I’m sitting on my porch in the late afternoon sun. My chair rocks back and forth as Bertie tickles my toes with his whiskers and soft fur. The colours around me have been unveiled from days of misty rain; vibrant pinks, firey oranges, soft purples. Bees are hard at work, buzzing industriously from flower to flower. Swifts are soaring in amongst puffs of clouds, shrieking as if letting out a cry of exhilaration. Sounds of laughter and play reach me from the nearby park.Read More
There’s a lady in the bed opposite. She’s waiting patiently with such elegance and poise. Later today she is having surgery to remove a tumour from her brain. She’ll be awake during the operation. She’s been warned of possible complications; loss of function and changes in personality. She waits, calmly. “It’s okay for me,” she says, “this is a one-off. It’s you I feel for having an ongoing condition.”
There’s a lady in the bed alongside me. She’s been waiting for hours, days, for tests she desperately hopes will reveal answers. “I just want to know what’s wrong,” she says, jumping up every time someone approaches her bed. I don’t know what’s tormenting her more, the waiting or the unknown.
As for me, my bags are packed and I’m waiting to go home. My face lights up as I think of seeing my kitties and being in the peace and quiet of my little oasis. But here I find myself, waiting.Read More