old man Theo

FLE - old guy Theo

The old man laid asleep on the hospital bed. The hospital bed which had practically become his as time passed. The old man, Theo, woke up to the light that seeped through the window's white curtains. He opened his tired eyes to see the usual ceiling. The plain white ceiling where he'd been staring at for ages, just trying to pass the day. Theo was a skinny man at the age of eighty three, had white hair which had fallen out on the top of his head, so there was only hair on the side of his head, he had a large, crooked nose and light blue, almost ghostlike eyes, thick eyebrows, a dry mouth with cracks in his lips due to dehydration, small spots of pigment on his face, a lot of wrinkles and wore clothes he borrowed from the hospital. Next to Theo there were medical equipment and a nightstand - even though it was used throughout the day, too - where lay a red rose. The old man had gotten many gifts, flowers, bouquets, cards, books, but they didn't matter as much as that particular red flower did. Theo requested wife, Peggy, to not give him that much. He told her that he didn't want a lot. ____'One flower would be enough for me'___ Theo had said, and his wife did exactly that. Theo thought it was better to keep emotions and memories in one tiny thing, than a lot of things. Because you'd end up with more than you needed. Theo had tubes of which helped him breathe in his nose, it wasn't fun breathing that way, but it kept him alive. Ever since the Corona virus (or Covid-19) flooded the earth, humanity to be exact, Theo and Peggy had lived in fear: barely getting outside their house (or their garden, sunlight is important), checking the news and talk shows to see if they could get more information from it and making masks in case something bad happened. Peggy was devastated when the couple found out Theo had Corona, despite being so careful.

Rhythmic beeps were heard from the strange hospital machine. This sound has kept Theo awake and it had helped him get to sleep, somehow. A nurse walked into the room as Theo was still busy observing his never changing surroundings to notice her walk in as usual. The nurse wore a mask and her uniform. She short had light brown hair, dull, green eyes and multiple black earrings (and a few piercings under her mask, Theo always thought). "Here's your breakfast, sir," she told him. "Thank you kindly, Carla," Theo answered politely. "Enjoy your food, sir. I'll be back at lunch. Also, you'll get checked on today," the nurse told Theo. Carla walked out of the room and the older man was alone again. "That won't be needed, I'm afraid," Theo whispered half to himself and half to the other who was no longer there. He didn't know how he knew, but Theo had a feeling he wouldn't survive this virus. As much as he'd like to, it wasn't going to happen. His only wish would be to see his wife, children, grandchildren and friends one more time. Theo wanted to give Peggy a hug one last time, hold her hand one last time, give her a last kiss before he left this world. But he knew this wasn't possible. Theo'd just put Peggy at risk, and that was the least he wanted. The elderly man sat upright and stared at the food the nurse had left him on his nightstand. Theo wasn't hungry so he ignored it being there and fixed his eyes on the drawer. With a shaky hand he reached for the small knob to open the drawer. Once Theo finally managed to pull it open, he grabbed the iPad that lay there, and took his diary and pen too. The old man didn't bother to close the drawer and put the iPad on his lap. He grabbed his diary and opened it. Theo had started one once he got into the hospital as his wife's idea. He flipped through the pages of writing, he wrote about what happened during the day, but considering that wasn't that much, he also wrote about strange ideas or thoughts that popped into his head. Theo had gotten a lot more poetic and thoughtful in quarantine and the hospital. The elderly man read the first entry, and the last. So much had happened, and yet it hadn't. Theo took the pen from his lap and wrote what was going to be his last entry:

____Dear diary,

I am truly sorry for this, but I'm afraid I have to leave you. I have a feeling in a few hours I won't be here anymore, so I just want to tell this to the people I love most.