Weeping Willows

Elderly Misconduct

Chapter 3

Elizabeth sat at her kitchen table sipping her cup of coffee going over a mental list of supplies she would need for her day. When she got her degree in fine arts, she had had dreams of becoming a vagabond artist. With visions of roaming the world painting the beauty she saw within it. Wandering aimlessly across foreign countries, finding hidden gems to recreate. She could still see her wistful ideas of enjoying local taste in faraway places while painting her days away in peace. Even though she could still recall her idealist notions of what she wanted her life to look like they now seemed created so long ago. Maybe it's because she was no longer that naive young artist who had those dreams, or maybe they just seemed so unimportant anymore. Whatever the reason she couldn't find the excitement in those imaginings that she once had.

What she hadn't conjured up in those daydreams was teaching. She wasn't necessarily averse to the prospect, but it just hadn't fit within her romantic notions of her future. Now, she found herself resigned to doing just that. It wasn't like it was an 8 to 4 daily job, but it still lacked luster in comparison of her original plans. She had promised Lauren though that she wouldn't cut herself off from the rest of the world. Which, if she was being honest, had been the initial intention when she first wanted to move here. Crystal Springs was a small town that had properties that were miles apart from each other. Where she had found her house nestled within a quaint forest with its own access to the local reservoir. She had planned to hide herself away and become a hermit getting lost in her house and artwork. However, a promise was a promise, so she had contacted the senior center offering to do a class once a week. The activities director had been thrilled to add her art class to the weekly events for the residents and had assured Elizabeth she would have plenty of interested pupils. So, with great reluctance she made the minor commitment agreeing to see how it went before signing on to a more frequent class.

Glancing at the clock as she placed her cup in the sink, she heaved out a sigh. She could do this; it wouldn't be that bad. A quiet little elderly community wouldn't cause that much chaos in her life. They were older adults after all not misbehaved children. She could still float through life with minimal upset she was sure. With that thought in mind she grabbed her bag, locked the door behind her and headed out to begin her day. The sooner she got this over with the sooner she could be back to the comfort of her home and she could continue to explore her new place.

Crystal springs retirement home was as picturesque as she had imagined it to be. It was a bright white, one floor building with palm trees lining the property. There was a large white rock lot next door for visitors and staff to park in. With a well-manicured lawn and loads of vibrant blooms in the flower beds it was a rather cheerful site. Exiting her car, she was greeted with the tranquil sound of birds chirping and the fragrant combined scents for each flower. The place gave Elizabeth a sense of peace. She hefted the box of supplies from the car and headed across the walk to the large ornate front doors. Her first stop would be to the office of the activities director so she could sign her paperwork and be shown to where she would be teaching her class.

The inside was just as beautiful as the outside. The entrance had bright white walls with dark hardwood edging. Plenty of windows and skylights lit the place up with copious amounts of natural light. Just ahead was a bird atrium with the chirping of a variety of small species. As she gazed through the glass panes at the brightly colored animals, she realized that she didn't know what most of them were. This wasn't going to be as bad as she had initially thought. She made her way to the office she was looking for and knocked lightly before entering through the open door. The woman behind the desk was dressed in a vibrant colored outfit. With a flowy light blouse and a cheerfully patterned shirt Elizabeth thought of her as resembling the small creatures she had just seen. The woman, Mrs. Dickson, greeted her with a wide welcoming smile as she offered Elizabeth her hand for a shake.