New Friends

“Beth?  You’re finally here.  Did you remember my coffee?”

“Sir?”

“My coffee?  Did you remember it?”

“But sir, I’m n…”

“Beth?”

“Shall I call the nurse for you, sir?”

“I don’t need the nurse.  I need my coffee!”

“Sir, I’m n…”

“Come sit with me, Beth.  What have you been doing at school?”

“But sir, I’m not Beth!”

“You always were a silly little girl.  Let’s stop playing this game.  I’d really like my coffee.”

“Just a moment, sir.”  “Nurse!”

“Yes, may I help you?”

“Please.  This gentleman would like a cup of coffee.”

“And you are?”

“I’m Sara.  I came to see my Grandfather, Mr. Morris.”

“Oh, well, Mr. Morris’ room is down the hall to the left.  What are you doing here?  This is Mr. Peterson’s room.”

“Well, I was walking by and he called out to me so I stopped to see if he was okay.  He thinks I’m Beth.”

“Mr. Peterson, have you been bothering the young lady?”

“No ma’am.  I’ve just been sitting here asking Beth to pour me a cup of coffee is all.”

“But this young lady isn’t…”

“Beth!”

“Hello, Granddad.  Is everything alright in here?”

“So, there really is a Beth?”

“Oh, there is a Beth, but it’s not me.  I’m Jenna; Beth is my mother.  Right now she’s on vacation so I’ve been bringing Granddad his coffee every day.”

“Oh.  He thought I was Beth.  My Grandfather, Mr. Morris, is just down the hall.”

“I’m sorry for Granddad’s confusion.  He thinks every red-haired lady is ‘Beth’.”

“I see.”

“He’s better than he used to be, though.”

“Better?”

“Sure!  He used to call everyone ‘Frank’, and he never knew anyone named Frank!”

“Ha, ha, ha.  Well I should go and let you visit with your Granddad.  I have to go visit with mine.”

“You’re not Connie, by any chance, are you?”

“No, I’m Sara, but Connie was my grandmother’s name.  She passed away about ten years ago.  Why?”

“On my way down the hall I was stopped by a man who thought I was Connie and he asked me if I’d remembered to bring his cookies.  You have a bag of cookies, so I thought you might be Connie.”

“It seems like we’ve both been the victims of mistaken identities!”

“It sure seems so.”

“Why don’t we take our grandfathers to the family room?  It sounds like they have a lot in common.  They can talk and play a game or watch television and we can visit a bit.  I have plenty of gingersnaps to go around.  They’re my grandfather’s favorite.”

“That sounds like a splendid idea.  It will get them out of their rooms for a bit and give them a break from routine.  I’ll meet you there.”

“I’ll be right back, then.”

“Ok.”

463 words
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Written for the "The Dialogue 500: IT'S BACK, BABY!"  contest:  This week's prompt takes place in a Nursing Home: a dialogue between you and an old person who mistakes you for a relative.