The Double-Tap Accident

Chapter Three: You Couldn't Tell By My Instagram?

Chapter Three: "You Couldn't Tell By My Instagram?"

ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, I sat at a table at the Sheppard Valley Long Term Care Home.

Next to me, the fall leaves were flying frantically in the air. The wind only got more aggressive as the enormous tree outside slammed the window next to me over and over again with its branches. 

Yet, in front of me, not aggressive in the slightest was Ms. Green, an amiable lady whose white hair was always up in a bun, humming softly under her breath as she debated her next move in our chess game.

Like all applicants to Dalhousie's research position, I had to be well-rounded. That meant tons of volunteering.

Volunteering at this care home involved sessions of cognitive games with the residents. While the rest of the volunteers were doing mind exercises involving a recall game, I sat by the side of the room with Ms. Green as we attempted to play chess. She always managed to sneak out of doing any activity she didn't feel like she had to do.

"Ms. Green," One of my co-volunteers tried to get her to change stations from the 'break' she was taking when she gave him a kind smile.

"Just a second, dear, we're almost finished up here."

My co-volunteer looked at me and I nodded in agreement, claiming that I will bring her right over once we were done.

That wasn't going to happen.

When we had sat here twenty minutes ago, Ms. Green had put the pieces in random places on the board, and we were absentmindedly shifting the pieces despite me having a decent knowledge of the game.

When the volunteer moved away, Ms. Green sighed, "That boy will fall for anything. I'm 100% certain he thinks I have dementia."

"You don't."

"I know that but what he doesn't know won't hurt him." She lifted her chin up. "Speaking of boys, any new men on the table?"

She asked me this question every week. "No."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure or else you'd be the first to know."

Talking to Ms. Green was great. She had never been married or had kids, considering herself the cool aunt to her siblings' children growing up. She had traveled often to anywhere and everywhere she could, telling me adventures she had taken over the years. Despite her very interesting life, she was content staying here for the rest of it.

"What about you?" I asked. 

"You'd be the first to know." She repeated as she moved her rook diagonally. 

"No more flirting with Joe over there?" I nodded over to the man on one of the bicycle machines where the group of seniors were on the machines to test their heart rates.

Joe noticed Ms. Green and me looking, shooting us a wink and a wave. While I waved back, Ms. Green scowled, "No."

"Why?" I teased. "Did he irritate you recently or something? Because the last time I was here you were all for him when he was playing that piano in the foyer. I believe what you said was along the lines of 'if a strong man at that age can handle an instrument like that so gracefully, imagine what he must be like in-'"

"Oh, shut up." She mumbled and I laughed, moving the pawn forward. She retaliated, moving her queen from one side of the board to the other, not caring about any of the obstacles in her path as she took my pawn away and put the queen where my pawn had been.

"I win." 

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me? You have no idea how to play chess."

"This isn't regular chess anymore," She informed me. "This is my version of chess."