It was a grey autumn day that Maud Clements died in the nursing home accompanied by her few meagre possessions. There was a grubby torn Bible, a faded photo of her late husband and some chipped and cracked china dishes that had accompanied her from her last home. She had told her carers that they were special as they reminded her of Jack her late husband. Her family came after they had been told she had gone and saw what little of her life remained; they shook their heads and told the manager; "Just get rid of it is all just rubbish". The manager nodded politely and instructed the cleaner to dispose of everything as the family wanted nothing. Amanda Perry, the cleaner collected the few pieces of Maud's life and placed them in a cardboard carton and set off for the trash bins ready to dump the lot. As Amanda dropped the grubby, broken and torn items into the bin her eyes glimpsed one little dish of a courting couple, on the back of which Maud had stuck a label which read , "Just like Jack and me" so she slipped into her uniform pocket.
At the end of her shift she managed to get home about six at night and after having a quick meal sat down by the fire and took the dish out and examined it properly. "Good" she murmured to herself turning it over and reading on the back "Limoges pottery".
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Well told, and I do like the sweet twist in the tail.
ReplyDeleteI’m always taken and intrigued by how we assign value to things, particularly after the owner is gone.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what Rosemary said.
You write at your best - a story of real substance
ReplyDeleteOne person's trash is another person's treasure!
ReplyDeleteWhen my mother died, I went to the nursing home to clean out her things. The clothes I gave to them to use for other residents but the rest were all treaures. Especially is a "scene" made from two paper plates, stapled together with half cut out and silk flowers inserted. It was one of those craftsy things they had the residents make. to me it is beautiful and I have it hanging on my refrigerator where it can greet me every day. I don't think these people loved her that much.
ReplyDeleteHow sad for the family to have dismissed Maud's remaining possession as rubbish! But the lovely ending is a consolation. A beautiful and touching story.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tale. Beauty in death.
ReplyDeleteHow harsh when the family doesnt appreciate the sentimental value of such treasures. I am glad the staff person rescued the small cup, which had meant so much. When I visit hospice clients, it always amazes me to think of how they once owned homes bursting with furniture and miscellaneous items, and, at the end, are stripped down to a toothbrush, a comb and what fits on top of a bedside table. Sad. But it also encourages me to downsize every time I move. Much of what I have left now are the treasures I wont part with till the end.
ReplyDeleteI would think that the treasure ended up where it belonged... it's not easy to be forgotten even after death
ReplyDeleteOh this is heart-wrenching, Robin!
ReplyDeleteI love the twist at the end...good for her for nabbing that Limoges!
ReplyDeleteGayle ~
good indeed. I felt part of the story, sad then cheering at the end!
ReplyDeleteLeeanna
valuable in many ways... love it.
ReplyDeletePerfect! I think there is a lack of appreciation for things like Limoges these days.
ReplyDeleteThere are mementos of important relationships that wouldn't be worth a penny anywhere that mean so much to me. Hopefully the plate will find a place where its loved as much as Maude did.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how we assign meaning to items, for Maud it was the painting on the front, for Amanda the brand of pottery. Both valued for completely different reasons. An excellent story.
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