Dandelions.....

.... a gift from three pupils attempting to buy brownie points. I put them in a glass of water and left them on Russian Anna's desk in the classroom.

I stacked the chairs and closed the shutters and headed home to see Bobby into The Home.  I'd missed the reception committee which had welcomed him in but found everyone in Room 116.  

The room seemed a little overcrowded with Tony in a wheelchair looking old, Jay perched on the side of his Da's bed, Ju and Sarah perched on our Da's bed, our Da asleep over a cup of something brown with a straw sticking out and with Lizzie at his side.  Nice, kind nurses came in and asked us questions.  Then they asked us if we had questions.  I said yes, what with it being Easter and the town being full of jazz, could Bobby have permission to leave for a few hours on Sunday? The psychologist came in and said that, as we were English (?!), yes. 

I felt as confused as Bobby and Tony and we all decided that we should sit in the sun for a little while.  I popped Tony's fedora on his head, pushed his wheel chair into the lift along with Bobby and Ju and looked up to see us all reflected in the mirror.  Two old faces and two younger ones.  We all looked a bit startled and lost.

There are two gardens: a shady one occupied by a chain smoking  old man with an Aztec hat and a sunny one in which we found Valérie/valéry sitting in a wheelchair.   

V's gender was unfathomable;  age idem. V has a beard and no detectable breasts but speaks like a woman and is wearing pink crocs. V speaks several languages, being the progeny of a Polish Jew who was killed in France during WW2. V was born here and speaks several languages. I felt sorry for V trying to make conversation with a couple of dozy blokes.
I kissed everyone on the tops of their heads and said I'd be back tomorrow.

I'd like to imagine that the two old men who are sharing a room, who photographed Africa in the 1960's; one from a plane, the other from the ground in a beaten up VW, will let the door to 116 close and talk about all they've lived.

I'm not that sentimental.  I think they may kill each other.