An Old Mansion

There were problems with visiting N. from the beginning. When I was in the office earlier in the day I heard nurses complaining about arriving at the house and banging on the door with no one answering. I called the phone number given to me, it rang endlessly. The house was a old 19th century testament to what the street used to be... now it stood between a mechanic and a small town museum on the life of the pioneer.

I was given a cell phone number of the daughter, but there was still no answer. At least I was able to leave a message, this time. It was to be my first visit and I had not spoken to the family before hand, and this made me a bit apprehensive. I knocked at the old door.

The door was answered quickly by N's granddaughter and I was greeted pleasantly and led through doors that were locked behind me and through a dim hallway of musty archaic air.

It was N's birthday and there were visitors and cake being eaten around N's bed, which was placed in the middle of what could only be described as a parlor. Above the fireplace was an arrangement of arrowheads and several examples of antlers. Shelves of china and porcelain figurines were scattered about the room. N. sat on the edge of his bed toasting his 92 year with a cup of coffee that he was not going to let go of, massage or not.

N was not going to lay down or relinquish his cup of coffee, but he did agree to a back massage. In order to accomplish this feat, I chose the 'sit next you' method and found a spot next to N on the bed, using my inside hand to perform the massage and the outside hand to brace N's shoulder so I wouldn't push this fall leaf of a man off the bed. The most response I could get from him was a slight nod or shake of the head when asking yes or no questions, unless the lotion wasn't properly warmed. Then a dirty look and cry of disgust was passed my way.

The granddaughter told how N would refuse to lie down and would sleep sitting up on the edge of his bed. Through other nurses I gathered stories she told them as well. Cell phones did not work in the house, and sometimes the lights would flicker and the tv turn on and off by itself. One day the grandson saw a glowing light move about the room and they found N lying down with his arms in a protective posture over his face with one arm out. He was found this way more than once.

It could have been tricks of the light, or the actions of a man near death. Or, as his granddaughter speculated, it could be someone lingering waiting for N to joining them. His wife's ashes were in the cupboard next to him. If so her wait is over today.