Just for Now by Tom Sheehan

My son Jamie brought me to all my treatments at the hospital in Danvers,  a 7-minute drive for him as he says for more than three years (I am loaded with many ailments of various kinds) and I always noticed a lady who brought her father for his appointments, but dressed as though she was going to a ball, a fancy dress, and a marvelous pair of legs that could dance her across Broadway in her day, being the  knockout she was, and carried yet a boatload of her beauty into a few years of time.

Her name was Lila, soft on the intake, surely owned a handful of whispers.  As for me, I just entered my 97^th year, and still have appointments in line. Her father most likely was on the long run too. I am a writer and gave one of my books to a lady clerk who exhibited constant interest. That almost put me on a date with her.

Our eyes, Lila’s and mine, often met, apparently not accidentally in all quarters, including the dozen lady clerks who hosted and assigned each patient at entry and departure from the facility which had no overnight patients (In at 8 AM and out at 6 PM), a start and a stop for their work day.

I was openly aware of Lila’s charm and beauty, (hardly aware of her wear and tear) and I am sure the dozen or so clerks noticed my attention, arranging our dates to coincide apparently by the hour of the day. That helps any relationship from the word go. Also, Lila continually wore attractive clothing and displayed sweet manners.

Lila said openly, “No women in your life, old man?”

“No, ” I answered, ‘I gave them up 18 years ago when I lost my wife. She was special, a nurse through and through.”

“Oh, I am so sorry,’ Lila said. “It must be awfully lonely for you. You ought to break that up. Go on a date. Have some fun. Have a ball while you’re at it. You deserve it from my point of view.” She was swift and direct.

I was sure those clerks had us in mind and cottoned to our attention, making sure we were semi-locked in our rounds. It didn’t take much to pave the way. Soon we began hailing each and started earnest conversations

For your information, I am in my 97^th year and lost my wife 18 years ago.

“What’s your availability, sweet beauty?” I said in a brave rush at opportunity. “Are you really in a swinging mood? You must know I’m hot to trot. I can bring back the old days in a mad rush. They are a mere move away from reality. A swift dance, a close touch on both ends, and a room to discuss reality, like a nice room past desperation, I can get in gear in a tender moment The old ways don’t seem far away. You’re as beautiful as anyone from my old days. And I mean that quite seriously, like choking me to a slow hurry in a small room.”

“You have the right words in the right places” Lila said, “and I find that very attractive and graceful, sort of warm to the touch the way it was in my time, not mixing words as it is, straight out and honest. I like that.

She locked the door behind me.

Dawn took hours and hours to find us.

Tom Sheehan

Image: Love Hearts sweets