{"id":471,"date":"2020-01-10T15:20:05","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T15:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/?page_id=471"},"modified":"2020-02-14T16:22:41","modified_gmt":"2020-02-14T16:22:41","slug":"mike","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/mike\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mike stood and looked around him, his brow furrowed. What\nwas he meant to be doing? He was dressed, he was hungry. According to the\nlarge, digital clock on the wall it was Friday 12th<\/sup> December 2019,\n10.49am. Time for coffee and something to eat, his stomach decided for him. He\nwas aware that his memory was failing, had, indeed, been failing for a long\ntime. The living room of his flat was a mess. Piles of papers covered every\navailable surface. Bits of camera equipment and scenic black and white photos\nlittered the large table in the corner. Photography had been a major hobby of\nhis but it was too difficult now. He couldn\u2019t travel to the places he liked to\nphotograph, or work out the complicated settings that had been second nature to\nhim in the past. The photos showed windswept beaches, misty lakes and gnarled\ntree trunks. He liked the images, but the memories of those visits were hard to\npin down. One small table held computer equipment, covered in dust, no longer\nswitched on even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the small kitchen he took a mug from the drainer and made\nhimself a cup of black coffee. There was a small loaf next to the toaster so he\npopped some bread in and looked through the cupboards for something to put on\nit. Peanut butter, that sounded tasty. He took his coffee and toast and sat in\nthe chair by the window overlooking the well-kept gardens. He had been in this\nflat for a while now (how long he didn\u2019t know) and was glad he had moved. He\nvaguely remembered a large, dark house full of stuff he couldn\u2019t cope with. The\nidea had been to move to this retirement flat so it would be easier to look\nafter. He had liked his rambling garden but he knew it was beyond him now. As\nwere most things \u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at the clock. It was 13.47. How long had he been\nsat here? His empty mug and plate were on the floor next to his chair so he\ntook them into the kitchen. He put on his jacket, with his keys and wallet\nalready in the pockets and left the flat. Round the corner, in the lift, down\nto ground floor and out of the big doors. It had taken him a long while to\nlearn this routine but he did it easily now. It was nice to be out in the\nfresh, cold air. It was December already, where had the year gone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike followed the path he always took although he didn\u2019t\nrealise he always went the same way. In the little shop he bought a jar of\ncoffee and a pack of two pasties. At the till he looked at the pasties. Did he\nneed two? Oh well it didn\u2019t matter. He could have one tomorrow. As he walked\ndown to the canal a voice stopped him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHi, Mike.\u201d He looked to the left and saw a young girl\nsitting on a rolled up sleeping bag. She patted the space next to her and he\nautomatically sat down. \u201cI\u2019m Lily,\u201d she said helpfully. \u201cYou know me, we chat\nnearly every day, but I know you have memory problems.\u201d As they sat and chatted\na warm feeling came over Mike. He relaxed in her company. She was chatty and\nfriendly, and didn\u2019t ask him any questions like most people did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou hungry?\u201d Now he realised why he had bought two pasties.\nThey enjoyed the pasties, but eventually Mike had to stand up. His old bones\nwere aching and he was getting cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere will you spend the night?\u201d he asked. She laughed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou always ask me that. I\u2019m fine, don\u2019t you worry about me.\nSee you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you need any money?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou always ask that too. No I don\u2019t want your money. I\nenjoy your company and the pasty though.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She watched him carry on up the towpath and turn off to the\nleft back to his flat. He waved as he turned, thinking,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPoor girl. I hope she has someone looking out for her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPoor old guy,\u201d she thought. \u201cI hope he has someone looking\nout for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike stood and looked around him, his brow furrowed. What\nwas he meant to be doing? He was dressed, he was hungry. According to the\nlarge, digital clock on the wall it was Saturday 13th<\/sup> December 2019,\n11.23am. He was cold. He turned the heating up and looked out of the window.\nSnow was falling, big flakes swirling around. He would have to wrap up warm\nwhen he went out today. A hot mug of coffee, that was what he needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He went into the kitchen and put the kettle on. Coffee? He\nlooked in the cupboard. Mugs and plates. Try the next one. Tins of beans and\nother delights. How about the next one? Success! 4 jars of coffee! After coffee\nand toast, he had found some peanut butter in one of the cupboards, he sat by\nthe window watching the flakes settle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He decided he had better go for his walk before the weather\ngot too bad. Jacket on, keys and wallet in the pockets. He shut his door and\nwalked round the corner and into the lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHi Mike. How are you doing? Cold today isn\u2019t it?\u201d The\nelderly lady who got in the lift with him sounded nice and looked as if she\nknew him so he guessed this was not their first meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood morning. Yes, very cold today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of the big doors to the little shop. What did he need?\nBetter get some coffee, just in case and those pasties look good, I\u2019ll get a\ncouple of those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the way to the canal he saw a young girl huddled inside a\nsleeping bag. He approached warily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you OK?