Pass or Fail?

Popping into the Community Room this morning, Pizza Tuesday, I felt like a stranger.

So many new faces..

Or, at least, new to me ... as I don’t recall ever seeing them before, but some of whom act like I should know who they are.

Like yesterday, heading to the Pain Cave with my workout bag in one hand, a bag of trash to be tossed in the dumpster in the other, a car pulled up and a woman I’d never seen before in my life yelled out, “Where are you going with all those bags?”

“To the dumpster and then to the gym”, said I.

“Do you want a ride to the dumpster? I’m going around to that side”.

WHAT?!

“The dumpster is right here”, said I, pointing to the structure right next to us.

“Oh”, said she as she began talking about how her daughter had pawned her grandson off on her.

In no way interested in what she was saying, but being polite, I let her introduce me to the little boy in the backseat, all the while thinking “Who is this lady?”

She babbled on for a while about her grandson being pawned off on her, saying “I don’t know what I’m going to be doing with him for three days”.

No. 1, I didn’t know who she was.

No. 2, I had no interest in her drama.

No. 3, I was close to running late for the Pain Cave, so I said I had to go.

Then she asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I have to go; I’m going to be late”.

“Do you need a ride?”

WHAT?!

“My car is right there”, said I pointing to it.

Finally, she drove on, leaving me to ponder all day, “Who was that woman?”

And then, this morning, in conversation with Apache at the entryway to the Community Room, talking about a resident I’d just learned passed away two weeks ago, and other things, a woman I’ve never seen before got all in our face ─ listening to and commenting on our conversation.

Again, I was thinking “Who is this woman?”

After she walked away, while Apache was gloating about causing the presence of folks from Corporate in the office, I spied Assistant Maintenance Guy (AMG) walking through the hall.

I said to Apache, “I thought you said he quit”.

“No, turns out he was on vacation ─ a cruise”.

AMG came back my way, so I said, “Good to see you. I thought you were one of the rats that jumped ship”.

He smiled and said, “No .... at least not yet”.

Oh oh.

Out of the hallway, back in the Community Room, I greeted Church Lady who was in a tizzy saying, “There’s demons in here. Someone tried to steal my Holy Ghost”.

ROFLMAO!

“Who tried to steal your Holy Ghost”, asked I.

“She’s not in here now but ...” and Church Lady proceeded to tell me a resident had bypassed the counter where we put free items and was inside the kitchen at the refrigerator. Church Lady approached and told her inside the kitchen was off limits (a theft deterrent).

The resident got indignant and said, “I didn’t touch anything in the refrigerator”.

Hmmm, that sounds like a guilty conscious thought I to myself, as Church Lady continued on to say she told the woman, “I didn’t say you touched anything. The point is, this area is off limits” and the two of them got into it.

Church Lady went on to say, the woman had previously asked for Church Lady’s banana pudding recipe and that she now doesn’t want to give it to her, but that she will because “It’s in my heart to do the right thing”.

That made me think of my mother, not into sharing, who would give out her recipes upon request, but always leave some one thing out.

I was tempted to pass this tidbit onto Church Lady but, so tickled by Church Lady’s ire, decided to laugh it off and get the heck outta the Community Room because the atmosphere felt odd, what with all the strange faces and Church Lady’s energetic ire.

Back in my unit, I had a few minutes to chill out with needlepoint and reflection before heading out to the Pain Cave for this morning’s workout.

Thinking about the first woman I didn’t recognize, the one with the grandson, and the woman who interjected herself in my conversation with Apache, and then there was a woman at the drugstore last week who got all in my space, next to my right elbow, as I waited my turn behind the sign that says “Wait Here” THEN, when I was called up to the cashier, instead of staying where she was, at the sign, waiting to be called up, followed me to the cashier and got all in my space again, so close that one would think we were together.

Putting all these occurrences together, plus another last week when I passed a resident, said "Good morning, how are you" and she not only told me how she was, but a little too gleefully about how her daughter in Texas was overwhelmed with responsibility, her sister in Atlanta, sister's husband and sister's son, were all experiencing medical issues, I’m thinking the Universe is testing me, but I’m not sure if I’m passing or failing.

Should I have kept quiet, as I did, when the drugstore woman got in my space OR should I have said, “Back the freak up. You’re in my space”.

Should I have said to the woman with the grandson, “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you. Are you a new resident?”

And to the woman this morning, "Do you mind ... we're talking here”, when she interrupted my conversation.

If these are tests, I’m sure there will be others. But I have to say, my patience with people is running thin.