Forced into another lockdown, Mary and Jim were at the beginning of yet another long struggle where they would have to again deal with the fact that time just passes by so damn quickly.
Neither of them had either the longing for or in fact the stamina to go through it all again. They’d just about survived intact from the previous lockdown and they were both fed terribly up with it all.
It came along at a time when they were on the cusp of getting away on holiday. As people do when that time comes their thoughts were of a secluded beach and ice cream once they had got themselves ready to go and after the seclusion that they had both faced over the summer months they couldn’t wait to get going.
The family had only just recently been allowed to go and see them and the home that they were staying at was a trek for anyone so that didn’t happen all that often anyway. The pair were looked after and cared for by carers at Drumsberry Manor in a small Scottish town on the West coast which was itself, secluded.
Today was a lovely sunny Autumn day and a local volunteer service group had called in to see if there was any way in which they could help in making a change for the residents? Their service was quite new and they hadn’t visited the Manor before and were eager to help.
After going through all of the processes of cleaning hands and social distancing they were shown into a large hall where all of the residents were sat in chairs. Some were talking, some were watching the tv and some were playing games, and unnoticed the volunteers walked into the room where some plastic screens had been erected to keep the old folk safe.
One of the carers who worked at the Manor was certain that there were two more residents who should have been there but they couldn’t find them and didn’t know where they were. There wasn’t panic but there was an alarm as the 2 that were missing, Mary & Jim were supposed to have been going on holiday and were stopped at the last minute because of this lockdown, and they were both really fed up and bored.
After hunting around for them for a short while one of the volunteers mentioned that on the way in they had seen a couple sat facing the sea down by the beach. “well it can’t have been them because that was quite a way away and usually, they were accompanied”, said the carer. “ A lady in a wheelchair?” asked the volunteer, “and an old man, I definitely saw them!” the carer was told.
Both Mary and Jim were sat overlooking the beach and they’d escaped not long before the volunteers had shown up. While the carers had been preparing things in light of another lockdown the pair had snuck away unnoticed. “Ah! This is the life my darling” said Jim, and to that Mary closed her eyes and said, “yes sweetheart, we’re here at last”. With a lovely big grin all over her face.
