The Elderly Lady

                                                            The Elderly Lady
                                                                        by
                                                              Cheryl Jacobs



    Spring had come.
    The songbirds were singing their favorite songs, but the elderly lady didn't respond like she would normally, had she not just buried her husband of 60 years.
    One little bird in particular, which had a yellow chest and a black velvety head landed on the white porch railing not far away. The elderly lady had always had a soft heart for her feathered friends that came to her yard all hours of the day.
The elderly lady sat straight in her wooden chair on her white railed front porch that ran around to the back of the house; soft, wrinkled hands nestled in her warm lap; holding a lace edged handkerchief. Her feathered friends, who came to the yard expecting treats, flew to the many feeders that were placed around the yard. The little songbird held a soft spot in her heart. She named him Rob, after her cherished son and her only child, who had passed away five years previously in a major car accident.
    The yellow and velvety black songbird started chirping prettily to get her attention. He had always been able to in the past when he had shown up every spring for several years. But not this year, no matter what sound the friendly songbird made, the elderly lady paid no attention. He started hopping closer and closer along the white metal railing.
    The elderly lady never succeeded in getting the little bird to stand on her hand like she had seen some other birds do with other people. She had tried the previous spring to get him to land on her hand, spending long hours sitting in one place in the middle of the back yard with its bushes and big vegetable garden with red, yellow, blue and pink flowers bordering the large green lawn. The yellow songbird almost landed on her hand, where she held birdseed for hours on end. But when the yellow songbird was about to land, her husband had come out of the back door, letting it slam shut with a loud bang. The yellow songbird became frightened and flew off.
    Her husband had asked her what she was doing just sitting in the middle of the yard and demanded her to come in and fix him something to eat. He had become very demanding. Her husband had been diagnosed the previous year with Alzheimerâs and was getting worse, but he was all she had left. So here she was, sitting stone like staring straight ahead.
    She had spent her entire married life in this house. The house hadn't much to it when the newly married couple had moved in the day after they married. Two days later her new husband reported for duty in WW II. She was alone for 4 years in this small house without its white metal railing. After her husband came home from the war, he had the house refurbished and had added a white metal railing.
    Their only child came nine months later. It had been a wonderful life in the house with the white metal railing. What did that all matter now that she had no one to care for like she had for 60 years?
    She had known all the happenings in the neighborhood that she had come to love, with all her wonderful friends she had known for 60 years. In the past year there had been several houses for sale, but she had ceased to care about the happenings of the neighborhood since her husband passed away.
    A new family was moving in next door. And the elderly lady didn't care who it was or if she was being watched.
    The little girl of eight stood at the black railing bordering her front porch at the house next door. She watched the elderly lady just sit; not even turning her head. She was confused. She had never seen anyone just sit. People were always moving. Then the little yellow and black velvety headed songbird had shown up and the little girl of eight watched to see what it would do.
    She watched the little bird hop closer to the elderly lady, thinking that the elderly lady would either smile at the approaching bird or shew it away, but the elderly lady did neither.
    Then the little girl heard a voice behind her, "Come on, honey," said the soft voice, "don't stare."
    The little girl looked up at the soft voice. It was her mother.
    As she pointed, she said, "But, Mommy, she's not moving. Is she ok?"
    "I'm sure she is," her mom told her, "Come help mommy put your things away in your room."
    The little girl continued to look at the elderly lady as her mom lead her away.
      For several days after that, when the little girl came and went she looked over at the house and noticed that the elderly lady was still sitting in the same position in the same chair staring straight ahead.
    Had she even gone in and out of her house at all? The little girl wondered.
    She ran into her house and changed her school clothes and came out with her jump rope folded in her right hand. She looked to see if her mother was around. She wasn't. She went down the steps of her porch and onto the sidewalk. She started jumping rope in front of her house and then in front of the house with the white railed porch. The elderly lady still sat in the same position.
    She turned her head when she skipped rope past the elderly lady's house to see if she was watching. She wasn't. So the little girl skipped rope back in front of her own house. She walked across her lawn and behind the tall green fir tree that bordered the elderly lady's house.
    When she looked around the fir tree to see if the elderly lady was watching her, she wasnât. The little girl folded up her jump rope and being the bold little girl that she was, she invited herself and walked up the ladyâs front porch to find out if she was a statue or real.
    The elderly lady turned her head to look at the little girl as she came upon the porch.
    The little girl asked, "Are you a statue?"
    The elderly lady said, as she smiled a little, "No, I'm alive; although, I don't feel like it much.
    "Why not?" asked the little girl, as she stood next to the elderly lady.
    "Well, because I don't have anyone to care for now," said the elderly lady, tears welling up into her eyes.
    "You don't have to be sad about that,? said the little girl, being serious now, "You can have me to take care of. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind."
    The elderly lady didn't respond, just went back to staring straight ahead.
    "Aren't you going to say anything?" the little girl asked.
    "Like what?" the elderly lady asked the little girl.
    "Like, what is my name and how old I am," the little girl said, trying to keep the elderly lady talking so nothing would happen to her.
    "Ok," the elderly lady said, trying to be patient; she really didn't want to be bothered. She looked down at her hands holding the white laced handkerchief.
    She hadn't realized until she actually looked closely at her hands how wrinkled and bent they had become.
    "Well?" asked the little girl.
    The elderly lady looked back at the little girl, really looked at her. The little girl was sweet looking. She wore a t-shirt that said Love. Then she looked down and the little girl had on a pair of bright pink shorts and a pair of white sandals.
    She looked back up to the face of the little girl and said, "Ok, what's your name and how old are you?"
    The little girl smiled and said, "My name is Holly and I am eight years old. What's your name?
    Before the elderly lady could tell her, Holly heard, "Holly."
    Holly turned around and looked back at her mother. "That's my mom. I have to go but I will be back to see you. I like you." With that she put her arms around the elderly lady's neck and kissed her cheek.
    The elderly lady put her hand to her cheek and felt it tingle. She looked after Holly running back across the elderly lady's lawn and onto her porch.
    Holly smiled and waved, then ran into her house.
    The elderly lady smiled and thought; maybe everything will be ok. She had a new friend to do things for and she knew she would be baking lots of yummy treats for her new friend. Maybe she could even talk to Holly's mother and become friends with her too. She slowly eased herself out of the straight backed chair and walked into her house.