Piggin' Cleopatra

Nobody could accuse Lucinda of being lovable. She was
grubby, miserable, spotty, disagreeable. Not the sort of girl it's easy
to take to. Her skin was sallow, her lips split, and her teeth could
have been improved by a visit to a competent hygienist. To make things
worse she was a smoker and because she couldn't get out of bed to go to
the smoking lounge she wasn't allowed cigarettes. That didn't improve
her temper. She was recovering from major abdominal surgery and a
shattered shoulder.
An organisation, to which Mick belonged asked for a volunteer to
befriend her once or twice a week for about half an hour during
evening
visiting. `No one goes at present. She has no family and it seems no
friends, so when other patients are enjoying their visitors, Lucinda is
alone and probably feels left out.' That was the Chairman. `The ward
sister will introduce you if you say where you're from.'
Nobody offered, and as usual Mick felt guilty and before he knew what
was happening he was in it up to his neck. He thought it was probably
her lovely name that ensnared him. `Thank you Mick. You may find her
difficult at first but I know you won't give up on her.'
He took Lucinda some grapes and a few tangerines on his first
visit.
Sister said, `Don't be surprised if she's rude to you; she's rude to my
nurses all the time; she'd try the patience of a saint, that one.
That's Lucinda in the annexe room, I'm longing to get her hair washed
but she's not up to that yet.' She smiled, `Come on I'll introduce
you.'
`Lucinda?' Lucinda didn't respond but continued to chew her
fingernails. Had she heard the Sister speak to her? She was apparently
unaware of their presence. `Lucinda, you've got a visitor. Mick's come
to see you?' Lucinda still didn't respond: except with a grunt and a
sniff..
`Hello Lucinda, I've brought you some fruit,' he said.
`You ain't got a fag 'ave ya? That ole bag nicked mine. When ya gonna
give 'em back ya stupid cow?' Sister didn't turn a hair.
`Just a few minutes Mick; Lucinda isn't well enough for you to stay
longer.' A carefully disguised opt out for him if he needed it.
`I'm sorry Lucinda I don't smoke. Wouldn't you like a few grapes or a
tangerine?' She said nothing. He wondered what on earth possessed a
mother to give a child like that, a name like Lucinda? Mick tried
again.
`What's the food like in here?' he asked. `Is there plenty of
choice?'
`It's like piggin' jail in 'ere. Look at it. Bars across the window, a
nark stood outside me door in case I try to 'oppit. Do I look as though
I'd 'oppit? I arsk ya?'
He took a grape out of the bag and offered it to her. She opened her
mouth. He winced and dropped it in, following it up with another, and
another.
`I feel like piggin' Cleopatra bein' fed by one of 'er eunuchs, let's
try them oranges, shall we?'
He took out a tangerine, peeled and sectioned it and fed it to her as
he had the grapes. She wasn't wholesome, far from it. No wonder she was
in a ward on her own he thought, but at least she was talking to him
and she was eating the fruit.
`Did Cleopatra 'ave eunuchs?'
Sister returned to tell Mick it was time he left and they went back to
her office after he had said goodbye to Lucinda.
`Cheers,' she grunted.
`That was miraculous. You made a real breakthrough Mick, how did you
do it?'
`She said I made her feel like pigging Cleopatra! Would you like me to
come again?'
`Please, but give yourself time to recover from this visit,' Sister
said,`We'll be pleased to see you... whenever; I'll leave it to
you.'
He thought about Lucinda a lot over the next week. Why was she so
un-appealing? Was it because nobody cared about her or because she had
no one to care for? If he went again early next week he thought Sister
might have managed to take her in hand.
`Where ya bin? _She thought you'da come sooner.' Lucinda said. She was
sitting up in bed and looked almost presentable.
`I'm glad you wanted to see me again,' he said.
`I never said that.'
`Are you feeling better?' he asked.
`Yea. Did ya bring some grapes?'
`And some apples,' he said.
`I'll 'ave a grape,' she lay back and opened her mouth.
`Oh, we're playing Cleopatra again are we? Surely you can manage on
