The End of Nothing

Chapter 3

       

"Why, hello old friend! Long time no see." Margie was awoken from her power nap against the wall outside her mother's room by the one and only Bernie. She was glad to see that he was still alive and kicking, but a little irritated from her lack of sleep. Looking up she saw him roll down the hallway in a wheelchair, a large toothy smile adorning his face.

She smiled opening her mouth to respond when he rolled right past her, stopping in front of the vending machine a little farther down the hall. Her mouth shut realizing he wasn't greeting her earlier, but the cookies in the vending machine, which he was currently fishing out of the bottom of the machine. He kissed the package before tearing it open and shoving three cookies into his mouth. Finally, he glanced over at her, noticing her on the floor, mouth in mid-chew. Putting the rest of the cookies in his pocket he gave her a wide eyed look, "you saw nothing," he said waving his hands in front of his face.

When she nodded, he began to race back down the hallway in his wheelchair, halting midway, making the wheels squeak, and leaving rubber marks on the linoleum floor, "don't tell the nurses," he asserted, pointing at her and maintaining eye contact. She nodded. After a brief stare down, he nodded as well and continued racing back down the hallway, almost running over the foot of a passing male nurse.

Margie scratched her head, wondering if she should tattle on Bernie, trying to remember if he was diabetic. In her last memory of him, he was eating pudding, which he did regularly, so she assumed he was alright. Plus, this place had security cameras, the nurses probably already knew of Bernie's snacks, but let him continue anyway.

Rolling her shoulders, she looked both ways down the hallway, noticing the nurse Bernie almost maimed was coming towards her.

"Hello, are you here to see Mrs. Kent?" The nurse glanced her way as he went to open her mother's door.

"Yes, I'm her daughter," she stuck her hand out for the nurse to shake, "Margie." The nurse shook her hand and nodded, and she followed him inside her mother's room. Moving to the side of her mom's bed she glanced down at her sleeping form as the nurse checked her vitals with a clipboard. After having the doctor come into the room to brief her on her mom's condition, the nurse and the doctor left the room. They presume low blood sugar was the cause of her seizure, and are expecting no lasting effects, other than weakness for a while. Margie was relieved. She looked at her mother's face as she slept, thinking of how much she sacrificed for her, glad that she was able to work it out with her medical school advisors to take a two-month break to attend to her mother. Laying her head on the bed next to her mom she listened to her breathing, relaxing until she woke up.

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"What's up b*tch, ready to party?" A figure burst into her mother's room, dressed in a bikini covered by a sarong, holding what appeared to be a cup of spiked orange juice.

Margie startled up and stared at the woman. Her mother, though, just mumbled in her sleep about turnt and later, rolled over and fell back asleep. The woman glanced at Margie's mom, then at her, sticking out her hand she introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Minnie. You must be Helen's daughter then?"

The woman's flaming red hair had streaks of grey, though there were sparse wrinkles around her face, except for laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. Her eyes were a piercing green, hinting at a mischievous spirit. She appeared overall youthful, but Margie assumed she must have been at least 60, since that was the minimum age at the retirement home.

"Yes, I'm Margie, Helen's daughter. Nice to meet you Minnie." Minnie gave her a bright smile; her teeth the closest thing Margie had seen to a Colgate smile.