again. “You have good family. Josh is very nice boy. He is very interesting.”
“He is a nice boy. And he finds you very interesting as well. He told me that he is learning a lot from talking with you.”
“I am glad. He is smart and asks good questions. He learn fast. He tell me about his grandfather flying in the war I was in.” He closes his eyes and sighs. When he opens his eyes again, he says, “Strange feeling. We sit here in this place in this country, and I think seventy years ago your husband was in same war as me but on different side.”
