Details about A Funny Kind of Paradise by Jo Owens
A Funny Kind of Paradise by Jo Owens – Mary has the other bed with a window, but while my head is at the north wall, hers is on the south, so we face each other. Mary is the quintessential little old lady, with her permed hair in stiff white curls, her dentures, and a tissue up the sleeve of her cardigan. She is the darling, everyone’s favourite, loved for her smile and her sunny nature. She was still walking with the help of the activity aides when I first came here, but she’s on the slow slide, and no one would ever try to transfer her now without the overhead lift. She stiffened up gradually, and she talks a little less every day. We, her roommates, are grateful that she’s passed the stage of calling out constantly, “Hey, are you here for me?” thinking that someone was coming to take her home to her mama. Mind you, we do miss some of the more innovative excuses the staff used to try to convince her that her mother wasn’t going to be too worried about her whereabouts. “You’re so considerate of your mama!” they would coo on a good day. “Your mama knows you’re here and she’s glad you’re safe.”