| The year was 2064 and the sun was shining down on the Chesapeake Bay, smiling at the morning. The Maryland hills rolled with ease in the seventy-eight degree weather. The lime green grass seemed to sprout out in all directions. All was peaceful and quiet at the Happy Hills retirement home� until Mr. Blevins woke up. �Hey hey! Another day, another sponge bath!� He shouted as he sprang up from his bed. He hurried along and got his green plaid robe on. You could see it in his cheeks and perky amber eyes he was ready to cause mischief. After he had on his white slippers he opened the door to his room and went across the hall. �Let�s see if Mr. Davis is up.� He slowly turned the knob and pressed against the door, peeking into see Mr. Davis, another elderly man, black and bony, sleeping well with sort of a smile on his face. �Gee, should I really wake him up?� David asked himself biting his lip. He looked so peaceful and it was only seven o�clock. �Yes!� David shouted, ran over to the bed and screamed in Mr. Davis�s ear. �Wake up!� Mr. Davis jumped in his bed and grabbed the sides as if he were having a heart attack. �What in the hell?� �It�s four in the afternoon, we thought you wee in a coma! Get up! Get up! Tell the staff you�re still alive!� Mr. Davis gasped. Had he really been asleep that long? He usually woke up at eight! He ran to get his red robe and went outside into the hall. �I�m alive! I�m alive!� His cane barely touched the ground and his wobbly legs almost caused him to fall. David let out a hyper laugh and ran down the hall to the next room where Mrs. Dela slept. He stared at her as her stomach went up and down. He looked around at her bed. She had buttons on her bed. Each button had arrows going up and down. One was triangular, another circular, and the last square. He pushed the circular buttons. Mrs. Dela�s bed started to rise. David�s eyes widened, a new toy to play with. He touched the second set, the square buttons. The front of the bed inclined, causing her body to sit up. She began to snore and her mouth dropped open. The third set of buttons made the foot of the bed buckle into and arch. David got eager and started pushing buttons left and right, hitting two at a time, three at a time. Mrs. Dela�s body went everywhere, up, down, bending in all directions. David finally let go as she started to wake up. The bed wouldn�t stop moving! David tried to stop it but the bed didn�t stop bouncing. Mrs. Dela, now fully awake, started to scream. David ran out of the room and quickly closed the door behind him. A nurse ran into Mrs. Dela�s room but not before looking at David. �Mr. Blevins, were you in there?� David looked at the ceiling smiling. �Maybe.� �Please sir, don�t cause any trouble today. You�re too old for this.� David didn�t like to be called �old�. He was just aged. He walked down to get some breakfast. Downstairs, only a couple people were awake and sitting at the round tables in the dining hall. David sat next to his friend since high school, Greg. Greg was a short, Korean man who was balding on top. �Hey Greg!� David shouted in his peppy voice. Greg shook his cane under the table. �Don�t talk to me! You stole my underpants!� �Ya, I know Greg.� �Get off my lawn before I get my shotgun, damn squirrel!� �You say that every day.� A dark haired man whose nametag read Aklai dressed in the usual Happy Hills uniform came by with a tray full of mushy food. David took one look at it and gave it a disgusted look. �What is that?� �Good morning gentlemen.� Aklai said in an Indian accent smiling. �What will it be today?� Porridge? Oatmeal? Cream of Wheat?� �It all looks like puke!� Greg shouted. David had another mischievous moment coming. He could sense it. He slipped his hand behind Greg�s head and turned off his hearing aid while Aklai put bowls of oatmeal in front of them. �If you need anything, more food, some water,� he looked at David. �Ritalin� just flag me down.� �What?� Greg shouted? �What was that? Dammit! Speak up!� David snickered as the man put the volume of the aid back to normal. �Don�t do that Mr. Blevins.� David looked at Greg and mouthed the words �Can you hear me?� without making a sound. Greg panicked. �It�s not working!�hands on his hips. �Mr. Blevins, please.� It wasn�t even lunch when David was at it again. He had changed into his black baggy pants and blue faded t-shirt to go out to the pool with a full bottle of Cherry Vanilla Fruitopia in his pocket. He was balanced on the edge of the pool and leaning over the edge, his ankles bent to the sides. �Hey Mr. Davis, watch this!� and David jumped on the edge and landed on his ankles. He slipped and fell in the water instantly. Staff in white ran to his aid, but before they could jump in, he surfaced, shook the water off of him and exclaimed. �Weeeeeeeeeeee!� He swam to the ladder, climbed up and shook off. His Fruitopia fell out of his pocket and into the pool. �AHH! Must save the fuel!� and he dove back in, got the bottle and got out. �More?� A staff member said. �I thought we took that away from you yesterday.� �I got it back� Wo-hah!� he stuffed it back in his pocket. �Give it to me, Mr. Blevins. You can become quite uncontrollable with that.� David laughed. �Are you kidding? I love this stuff. You want it, you�re gonna have to catch me first!� and he took off running faster than a bullet. The staff members shook their heads. �Dang, for an old man he sure is fast.� �So whose gonna catch him this time?� �Forget it, we can�t. What are we having for lunch today? The staff I mean.� �Chili dogs, why?� The staff member smiled. �Save one for him, he�ll be back if he can smell it.� David ran past the shuffleboard and tennis court, able to play with himself hitting the ball over the net and then running to the other side and hitting it there. Everyone could hear him coming, his �Weeeeeeeeee!� could be heard in a crecendo as he approached. David was a big but very hyper man and his Fruitopia was packed with enough sugar to last him a day. |