Centennial Celebration

The sun shone through the blinds and Dolores began to open her eyes. She slowly blinked and looked around the room. It was a bleak sight, the nursing home was coated in beige paint, with standard no-frills furniture adorning the room.

She had one picture framed on her dresser: a black and white wedding photo. The year was 1940 and Dolores was glowing in her white tea-length dress. Her husband Eddie was proudly wearing his dress blues. He went on to serve through WWII and was even awarded the Silver Star for his brave service. He never spoke much about his Army days but he was proud of having served his country. When he returned from the war, he bought his first home with Dolores and they went on to have three beautiful children. They lived a simple life, but she wouldn’t have changed a thing. Her Eddie had left her 20 years ago but she still thought of him every day.

A knock on the door stirred Dolores from her reverie. “Mrs. Cuthbert? Are you awake yet? Time to rise and shine!” A plump nurse entered the room with a wide smile. Julie had been taking care of Dolores for a few years now and had gotten to know her well.

“I am awake Julie but I’m afraid I don’t shine too much anymore” Dolores replied.

“Well that’s just nonsense! It’s your special day! Aren’t you excited? Your whole family is coming in from out of town to celebrate with you! Not everyone is lucky enough to make it to 100 years old, you should be proud” the young Nurse beamed.

“I am proud. I am proud of the life I had, the children I raised, and the many grandchildren I had the chance to spoil. But age is just a number, and I don’t feel like the lucky one when I’ve outlived all my friends, and the love of my life.”

“Oh Mrs. Cuthbert, please try to enjoy your day. I know it will brighten your spirits to see all those grandkids and great-grandkids running around. To top it all off we got a great big birthday cake! That don’t happen every day around here!”

Julie lifted Dolores into her wheelchair and helped her get ready for the day. She had a special red dress to wear that her granddaughter sent her. She donned the pearls that her mother gave her on the day of her wedding, and applied the same red lipstick that she wore every day. Most of the residents at the home didn’t bother with makeup, most didn’t even seem to know where they were most of the time, but Dolores didn’t feel like herself without her bright red lips.

“Oh Mrs. Cuthbert aren’t you a sight! You look simply radiant!” Julie exclaimed

She wheeled Dolores out of her room and guided her to the dining room for breakfast. Meals in the home were typically pretty sorry affairs. Dolores would sit at a table with a few other residents. She was usually placed with Betty, who introduced herself about every 10 minutes, and Ruth, who was convinced that all the nurses were stealing from her and was desperately trying to escape. They were served flavorless, mushy foods that were easy to digest.

Julie pushed Dolores up to her usual spot, “Enjoy your breakfast ladies!” she said cheerfully as she turned and left the dining room.

Ruth looked at her and whispered “I hope you are counting your money; those nurses are trying to take us for all we got! But they aren’t fooling me!”

“Hi! I’m Betty Jones, you must be the new student! Well you picked a good table, I’m the Captain of the Cheer squad! Are you going to try out?”

Dolores sighed, “Sure Betty. Good to see you dear.”

Bowls of mush were placed in front of the ladies and they ate mostly in silence. At the end of the meal Julie returned to take Dolores.

“Good news, your family should be here within the hour! Ooh I can hardly stand the excitement! It’s going to be quite the event Mrs. Cuthbert! You will be the belle of the ball! The local news is even coming!” Julie took Dolores back to her room to rest before the big event.

An hour later, the Cuthbert family arrived; three children, seven grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. They brought party hats, presents, and a large banner that read: ‘HAPPY 100^th BIRTHDAY DOLORES’. Julie greeted them warmly and helped them set up for the big party. The local news arrived and set up their cameras. When they were ready to conduct the interview, Julie helped Dolores ‘fix her face’ and set her on the small tape ‘x’ the news crew placed on the tile floor.

The newswoman introduced herself to Dolores and chatted with her briefly as the crew finished setting up. The lights flicked on and the reporter jumped into action.

“We are here today at the Meadow Wood retirement home with Mrs. Dolores Cuthbert who is celebrating her 100^th birthday today. Mrs. Cuthbert, congratulations on this special day and happy birthday! Are you excited to celebrate this milestone today?”

