First I put my right foot down, followed by the other. Her smooth, moisturized hand gently but firmly wraps around my wrist, which she elevates for me with grace and care. The nurse tells me her name is Beatrice. It’s so lovely when they find new young people to work in the nursing home. As she walks out of the room I hobble to follow her, but it feels as if the closer I get, the further she fades down the cream hallway, sauntering toward a mysterious destination that I can not, or will not, reach myself.

I hear my stomach gurgle. I think the dining hall is outside, or down the hall, or maybe it’s in the other building. As I look in the mirror a green square jumps out at me. The black handwriting reads ‘put on slippers’. My naked feet sit gingerly on the cold wooden floor as I rummage for those slippers I have been instructed to wear. The slippers’ worn out wool feel as if a cloud has enveloped my foot, caressing between my tired toes. A pleasant smell enters my room and infiltrates my nose; the smell of fresh meat and steamed carrot floods the home. Suddenly a tall woman with short red hair appears at my door with a smile stapled to her face. As she assists me down the gloomy corridor she tells me her name is Beatrice. It’s so lovely when they find new young people to work in the nursing home.

As I eat the clumps of foam which are supposedly mash potatoes, a strange young man approaches me. His big green eyes and styled brown hair stand out among a sea of grey, complemented pleasingly by a royal blue overcoat. He smiles weakly at me before pulling up a chair. He kisses my cheek, and it feels strangely comforting yet foreign, like wandering down a darkened alley in a tangle of streets.

“Bet you those potatoes aren’t as good as Pa’s, hey?”

Pa? Who is ‘Pa’? I feel that the young man means well, but I cannot muster anything except a slight shrug, as I shovel another spoonful into my mouth. The young man reaches out and puts his right hand on my arm. After a long pause, I hear “you’re looking well, Jules,” and I am almost certain it has come from his mouth. I retract my arm from his grasp and I readjust myself, playing with my peas in an attempt to avoid eye contact. His broad smile starts to dwindle into a deep frown. How does this man know my name? Why is he visiting me, I never get visitors.

The apprehensive young man starts to rub his sweaty palms up and down his thighs and rolls his eyes to refrain the tears. He slowly says with a hint of frustration. “Let’s start this again, shall we?”. He puts out his hand in front of mine, “I’m Garry,” he utters softly. I do not know what to say, and the poor man’s eyes start to become bloodshot. I lightly put my hand in his and respond with earnestness and a smile. “I’m Julia, nice to meet you, Garry”. Garry opens his mouth, and then closes it again, and with what I can only describe as a look of discomfort, loosens his grip. His clammy hand returns to his thigh.

He asks about the nursing home and if I have had any troubles. Since this man is a stranger I shrug, smile politely, and often throw in a couple of vague pleasantries, my most frequent being ‘oh yes dear’ or ‘oh no it’s lovely’ to keep him happy. I find the young man frequently cranes his neck to see the tiny clock face above the doorway. His eyes follow the second hand, and a slight moment before reaching 2:30 pm, he quickly rises from my chair and kisses my cheek, without ever looking into my eyes.

“This has been nice, Jules, I’ll see you at the same time tomorrow.” The nice young man walks away and I eat the remains of the potato. I sit quietly, and a young nurse with long blond hair holds my shaking hand and guides me to my room. As I enter, a strange young man is standing in front of my bed looking at my jewellery. In the sharp light of my room, his eyes look like emeralds. He briskly walks over to me and wraps his masculine arms around my dainty body. As he holds me I can feel his tears dripping on to my pink dress. My instant reaction is to pat the young man’s head and reassure him.

As I do so he lifts his head from my shoulder and says “I bet you don’t even remember me do you?”. His voice has the same care in it, with a slight hardness. My cheeks begin to resemble my dress, and I shake my head slightly. His eyes become glassy and he lets out a soft moan. The young man pulls me back into his embrace and whispers softly, “I’m Garry… Mum”. He stares directly into my eyes, and does not blink for the longest time. So very strange. Before I can even ask him whatever he means, he is escorted away by the nurse. She murmurs something to him in the hallway, but it is too far for me to hear. The nurse comes back into my room and begins to rub my back. I begin to ask her what the fuss is, but I guess it’s just none of my business. Without warning, the nurse begins to whisper, “That’s Garry, love. Everything is going to be alright, don’t worry”. The woman lays me on my bed and turns off the lights.

First it’s the right foot followed by the left. After the nurse helps me out of my cold, hard bed I walk over to be rudely awakened by my reflection. I never knew that my hair could turn grey so quickly or that my skin could become to loose. As I inspect my skin a little green piece of paper tells me to ‘put on slippers’. When I finally feel the relief of the wool filling the empty spaces between my toes a young woman named Beatrice escorts me to the dining hall to see my waiting visitor. As I apprehensively enter the room a young man walks over to me and embraces me.

“Isn’t it time you got new slippers?” He’s looking at me as he says this, and begins to mimic the way my feet turn inwards. I take a step back and look to the nurse for reassurance, and she nods knowingly. The young man standing before me inspects my facial expressions, as if he’s trying to predict my next move. As a wall of silence starts to build I extend my arm with my palm outstretched. The young man watches me cautiously. Politely, I say, “Hello, my name is Julia, nice to meet you love”.

I wonder why he wipes tears out of his eyes, but I go to sit with him anyway.