your own now.' He passed her the bag. `Would you like me to peel an
apple for you?'
`Yea.' He took his pen knife from his pocket and as he peeled it,
cored it and cut it into crescents, talked to her about her
shoulder.
`Fell on it, didn't I? 'It's mendin' okay though.'
`Good,' he said; have you seen the surgeon?'
`Mick, time you were off,' Sister called and as soon as Lucinda had
eaten the apple, he left.
He visited her several times in her hospital bed. When she was well
enough to get up she was transferred. Her new home wasn't altogether
comfortable and she was sharing with others so there was little
privacy. He noticed she was smoking again, and wondered how long he
would be able to stand it. Give Lucinda her due though, she didn't
smoke when he was there.
The Cleopatra ritual continued. He found it curious but she clearly
enjoyed being fed so he assumed she had lacked this sort of attention
as a child. He would sit on one side of the little formica-topped table
and she on the other. They would talk and drink tea and then Lucinda
would say, `Did ya bring some grapes?' - they were her favourite - and
he would say `Yes,' and her mouth would open and he'd pop in the grapes
one after another.
As Mick was leaving one night the porter said, `That Lucinda's smitten
with you proper ain't she?' He hadn't looked at Lucinda as someone with
feelings before and he became nervous. What if..? He was more than
twice her age and.. Well, it would be so embarrassing, he'd seen
himself as support - a father figure. He decided not to go again and
rang through
leaving a message for her.
Now his evenings were his own again. There was no rushing
home from work, rushing to eat his meal and then rushing out again so
that Lucinda didn't accuse him of being late. On the first evening when
he might have been there, he sat in his chair by the window with a good
book and was unable to concentrate. The next time he went down to the
tennis club and
after playing a couple of sets drank more than was good for him. He sat
with his aging parents watching television and wondered why the
producers of such rubbish bothered. All the time he was thinking of the
girl with lank, mousy hair and chewed finger nails. She had become
accustomed to his visits
and he was letting her down. What did it matter if she did fancy
him?
With this in mind he decided to go once more to see Lucinda.. and tell
her he had no time to spare.
`She ain't arf missed you.' The porter said. Lucinda was sitting at
the table just as she always was when he went to see her, but she
looked different. Her eyes were puffy and swollen, but her hair, her
hands, even her spotty skin looked clean and fresher and her breath was
almost bearable.
`Lucinda,' She turned to look at Mick then turned away.
`You bastard, where ya bin? I thought you was my friend. I was
countin' on you to 'elp me.'
`I'll help if I can.' At least she hadn't accused him of playing with
her affections. `What would you like me to do?'
Lucinda turned towards him again. `I'll be out of this dump soon if I
gets me parole. I thought you'd 'elp me get a job.'
`I'll need someone to stand by me, to see I'm goin' straight, won't
I?' He sat down at the table opposite her. `I promise I'll help you
Lucinda. Why not start by telling me the whole story? You have never
said why you're in here or why you were in hospital.'
Tears welled into her eyes. `Didn't you never ask yourself how me
piggin' shoulder got mucked up or why I 'ad a bullet dug out of me
guts?'
`No. It was none of my business. I didn't need to know why you had
abdominal surgery. I'm just an occasional visitor. '
`You're more than that; you're my visitor and you're straight, I
depended on you and...'
`And I let you down. I am really sorry. Forgive me Lucinda.'
Mick put his hand into his jacket pocket and brought out a paper
bag.
`Did Cleopatra really 'ave piggin' eunuchs?' Lucinda asked
thoughtfully.
`I have no idea,'
`'Ere, you ain't a eunuch are ya?'
`Heaven forbid!' He grimaced. `Would Cleopatra like a grape?'
`I thought you'd never ask!' she said smiling. He noticed she'd
cleaned her teeth.

FINIS

approximately 1,553 words.