What Do We Like Best about Heather Heights? New Friendships!
Heather Heights knows that relationships are an important part of seniors’ lives. Regular visits from family and old friends—whether they occur at one of our family nights, in the residents’ own rooms, or perhaps over a fine meal in our private dining room—delight our residents.
New friendships with other residents and staff members are also a great source of joy and comfort. When family members visit, the favorite conversation topic of our residents is the relationships they have developed with their Heather Heights family.
Read what some of our residents have to say about their new friendships:
Joan about her fellow resident Frances: “We eat together, shop together, everything. When her son takes her to visit her grandson I go, too. We have been friends since we both got here. She was the first person who introduced herself to me. I just enjoy being around her. ”
Frances about Joan: “We’ve been close friends since the beginning. We are such close friends I can tell by her face when she’s having a bad day or when she’s upset. Joanie’s a very good person and I love her!”
Gail about Nurse Lette: “Over the years I have gotten close to Lette. She always shows interest in my health and makes me laugh. After a weekend she comes in and we joke and share family stories. We always just talk when she comes in. She is a warm and caring person and such fun to be around. She’s a grandma now! I couldn’t be happier for her!
The Heather Heights Creative Writing Group Presents:
Summer Love
A short story by
Lillian Bullock, Betty Dunstan, Dorothy Flanagan, Donald Sheridan, Sarah Portonova, Catherine Berry, Ruth Berman, and Phyllis O’Dell
Suzie Hanley bounced, all effervescent and full of life into McGregor’s grocery to grab the last few things her mother needed to prepare their evening meal. Despite being a family of prominence in their small town, her mother insisted on hand preparing the family’s meals every single night. Her yellow sundress swayed like it was dancing as she placed butter, an onion and potatoes in her brown basket.
Jerry Black had been working at McGregor’s for the summer to save up enough to put his beat down old car on the road and get out of the town that looked at him like a misfit just because he was from the poor side of the neighborhood. He watched Suzie Hanley, Miss Perfect, Miss Popularity, select her groceries and was disgusted because she represented everything that he hated about Rochester.
Suzie could see the teenage boy who worked at the store kneeling and watching her as he worked. She figured she should probably be perturbed but for some reason she kind of liked it.
After a minute or two she walked over and stood square in front of him. He looked up at her. She was beautiful. And her blue eyes softened his glare.
“Why are you watching me?” she asked.
“Who said I was?” Black answered looking down to hide his embarrassment.
“My eyes,” Suzie answered. “If you’re that curious why don’t you just speak to me?”
Black said nothing, just stood to stock a shelf farther down. He wasn’t sure what she was after.
“What time you get off here Black? It is Black, right?”He was shocked she knew his name. “Four,” he answered softly, waiting for the punch line.
“Why that’s only fifteen minutes. I’m gonna take this to mother and I’ll be back. We’ll see if your conversation skills haven’t improved by then.”
Suzie bounced out of the store and returned ten minutes later in a new outfit better suited for kicking around then her previous dress had been. Black was shocked she really had come back. They spent the afternoon walking around town, sipping sodas and laughing. Neither of them had ever laughed so much in one afternoon.
Their meetings became daily. When he wasn’t working in the store, the two were inseparable. After a while Suzie’s father caught wind of his daughter’s summer romance and followed her to one of their meetings. He forbid the relationship and told her that he never had better see the two of them together again. Although they both agreed, their meetings continued in secret by cover of darkness.
One night as they met, Black seemed distant and forlorn.
“What’s wrong Black?”
“This, all this. How can you be my girl if we have to sneak around to see each other? It’s like you’re ashamed of me or something.”
“Now you know that isn’t true. It’s my father, it’s complicated,” Suzie answered.
“Yeah, I’ll bet. Listen, this is just dumb. Ain’t no point in going on this way. You’re not gonna leave your father’s house and I can’t change what I was born in to. Let’s just call it off.” With that Black jumped on his motorcycle and rode away. Suzie was crushed. She loved him but not enough to give up everything.
Suzie and Black didn’t see each other for weeks. She was positively sick about it but she knew her moment to stop him had passed. Black worked on his car day and night so he could get away from the place that kept him miserable.
It was the last day of summer and everyone in Rochester was parading up to the Hanley home for Suzie’s annual birthday party.
To be continued.....
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