Home Care.(Stephen Pearmine) A new short story.

Gary had just started a new job but was too embarrassed to tell his friends about it. It was something that'd always interested him and one night after leaving a job on a building site; he decided to take the risk and apply for this one. On his first day, Gary was nervous. It was an early start, and it was still dark when a car pulled up in front of his house. For the next few days, he'd be shown the ropes and if he was any good, they'd take him on permanently. He got into the vehicle and a woman in her twenties turned to him and said, "I don't mean to be rude, but you look petrified. Once you know what you're doing, you'll love it. We have some really sweet clients. It's a very rewarding job. So, are you ready for a day of making beds, clearing up poo and making cups of tea?" She laughed.
  Gary didn't know what to think, then replied, "Mum always said I'd be good at this, so I thought I'd give it a try."
  The woman with long blonde hair started the engine. "I think you're very brave for giving it a go. And honestly, you've nothing to worry about. Your mum will be very proud. Shall we be off? The first client is a lovely lady by the name of Glenda, who lives on the other side of the city."
  "Yes, that sounds good. By the way, what's your name?" he asked.
  "Stephanie, and it's nice to meet you, Gary."
  The car then moved slowly up the road.
................
  The woman of 91 was in bed when the two of them arrived. They used a special code to enter the premises. 
  Gary followed Stephanie into the living room where there was a machine that could lift people into a standing position, which came in handy if you needed to move someone.
   She demonstrated how it worked, then pushed it into the bedroom to the side of the bed. Stephanie touched the lady's shoulder gently. 
  The woman looked up at her and smiled. "Hello, my lovely. Is it time to go into the living room?"
  "Yes, it is, Glenda. Did you sleep well, sweetheart?" Stephanie asked.
  "I slept like a baby," she answered.
  With care, Stephanie, with Gary's assistance, positioned the lady at the side of the bed, then Glenda grabbed two handles in front of her while they wrapped a hoist just under her arms, connecting the hoist straps to the machine. With a push of a button, the elderly woman was lifted safely into a standing position. At the end of the bed was a wheelchair that they lowered her in to.
  Stephanie crouched down, so she was the same height as Glenda, gave her a smile, then said, "Are you comfy, sweetheart?"
  "Yes, I'm fine," was all she answered before falling asleep.
  Stephanie touched her hand softly. "Bless her."
  Gary was taken aback by how Stephanie was with the frail woman, like she genuinely cared. It was so heartwarming to see. 
  "Gary, could you push her into the living room please, then I'll show you how we put her into the chair. Every person we deal with is different, but you'll learn as we go along. Are you okay with that?"
  "Anything you need and I'm here to help the best I can," he replied. 
  She looked happy about this. "Thank you, Gary."

  Twenty minutes later, both left the house after she was safely in the living room and Gary had made her a nice cup of tea. In about two hours, Glenda's daughter, who was retired, would pop round to do housework and keep her company for a little while. A lot of elderly people didn't have anyone and the carers that popped in 4 times a day were the only people they'd see. It was heartbreaking.

  The next client was a man in his eighties who, like Glenda, had mobility issues. Gary liked him straightaway while he chatted about what he did as a job years ago which was a bouncer in London in the sixties and before that he'd joined the army and had many near misses, so he was quite happy to still be here in one piece. He was a jovial character with lots to talk about.

  Stephanie had warned Gary about the third client, who was still relatively young compared to the rest, only being 67. Years ago, this poor fella had been involved in a motorbike accident which resulted in him losing both legs. He had a wheelchair to get about, but spent most of his time at home. He suffered from depression and his moods were changeable. At the entrance to the place, Stephanie rang the doorbell. Within moments, the door was unlocked and opened. In the hallway sat a man in his wheelchair. 
  "Hello, Stephanie," he said. "I see you've got a new chap with you."
  "Hello, David. Yes, he started today. I'm showing him the ropes. How do you feel?" she asked, looking concerned.
  He gave a long sigh, then replied, "I've been better. I won't lie. If it wasn't for you guys coming round, I wouldn't see anyone. I do appreciate it, you know. Would you like to come in?"
  "Yes, that would be lovely," she said.
  They followed the man into the living room.
  "So, what can we do for you today, David?" Stephanie asked.
  The man started to cry. Between tears he said. "I just need a friendly voice to talk to for a little while. Do you mind?"
  Stephanie placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, of course I don't mind. Tell me anything you want. If it helps, then I'm more than happy to be here for you."
  David looked up at her. "Thank you."

    They left the house later than expected.
  "That was a nice thing you did in there," Gary said, impressed with her.
  "It comes with the job, mate. You'll learn that in time. By the way, do you like it so far? I do understand it's not everyone's cup of tea, talking of tea. I could literally murder a nice cup of tea right now."
  Once they'd reached the car, Gary turned to her. "I think I'm going to love this job. It's just a feeling I have. It's like you in there with David. I've never seen anything like that before. This job has everything. How could you not like it?"
  "That's good to hear, mate. I told you, didn't I."
  "Yes you did."  

  It was a half an hour journey to the fourth client who was another man in his late seventies who'd recently come out of hospital. The sad thing was the man named Larry had dementia. He was house bound and didn't have any family nearby. They talked to him and made him a hot drink while doing some housework and changing his bed, also checking his sugar levels because he had type 1 diabetes.

  Another fifteen minute journey to the last client of the morning was a woman of 87 who usually needed a bit of shopping done and to sort her tablets out. She was in the early stages of Alzhiemers and needed that little of help.

  All the morning visits had been completed, and it was 9.32am. 
  "Fancy getting a bite to eat, Gary? We have about two hours until the lunch time visits begin where we can head back to the sweet lady from the first visit." Stephanie said. "Or if you prefer me to take you back home. It's your decision?"
  His stomach rumbled. "Food it is. I'm famished. Once I get used to the routine, I might head back home between shifts to catch up on certain things. Not sure yet."
  Stephanie turned to him and smiled. "Good decision, mate."
 .....................

  The rest of the day carried on without too many problems, where they visited the five clients at lunchtime, teatime, and early evening for various tasks. Gary would be lying if he didn't admit to himself that he enjoyed it very much. He got back home at 9.12pm quite tired. It'd been a long day
.....................

  By the end of the week, Gary had worked four days on the trot. Tomorrow, which happened to be a Saturday, was his day off. The plan was to meet up with his mates and to tell them about his new job. Gary didn't care what they thought anymore. He loved the job, as it was so fulfilling. He loved the people he worked with and, more importantly, he cared very much for the clients. To help them in their hour of need meant the world to him. And that was the most important thing.

The End.

 

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