After Death Read Online Free PDF Page B

asked and Fernando couldn’t help but notice the genuine curiosity on his face.
    “Story is she got stood up at the altar when she was young. “ Fernando shrugged. “Who knows, might be bullshit.”
    They continued on, turned another corner in the worn maze of now beige tile against beige-walled hallways.
    A tall old man with long legs and longer arms that stuck out of a worn black suit approached them using his walker. He was one of the few patients not wearing hospital-issue pajamas and even went so far as to sport a wide-brimmed black felt hat tipped rakishly at an angle. Even in the threadbare suit, he somehow seemed dignified and almost stately.
    Fernando spoke quietly to Frank as the old man made slow progress towards them.
    “Here comes old Eli. See the earphones?”
    Frank waited for Eli to close the distance a bit and sure enough, there were the two thin wires discreetly running from his ears across the suit and connected to a large walkman clipped to his belt.
    “He loves rock and roll…” Fernando continued. “…listens to KHIT all the time. Walks down here same time, every day. Then goes back to his room, plays crossword puzzles. Guy’s great at crosswords. Kicks my ass every time.”
    Eli reached them and waved a veiny hand languidly towards Fernando in greeting. He fumbled at his walkman and finally managed to turn it off.
    “How ya doin’, Fernando?” He asked with a friendly smile.
    “Just hangin’, Eli. What about you, man?”
    Eli shrugged with an air of contentment. “Fine. Fine.”
    He leaned forward and peered at close range at Frank’s face for a moment, then turned back to Fernando and stared into his.
    “That your brother?”
    Fernando couldn’t help a laugh — after all; he was clearly a tan-skinned Mexican and Frank was even more clearly a straight-laced, pale-skinned, white guy.
    “No, he’s takin’ Rod’s job, Eli. Eli, this is Frank. Frank, Eli.”
    Eli extended a trembling hand and shook with Frank. Fernando watched Eli use the moment to further search Frank’s features, not letting go of his hand. Then he asked Frank almost jokingly:
    “Can think of a lot of places I’d rather be, Frank. What’s your excuse?”
    Frank smiled. “Just needed a job.” He replied but Fernando noticed a slight hint of awkwardness to his words — as if he was unsure of his answer or feeling guilty or..?
    If Eli noticed, he didn’t let on. He let go of Frank’s hand and stared at him, eyes twinkling.
    “Play crosswords, Frank?”
    Frank shrugged. “A little.”
    Eli flashed a big smile. “Room 14A. Be there or be square.”
    He gave Frank one last lingering look, tipped his hat, and winked. Fernando chuckled; the gauntlet had been thrown — He’d done the same challenge with Fernando when they’d first met.
    Eli continued on his way, the walker tap-tapping-tapping down the hall. Frank glanced after him then raised a questioning eyebrow towards Fernando. Fernando laughed and spoke softly.
    “He’s a trip, huh? Ready to meet some others?”
    Frank nodded. “Sure.”
    Fernando turned away and smiled — this Frank seemed like he meant it, he was starting to like him despite himself. He guessed that if this one stuck around a while, it’d be kind of cool to have someone to talk to on breaks. It was one thing to be friendly with the patients, it was another to have a fellow employee to hang with. After all, the fact of life with these people was that they were there for a reason. Most of them were very ill and on the way out. The average life expectancy once they were admitted was not more than two years for men, two and half for women. Fernando had seen so many come and go in his three years, he’d learned not to get too attached. Whenever he thought of that, he always thought of Scott Murphy.
    Scott Murphy had been, Fernando confirmed later, the oddest case in the history of the Westholme Convalescent Hospital. He’d been admitted at the startling age of 36, completely