Narrative #2

“Please sit us over there," I said to the young nurse wheeling Ruth and I to our usual table in the nursing home.
"We like to sit by the window and look at the cute older men walking by," said Ruth matter-a-factly.
"Alright you two," said the nurse parking us behind the table, locking our brakes in case we decided to roll away.
" Joan, look at this one being wheeled up," I said pointing a shaky pale finger at the window. I was showing my age these days moving slower than usual, but I managed to catch a glimpse of the man before he entered the building.
" Oh yeah, definitely a cutie," Joan replied." You two are just so cute together," said the nurse, setting down the usual
Friday night dinner of frozen green beans, packaged chicken and potatoes.
“How long have you two been friends?” said the nurse looking at Ruth and me.
“Almost 74 years,” I said.
“And still going strong,” Ruth added.
“Wow! What a great friendship,” the nurse said walking out of the room.
“Do you still remember the first time we met?” I said. “It was so long a go.”
“Joan, of course I do,” said Ruth.
**
I looked out the window that fall day in September, wishing I could go out and play in the crisp brown leaves that were newly fallen off the trees. And then I remembered my mom was taking me to this place she kept calling “kindergarten”. Supposedly, it was a fun place where I would make lots of new friends. But I wasn’t counting on it.
We entered the classroom to a multicolored sea of children, some crying for their moms not to leave and others who couldn’t wait to get away. I was having mixed emotions of how I wanted my first day to go, so I hugged my mom good-bye and walked over to a girl with cute short braids in her hair.
“Hi! My name is Ruth,” I said taking a seat in the green plastic chair next to the girl. “What’s your name?”
“My name’s Joan,” said the girl.
“Oh cool. Want to be friends? My mommy said I could make lots of new friends here,” I told her.
“Sure,” said Joan. “My mommy said the same thing too.”
Now, I wouldn’t exactly call it “friendship at first sight”. It took Joan and I a whole two play dates to decide we were best friends. From then on, we did everything together.
“Mom, I want my hair the way I want it!” I said to my mom, early the morning of my first day of second grade. She was pulling my brown hair tight into a ponytail. I didn’t want it that way and it was making me mad. “I want my hair to be in two braids like Joan’s was on the first day of kindergarten,” I whined to my mom.
“Oh fine. I’ll do I,” my mom said giving up on trying to fight my wants.
Walking into school that morning I noticed a brown haired girl with the same hairstyle as me, standing at the normal place I usually met Joan at. As I got closer, I noticed it was Joan.
“I like your hair today,” I said to her.
She glanced up at my hair and smiled. “I like yours too,” she replied.
**
“All right everyone, clear your tables its BINGO time!” said a nurse from across the room. Ruth and I leaned back in our wheelchairs and smiled, coming out from the memories of our childhood.
“It sure has been a great time,” said Ruth still smiling.
“Yes it has,” I replied. “I’m glad it’s you I get to spend the last years of my life with and not some boring husband,” I added with a laugh.
“Oh yes,” Ruth replied. “Yes indeed.”