“Thank you, yes, I am happy to be celebrating with my family today”

“I am told you have 10 great-grand children here today, is that correct?”

“Yes, I have been blessed with a beautiful family. I consider them to be my greatest accomplishment. I raised three children who went on to have children of their own and shine their light in the world.”

“You’ve lived 100 years and I’m sure learned many lessons along the way. Do you have any advice that you can give us?” The reporter asked.

“Well, I have certainly seen some trying times. When my husband Eddie went off to war, I thought I would just die, but he wrote me every week and we stayed strong together. That experience taught me to persevere and appreciate the good things in life. He came home as a hero and we were blessed to enjoy the freedoms he fought for. It wasn’t always easy; we had many ups and downs over the years. But every hardship we faced we beat it as a team. He passed 20 years ago and I think of him every day. My advice would be to hold tight to the ones you love and appreciate every moment. Remember what is important and spend time on what matters most.”

“Thank you for those wise words Mrs. Cuthbert. We are wishing a very happy birthday, and congratulations again.” The reporter smiled and the cameras turned off. She turned to Dolores, thanked her and shook her hand.

Dolores’ granddaughter Susan gave her a hug and pushed her wheelchair into the dining room for the big celebration.

All the residents were brought to the room and everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’. Big band music played over the speakers and her great-grandchildren danced and chased each other around the room. Dolores thought back to her youth, and wished she could still dance to the jazz music she loved so much. It reminded her of her wedding day and she smiled.

Her family talked and laughed, cut the cake and shared stories. It was the liveliest Dolores had ever seen the place, she had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by life and energy. The warm glow of laughs, smiles, and family filled her heart.

Dolores looked around the room and admired each of her descendants. She had built a beautiful family and beamed with pride. She only wished Eddie was here to see everyone together again.

“Happy birthday!” shouted Lilly, the youngest great-grandchild. She bounced up to Dolores and gave her a hug.

“I can’t believe you are 100 years old! Your dress is very pretty! Are you having fun at your party?” Lilly asked brightly.

“Yes dear, I am having fun. You look very pretty in your dress as well”

“Thank you!” she bounced off to play with the other children

“Happy birthday Mom” her daughter Helen kissed Dolores on the cheek and sat across from her. “How does it feel to reach the centennial?” She asked with a smile.

“It’s nice to see all the kids again” she replied. “But birthdays aren’t the same without your father. Do you remember all the fuss he would make? It was silly, but I felt like a queen”.

“I know it’s hard without him Mom. But you still have life left to enjoy! You will see him again someday; I just know it” Helen squeezed her mother’s hand and smiled softly

“I have had a beautiful life. Just look around this room! I have been very lucky. I feel like I’ve had the life I wanted, raised my wonderful children, seen all of you grow into great people. This day was exactly what I needed to remind me of that. But I think I have done all I needed to do in this life. I’m ready to see my Eddie again.” A tear rolled down Dolores’ cheek and she closed her eyes.

“I love you, Mom” Helen gave her a big hug. “Now, enough of that talk, let’s enjoy your party!”

For the next few hours, Dolores smiled more than she had in years. She counted her blessings that she got to see her family and reminisce with them. She remembered Julie’s words, not everyone can be so lucky. Dolores took a moment to thank them all for coming, and acknowledged her blessings.

At the end of the party, she said farewell to all her guests and Julie took her back to her room.

“Well Mrs. Cuthbert, that was some shindig!” She exclaimed

“It sure was Julie, the party of a lifetime” Dolores replied.

Julie helped Dolores to bed, and wished her goodnight.

“Goodnight Julie, thank you for everything.”

Dolores closed her eyes and thought about her life. She pictured Eddie on the day they met, she saw him on their wedding day, the birth of their first child, and every moment of their long marriage.

She took a deep breath and began to see the warm glow of the sun coming through the window. But when she opened her eyes, she didn’t see the retirement home. She heard jazz music begin to play and she looked up to see Eddie in his dress blues.  

“I’ve been waiting for you my love. It is so good to see you” Eddie kissed her and wrapped her in a warm embrace. All the aches and pains of age had left her body.

Dolores and Eddie began to dance. She smiled at him, thankful that she was finally home.