The Waiting Room

 

WELCOME

 

TO BLACK BUTTERFLY SHORT STORIES

 

ABOUT ME


POETRY


PROSE


INTERESTS


GALLERY


BOOK STORE


FRIEND'S WORK


LINKS


 The Waiting Room

 

  My name is Eliza Tailforth. I thought I'd better get that straight from the start only the girl on the desk asked for a name and I thought she meant Bill, my husband, they'd just taken him away and so I told her William Edward Tailforth, date of birth seventeenth of June 1939 address 42 Bennette Road and then she smiled and said; "It's your details I want Mrs Tailforth." I felt silly but I told her. Eliza Margaret Tailforth, date of birth May twelfth 1946. She was eversuch a nice girl. Rushed off her feet I would have thought with all the people coming in from the accident and yet she still found time to be nice to me, to say what a nice unusal name Eliza was. Then she got one of the nurses, I think she was a nurse, to bring me in here, where I could wait in comfort.

  I've never been in a hospital before. Never. I've had four children and all of them born at home. I've never had to have anything done you know gynocalogical, never had an X Ray even, except a chest x-ray and that was in one of those mobile things so that isn't a hospital.

  We're a healthy bunch, my family. We none of us ever smoked, not even my dad and he worked in the mines for close on thirty years.

  Bill's lot are just the same and he's from Glasgow. Oh I do hope he's all right.

  And today  started out so lovely. It's our fortieth wedding anniversay. Forty years. Long time in anybody's money, as my dad used to say.

  It started really early, four o'clock. We were well asleep but bells always wake me and the phone was ringing. Well, I answered it and this little voice syas; "Hi Grandmaw," just like that, "Hi Grandmaw." It was Max. He's only seven bless him, our Lionel's youngest, in New York. He knew there was a time difference but he wasn't sure how long or which way it was. Bless him. Then my daughter-in-law was there. "Sorry, mom," she says. She's always called us mom and dad. I told her, nothing to be sorry for. I woke Bill and we had a lovely chat with Max and Anna his sister and Lionel and Carrie. Oh it was lovely. They said they'd call again 'at a reasonable time' Then we did what we never do and went back to sleep. It was half past eight before Bill brought me breakfast in bed. He's done that every year for forty years. Tea and toast and really thick marmalade and a card. Every year.

  Then at ten o'clock Georgina rang. She's in Africa working with animals. She's a qualified vet. She's been there nearly a year now. She loves it. Very dedicated is Georgina works extreemly hard. The phone line was really clear. Modern technowlogy for you.

  Then Fleur, Peter's wife rang. Said Peter was working in the vineyard and that he'd call later but she just wanted to wish us all the best. Oh, she's a lovely girl, Fleur. Really pretty and French looking, big eyes and ... really pretty. And last of all, as usual was Philip. He was in London but about to board a plane for Jo'burg. Like Georgina, he's not married. He's never in one place long enough to meet any one to settle down with. He sent us this gorgeous bunch of flowers. Interflora. They must have cost a fortune. It had two or three of those oh what do they call them really exotic thing Peacock is it? No Bird of Paradise flowers. Oh, they were beautiful. All orange and deep blue. Gorgeous things.

  Oh it was a lovely day. Not the weather. I mean it is November but oh such a grand day. And then we were driving in to Bangor. We were going to have dinner with Ivan and Carris. We met them when we first came to live here about ten years ago. It was very foggy. I was driving. I don't mind. I've been driving thirty five years and only one accident and that was somebody who ran into the back of me at a Zebra crossing. I ask you, at a Zebra crossing.

  Anyway, trafic was really slow going across the cob just into Portmadog but it's thirty going through town any way. It didn't start to get really foggy until we were through the town and out on the country road. Then it really came thick.

  Suddenly, from nowhere, there's this big black Range Rover or some such behind us. I said to Bill, "What speed is he doing in this weather." and Bill said what he always says, "Och the heid's away wi that one." He's no time for fast drivers hasn't Bill. So I said I was going to pull over a bit and slow down so that if he was that keen to get passed he could do it safely but before I could even get my foot to the break he was flashing away to overtake and zoomin' passed us. He must have been doing fifty.

  Then all hell broke loose. He hit a motor bike and that came down litterally on us, well, on Bill's side. Then he hit something else, something big like him. I've put my hazard lights on by now and I'm trying to see what's happened with Bill and then Boomf! Something hits us in the rear so hard. Oh it was awful. I don't know what was happening. All I could hear was breaks and bangs and then people shouting and screaming. I could hear a dog barking and a baby squealing. Oh it was mayhem. Bill was shouting, in pain I think and I kept trying to look round to see what was wrong with him. Oh it was just so terrifying.

  Then I heard the sirens and I thought, thank goodness for that.

  I don't remember anything after that.

  Oh I wasn't unconscious or anything. I don't feel like I'm hurt at all, can't even feel a bruise, I think I've just blanked it out. I suppose it will all come back to me when I have to talk to the police. I haven't seen a policeman yet, not one.

  Oh this might be something.

  "Excuse me, do you know what's ... Oh she's gone."

  "They won't tell you anything, love."

  "Do you know..."

  "No. Sorry, love. They won't even tell me if me kids are alive."

  "Oh, you poor soul."

  "I'm supposed to be taking them back to their mam. Bloody mobile doesn't even work."

  "Oh dear."

  "Were you in the accident on the Bangor Road?"

  "Yes. Blue Peugot."

  "Oh, you're the one I hit. Christ, I'm sorry. There was a lorry behind me and he just rammed me, cannoned me straight into the back of you."

  "These things happen."

  "That bloody idiot in the Range Rover! Did you see that? He must have been doing over fifty."

  "Oh I wish someone would come and tell us something. Our friends'll be waiting at the restaurant. Oh deary me. I shouldn't even be thinking of that. I wish they would tell me...Oh, looks like someone else. Nurse, excuse me, Mr. Tailforth, can you tell me how... No, wait a minute, you're the boy off the motor bike."

  "Yeah."

  "But you're not hurt at all. Not even scratched and you should be."

  "I've been here before. When I first started riding a bike. There was an accident. I was well I was  on the opertating table and I ... I died."

  "Died?"

  "Yeah. They brought me to a room like this, but then I went back."

  "Oh no."

  "Don't think it's going to happen this time."

  "I was in here on my own. I was sent straight in here."

  "Probably means you were ..."

  "Shut up saying things like that. Can't you see, she's upset."

  "I'm all right. Oh dear. How's Bill going to manage? He's useless without me."

  I watch the two men, the young man in his black leathers and the bloke with his two fatherless children and I wonder to myself, should I even be worrying about Bill. That boy is so young, his whole life ahead of him and the man ... who's going to tell those children.

  "Mrs. Tailforth?"

  "Yes."

  "It's time to go."

  "Go? Where am I going? Can I see my husband, please. Just to say ... well, goodbye."