The room was quiet, some of the residents were sleeping.
Dinner time was over. The flickering television in the corner was now set on mute. Two elderly men were playing chess, while those still awake were mostly reading. Several nurses were coming and going, gradually seeing the home’s patients off to their rooms for the night.
After tidying magazines on the table, she said, “Are you sure there’s nothing I can get you?”
The old man looked up from his newspaper with greying eyes. He stared at her before saying, “Oh! Well…” After a wheezing cough, his expression began to change. A smile was trying to form across his wrinkled features and the smallest glint came into his eyes. “Would you like to play a game?”
She straightened and looked around the room. Her eyes settled on the corner shelf, loaded with jig-saw puzzles and several board games.
She said, “I think it’s too late to start anything now.”
“No!” He shook his head. “Not that sort of game…” he whispered.
“What do you mean?”
He rolled his shoulders and managed a small wink. “I’ve got three guesses to get you name right.” He touched his cheek. “If I get it right, I get a kiss on the cheek.”
At first she looked confused, then said, “All right.”
“Barbara?”
“No.”
“Sally?”
“No.”
“Carol?”
The woman shook her head, and said, “No,” she stiffened, took a deep breath, bent and kissed him on the cheek. She said, “You get that for effort. Goodnight.”
She turned and made for the front door with tears streaming down her face.
A visitor watched the woman leave, and pointing to the old man who had gone back to his paper, asked one of the nurses, “What did he do?”
“Oh! Him? He’s been flirting with his wife again.”