Page 22 of Vera Stein Is Fine
“Sorry.” I shook my head. I liked Hollis. A lot. “It’s not my business, but I... I was surprised to see her...”
“With a woman?” she asked. “There’s a lot more about Ruby that might surprise you.”
Yeah, I didn’t think I needed to learn any more surprises about my own grandmother anytime soon. “Some stones are best left unturned. So, you got any tips for how I can liven things up around here without getting fired?”
“The residents are... curious. And horny. Nostalgic too.”
“Well, maybe we could look at doing some themed events, but I don’t think they’ll let me host a Starlight Palms–sanctioned orgy.”
“Of course not,” Hollis said with a laugh. “But there are things you can do to give them—us... agency. To remind us that we’re adults.You know, there are people here like me and Ruby who have chosen to be here, but a lot of the residents you’ll meet were brought here by loved ones who couldn’t physically take care of an aging family member, which is understandable. Or they were brought here because there’s no real guide on what to do with the aging people in your life. It’s easy to forget that we’re just as alive... even though we’re closer to death than the rest of you.”
I nodded and only then did I notice my eyes beginning to water. Had I ever done that to my mother? Forgotten that she was still alive even when she was so close to the end?
Hollis reached over my desk to catch a single tear with her thumb. She smirked. “In the end, we’re all sluts and then we die.”
“Words to live by.”
“You’re going to do great. Sign me and Ruby up for your events,” she called over her shoulder as she walked out the door.
“Which ones?” I asked.
“All of them!”
I snorted. Ruby was going tolovethat.
After crawling under my desk for my promised Wordle time and a few panicked texts to Tess, I dove into the colossal binder and began to brainstorm. I wrote down anything that came to mind no matter how impossible it felt. Some of my ideas were very adult in nature and others were nostalgic or practical.
cooking with marijuana
sex toy shopping party
synchronized swimming
understanding social media and social media etiquette
monologue workshop
movie screenings for residents’ old films
navigating cell phones
entertainment memorabilia swap meet
speed dating
field trips!
By the time Morgan came around to discuss my budget, I was buzzing with possibilities and I was surprised to learn that my budget wasn’t... nothing. And this was coming from someone who used to have to run out to pick up two-hundred-dollar undershirts for her boss every three weeks.
Whether these residents were choosing to be here or this place was their only option, I could at least try to make it worth their money and time... because time certainly was not on their side.
EXT. YOU SCREAM ICE CREAM—TWILIGHT
Arlo is eating a cone as Poppy turns the shop light off and begins to spray down tables.
POPPY
We’re closed.
