Blue

Old woman’s in again. Four o’clock appointment as usual. Talks to her a bit, she likes to talk to someone, the nurse thinks. Children don’t contact her anymore, husband died ten years back. Like the nurse cares, but she’s got to smile and play nice otherwise someone’ll have a go at her for not doing her job properly. The old woman speaks about her dog – God she loves that dog. Talks about him twenty four seven, ‘til all the nurse wants to do is scream at her to shut up, shut up, shut up because she doesn’t care and she just wants to give her the goddamn injection.

She comes in again next Tuesday, and her face is even more wrinkled, even more drawn than usual, and the nurse hopes she never gets that fucking old. Turns out her dog’s dead. Some inconsiderate, young hooligan was driving too fast down the road and whacked the creature into a wall. All blood and broken bones, the dog was, and the driver didn’t even stop. Did she see anything? No, no, she didn’t catch the number plate, but it was a blue Honda Civic, and if she ever finds that horrible child...

She leaves with a tremulous smile, and the nurse rolls her eyes at her back, and waits for her shift to end. At six, she hurries out of the hospital and into the car park, and there she gets into her blue Honda Civic and drives away without a glance back.