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Senior Stories
Thomas Kirkpatrick, a member of the Senior Coastsiders’ Writers’ Workshop, recently read this story to the group. The first few paragraphs are given below. To read the entire story, click on the title below.
 Copyright 2010 Thomas I. Kirkpatrick.
All Rights Reserved.
"Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"
by
Thomas I. Kirkpatrick
The old man’s hand moved suddenly. He didn’t want it to, but it did anyway. Several pieces of the small square rigger sailing ship model he had been building scattered onto the floor. He cursed silently, sighed, and bent over in his chair to pick them up. This seemed to happen a lot these days, making even the simple and enjoyable activities frustrating. As he bent over, his reading glasses slipped down his nose, hanging by one ear, preventing him from seeing the floor clearly. He cursed again, this time out loud, bringing a response from the nurse’s aid just entering the room.
“Mr. Johnson! Shame on you! You got no business sayin’ such a thing!”
“Well, Mabel” he replied “What’n hell would you know! Just you wait ‘til you’re my age ‘n then tell me I got no business!”
“Well! Don’chu start cussin’ at me, you dirty ole man!” She turned and stomped out of the room. He did not enjoy a cordial relationship with the staff.
The old man fumbled with his glasses until he could see again, then looked for the pieces on the gray vinyl floor. He found them, picked them up one-by-one, then carefully placed them back on his small beige painted table. He had asked for a bigger table, but the administrator had told him he was only entitled to this small one - unless his family was willing to pay higher rent and move him to a larger room, that is.
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To read the entire story, click on the title.
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