\u201d he asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh hi Mike. I didn\u2019t know if you would come today as it\u2019s\nso cold. I\u2019m Lily, we are friends.\u201d Mike couldn\u2019t believe that a friend of his\nwas living in such conditions. This time he would not take no for an answer and\ntook her to a little caf\u00e9 he usually went to on a Monday and ordered coffee and\nhomemade soup, the pasties forgotten in his bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They sat in the caf\u00e9 until closing time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks Mike. I really appreciated the hot soup and a chance\nto get warm.\u201d She made to walk off but he stopped her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s cold or wet I usually spend the night in an\nabandoned canal boat. I get quite cosy in there. Don\u2019t worry about me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am worried though. It\u2019s going to be freezing tonight. I\nhave two bedrooms. Come and stay with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t do that, you don\u2019t know me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like I know you. I would like the company if I\u2019m honest. I get so confused.\u201d Mike\u2019s shoulders drooped. He was holding back tears. Life was very difficult for him now. He was trying to keep going. What was the alternative? But the strain of coping was almost too much to bear. Lily could see it on his face. She could help him. She tucked her arm into his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOK, then, Mike. Just temporarily then. I can give you a\nhand with anything you are struggling with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so they went back to his flat. She made no comment on\nthe mess. \u2018Her\u2019 bedroom had boxes and boxes of paperwork in it, but it also had\na comfortable bed and a radiator. Bliss!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They ate the pasties for tea and afterwards they sat on the\ncosy sofa Lily had unearthed and she encouraged Mike to talk about his past. He\ncould remember all the jobs he had had. He had worked for various technology\ncompanies, had even travelled abroad trouble shooting for them. He had family\ntoo, he told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was my fault we are not in contact. I was always a bit\nof a loner and never kept in touch. I think they stopped trying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They talked long into the night and then they slept, warm,\ncomfortable and safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike gradually got used to waking up and finding Lily\nbuzzing around the flat, tidying, sorting, and cleaning. She was a clever girl\n(had dropped out of university but that was another story) and soon had his\naffairs in order. She couldn\u2019t believe how many accounts etc that he had, but\nshe filed everything carefully so he could access what he needed. She also found\ncontact details for his sister. She hung some of his photos around the flat and\nhe enjoyed looking at them often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every day they went for a walk by the canal, observing the\nchanges as winter gave way to spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One night, as they sat chatting with a mug of hot chocolate\nshe turned to him her face serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow the warmer weather is here I could be moving on, you\nknow.\u201d Mike\u2019s face paled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that what you want? You don\u2019t need to go. I love you\nbeing here.\u201d He knew he wouldn\u2019t cope without her. She was his memory. She took\nhim to appointments, reminded him to eat, prompted him on the phone. She was\ngood company. He loved her like an uncle. \u201cAlthough I understand if you want to\ngo. You have your own life to lead.\u201d It was obvious that he was upset at the thought\nof losing her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be honest, Mike. I love being here with you. I have no\nfamily to speak of and I am happy to stay with you as long as you need me.\u201d So,\nwith sighs of relief all round it was decided. She could stay as long as she\nliked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was something else I was going to say.\u201d Lily was\nserious again. \u201cI think you should get in touch with your sister. I found her\naddress. We could give it a try, although she may have moved. I can help you\nwrite a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later that month Mike\u2019s sister, Lydia, arrived, having\ndriven the 300 miles from her home down south. She was pleased to see her\nbrother after all these years and was very grateful that he had Lily in his\nlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought you might think I was interfering,\u201d said Lily\nuncertainly. \u201cI know I\u2019m not family, but I care about him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t be coping without you I\u2019m sure,\u201d Lydia was\nastounded at the deterioration in her brother but tried not to show it.\nUnfortunately their mother had suffered from dementia for several years before\nher death so she knew what the future held for Mike. \u201cAs far as I am concerned\nyou have become part of his family and I am grateful to you for that. Families\ncome in all shapes and sizes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike stood and looked around him, his brow furrowed. What was he meant to be doing? He was dressed, he was hungry. According to the large, digital clock on the wall it was Friday 12th December 2019, 10.49am. Time for coffee and something to eat, his stomach decided for him. He was aware that his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-471","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Carol","author_link":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":null,"rttpg_excerpt":"Mike stood and looked around him, his brow furrowed. What was he meant to be doing? He was dressed, he was hungry. According to the large, digital clock on the wall it was Friday 12th December 2019, 10.49am. Time for coffee and something to eat, his stomach decided for him. He was aware that his…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1175,"href":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/471\/revisions\/1175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolbarton.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}