Matthews Neighbour

I found myself listening to the voices out in the hall as my eldest grandson droned on and on about his school drama club . I will admit, I did ask him how he was getting on with it , but i never expected him to talk for so long. And they say I ramble on about things !

‘Next one on the left ,I think ,Granny’, I heard the voice of a young woman call.

‘I can see the numbers perfectly well myself ,Emily’ 

A frail old woman came into view , opening the door to the room parallel to mine, while leaning on her zimmer frame. She wore a pink and yellow floral dress mustard knitted cardigan , which even an old man like me would consider granny clothes. But her hair, unlike most grannies, was pure white, plaited and reaching halfway down her back. 

The girl ,who I assumed was her granddaughter, followed her, dragging a suitcase behind her and holding a box in her arms.

‘Isn't this lovely ,Granny?’, The girl, Emily, said.

The granny looked around the room appraisingly. ‘Yes, well, it'll do well enough’, she said sitting down in the chair beside the bed. 

‘Right , well , you get yourself settled and I'll go get the rest of your bags’, Emily said and she left down the hallway again.

‘And Mr Macdonagh said- Grandad..? Are you listening to me ?’

‘Oh of course, son . You were - you were saying ….’, I faltered , I couldn't think of a single thing he had said in the past 2 minutes . 

‘Ah, Grandad’, He sighed , shaking his head. 

‘Here James, open these and have a few’, I said, passing him a packet of werthers from my drawer, hoping to distract him. 

‘I don't know where you get all these sweets,’ he said , while unwrapping one, ‘Mam says theyre bad for your blood sugar, Grandad’

‘Well then you just don't go telling your Mother I have them ,then’.

Poor Elaine worried too much . Since her mother died 5 years ago she's been worse than ever. She always saw everything that was bad for me . Real butter was bad for my cholesterol . Sweets were bad for my blood sugar. She even said it was bad for me to have a fry-up for my breakfast! In the end she was so worried about me living alone she put it up to me ; Either move in with her or move into a nursing home . 

Now I didn't want to put any more pressure on her , and I'd never really had anything against nursing homes , so I said I'd give it a go for a year , and if I didn't like it I'd move back out to my own place again. And now ive been here three years. 

It's a nice old place. They let me amuse myself in the polytunnel in the garden , and I keep myself busy growing veg, and they give me three square meals a day put on the table in front of me.

James comes to visit me once a week, and Elaine comes two or three times a week, and I go and stay with them for Christmas, and the likes. 

We sat in silence for a while . I've learned to ignore awkward silences in my old age, I find them amusing even. 

Eventually James cleared his throat and stood . 

‘I reckon I better head home now grandad,’ he said, rocking backwards on his heels. ‘Dinner will be ready soon, and you know what mams like’

He stooped to hug me and patted his pockets. 

‘I'll see you next week . Mam said to tell you she'd visit tomorrow and she'll bring the parish newsletter for you , okay?’

‘Right, right, yeah’, I nodded . When had he gotten so tall? He was seventeen a few months ago, and he was as tall as any man now. It was often said he looked just like me, and sometimes I agree, but other times I think it would be an insult to him to say so. Our eyes and noses, and hair, though mine is grey and his is dark brown, are much the same, but his smile is different. He has much nicer teeth, thanks to braces that were never an option in my day. 

I was jolted from my thoughts by someone calling my name.

‘Mathew!’ It was the new woman in the room opposite me, though she seemed to be talking to James.

James stopped in the door and looked at me then back at the woman as I shrugged.

‘Uh, pardon?,’ he said.

‘Mathew !’ she repeated, ‘How are you ?’

‘Sorry ? I don't think I know you ?’

‘Of course you do, Mathew, we went to school together ! We only danced together a few weeks ago !’

Poor James looked as flustered but I wasn't going to get involved , I like to keep to myself. 

‘My name is James, not Mathew. But my grandad ,’ he pointed back at me, ‘ he is called Matthew.’ 

The woman continued as if he hadn't spoken. ‘It was down in Saltill,the dance was, and mother told me I'd be a fool to wear my new dress. She said it was sure to rain, but the weather held off, and I wore my new dress’, she smiled at James and went on, ‘Of course, you remember our walk along the beach ?’

At this moment James was saved from having to answer as the woman's granddaughter came down the hall.

‘Granny ? Who are you talking to ?’, she asked.

‘Oh Emily!’, the woman looked confused for a moment, but quickly shook it off . ‘I was talking to my old friend Matthew here’.

‘I'm so sorry, sir’, Emily said. ‘My granny has Alziemers , she gets confused sometimes , you know,’ she smiled kindly at us .

‘It's no bother,’ James said. ‘Im James , by the way.’

‘Emily Gray , and this is Lucy Coleman, my granny .’

Lucy Coleman …. That name sounded familiar. In fact, I do think I went to school with a girl called Lucy. 

‘I'm sorry ,’ I said , struggling to my feet and leaning on my cane . 

‘What was your maiden name ?’ I asked the woman.

The woman looked at me, a confused look on her face, before it cleared and she shook her head .

‘Collins’, she said. ‘I was Collins until I got married’ 

Of course! Lucy Collins! She was one of the few girls who finished school with us. Not that she was much good in school, though .She was always much louder and more outgoing than a girl was supposed to be back then. I remember the very night at Saltill she was talking about ! She was one of the girls we all fought to dance with, until she married Jerry Coleman in 1963, and I married Mary in 64

‘Lucy Collins! ‘, I said. ‘ Well I never thought we'd meet again’. I leant on my cane in my left hand as I shook her hand with my right. ‘Im Matthew! Matthew Briggs’

‘Well Matthew ! How nice to see you again’, she said politely. ‘I must say , your grandson here, he's the very image of you ! I almost thought he was you!’

‘Yes, many people make that mistake,’ I said as Emily and James chuckled.

____

Over the past few weeks Lucy and I have reconnected. She comes with me out to the gardens , and I've retaught all she used to know about flowers.

She often gets confused , or thinks she's back in her youth. This happens almost every time James comes to visit me, but he plays along now and she enjoys his visits as much as me. During her good spells ,though, we can spend hours talking about the good old days and where our old crew ended up. The days pass faster now I've more company and someone to talk to, and i don't know what i did before Lucy moved here