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Creative Writing: Mountain View Nursing Home

Decent Essays

“Virginia, do not bring your crackers into my living room,” the old frail woman exclaims. “My son is coming over in an hour and I will not allow crumbs all over my couch.”

I see the two ladies bickering as I walk into Mount Chocorua, one of the communities in the Mountain View Nursing Home. It’s my first day volunteering there, leaving me feeling naturally a little overwhelmed. As I walked through the mountain-themed hallway, my nervousness set in as I had no idea what I was about to walk into.

The head nurse, Andrea, tries to get the aggravated woman to calm down. “Josie, relax. Just simmer down and watch some I Love Lucy before supper.” But Josie does not comply and instead proceeds to try to guide Virginia out of the common room, …show more content…

Unfortunately, I do not carry a hairbrush on me, so Andrea scurries off to find a clean one. I pour a glass of water and meet Andrea in the closet for the brush. She mouths “Good luck” to me as I walk nervously towards my personal hairdresser, who’s still jostling Virginia to leave her “living room” before her son arrives.

I hand Josie the necessary tools and position myself on the floor in front of her. I feel her start to maneuver the brush through my frizzy curls, firmly but gently, as to not rip my scalp off. She seems to have lost all interest in heckling Virginia, focusing all of her energy on making my hair look like something fresh out of Vogue. We sit like this for what seems like only ten minutes, chatting about everything from boys to World War II. I feel all of my anxiety and stress fade away as Josie manipulates my hair into an intricate braid while telling a charming story centered around her late husband.

Eventually, I hear Andrea call from the dining area. “Dinner is ready! And Molly, may I have a word with you?” I’m shocked when I glance at the clock to see that two hours have passed. Talking with Josie came so easily and naturally, like I was catching up with an old friend. I hug Josie goodbye and thank her for her hard work on my newly styled hairdo. To some, it may have just looked like an uneven braid, but to me and Josie, my hair resembled that of a glamorous

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