Her door was open, showing off her favourite armchair and lamp from home.
‘Hey, Babs. It’s me, Willard.’ He poked his head around the door to see his gran standing over by the window, shaking.
‘Who are you?’ she asked, backing away.
Will raised his palms. ‘It’s okay. It’s just me, Willard.’
Babs furrowed her brow. ‘You’re not Willard. Leave me alone.’ She huddled into the corner. ‘Go away,’ she yelled. ‘Go away.’
Will panicked. He never knew what to do when she acted that way, and it was happening more often.
Babs continued to yell. Shaking and flapping a hand. She looked both angry and afraid.
Within moments, a carer rushed into the room. She smiled softly at Babs as she approached the other side of the bed.Holding out a hand, she said, ‘Hello, Babs. Everything’s okay. Let’s go get a cup of tea, yeah?’
Will watched as Babs nodded and came out of the corner.
‘Come on,’ said the care worker softly, with her palm still on display. ‘You come with me.’ She glanced at Will as Babs walked around the bed. ‘You okay?’ she whispered.
‘Yeah, thanks, Clare.’
Babs slipped her hand into Clare’s and left the bedroom, not once glancing Will’s way. All was calm, and he was scared about upsetting his gran again, so he told Clare he’d head off.
The walk back to his pickup truck felt lonely, and the spring he had in his step earlier had given up the ghost.
Will sat at the wheel and inhaled deeply. He truly had no one, and it hurt.
The Sunshine Centre came to mind. No matter what, everyone there always seemed to be in good spirits. Just what the doctor ordered. Maybe he should live in a respite centre. He certainly needed a break.
Will drove straight there, trying hard to wipe out the last hour from his mind. He hated seeing Babs in such a state, and he despised how seeing her made him feel even more unloved than he’d always felt.
Time and time again, he told himself not to return to the residential home. It wasn’t doing either of them any favours. Babs would just freak out. And he would want to rip out his own heart.
Debra was in the doorway when Will parked outside the Sunshine Centre. She instantly waved, flashing a wide grin.
‘Hi,’ he said, approaching. ‘I wanted to talk about me volunteering here.’ He followed her into the warmth. ‘I’ve decided to just help out with the adventure activities side of things in the summer months, if that would be okay.’
Debra laughed. ‘You taking on too much, Will?’
‘Feels that way. I tried to weigh everything up, see what would work best for me. I’m starting my own business in the new year. A tearoom in Port Berry, and I want to train for the RNLI. So, on that note, any other voluntary roles will have to be small, and I would like to stay helping at the Happy to Help Hub, seeing how it’s on my doorstep.’
‘Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.’
Will nodded as he took a deep breath. ‘We can only try and get our ducks in a row.’
‘I have many ducks, definitely no row.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘You okay? You look as though you lost your wallet.’
He pointed at his jaw. ‘That bad, eh?’
Debra gestured towards the kitchen. ‘I can fix that.’
‘Fix what?’
She smiled and encouraged him to follow her. ‘Some of the members are about to do some baking. You can join in, and it’s not a suggestion.’
‘Oh, I know I mentioned a tearoom, but, honestly, I don’t know how to make a cake. I couldn’t help with that task.’
Debra nudged him into the fun but sterile-looking room. ‘You won’t be teaching, Will. You’re a member today.’
