Ophelia : A story of a private high school girl

Not so slow today

Ophelia stopped on her track when she saw her friend, Bianca, sitting by herself on the hallway of the nursing home. She decided to approach her, since Bianca also has an unusual expression on her face. As if something bothering her and make her sad. "Hey, why are you sitting here by yourself?"

"Ophelia..". The brunette curious, this is so rare to see Bianca acted like this. "It's Ruth.."

"Did she scold you again?" Bianca shook her head then begin to tell what she saw earlier.

Bianca groaned in annoyed seeing this place once again, it's probably only two hours a day attending the seniors, but it sure time goes so slow in this nursing home. Luckily, it's their last week on what Rosalind called 'rehabilitation program', she cannot wait to just end it already. Don't get her wrong, she liked helping and accompanying the seniors, only one she dislikes, that RUTHless old woman who kept asking and saying ridiculous things towards Bianca, with her usual complaining tone to the 'youth nowadays'.

"Huh?". Bianca surprised when she saw someone visiting Ruth today, she never thought that lady still have family member. They are talking at the table and it looks like they are having serious debate.

"Please..can you just take them for one day honey?". Ruth's tone and expression were begging, Bianca never saw her like that before.

The woman who clearly her daughter shook her head, the irritated sigh was clearly show that it's not the first time Ruth asking for it. "I can't, they are busy with school. I'll tell them you miss them when I get back"

"But please, this is my birthday. I want to see my grandchildren, before i..before I,-"

"Before you die? Come on mom, you've been saying that thing for the past five years and you still alive.."

What the fuck?!. Bianca frowned, even though Ruth can be very troublesome but why she's saying thing like that towards her own mother?

But Ruth didn't retaliate or angry, instead she looks even more sad. "Can't you just take me to your home? Just for a month please, I want to live with you.."

"Are you forget?! As soon as I turned eighteen, you kicked me out from home! You didn't even care if I have a stable job or not! I.was.homeless!"

"I'm sorry honey, but it's your father,-"

"Father is dead! Don't blame a dead person for something you actually could prevent! You never fight for me, mom! You're always cowering in front of that abusive man! And now what? He left you with tons and tons of debts! And who's the one helping you pay for it? ME!". The woman got up briskly still muttering under her breath. "You're lucky I still pay for you to be here, or else you could end up just like me on the street!". She stomped a card onto the table before finally leave. "Happy birthday!"

"I think she still crying in her room now". Bianca informed after telling the story.

"Wow, no wonder Ruth the way she is now, she got so many things on her shoulder". Ophelia commented.

Bianca nodded. "I guess, that's how some family treated one another in the past? I mean women didn't really had a saying back then. What was it called? Bartender syndrome?"

"Bystander"

Bianca hummed. "I want to help her Ophelia, no matter how many times we argued. That old lady was actually nice and quite fragile"

"Sure, but how?"

~~

Bianca knocked on Ruth's door, when she heard the weak voice inside, she entered deliberately. There Ruth, sitting on the writing table back facing her. Bianca felt so sure that the old lady was wiping her tears. "Oh it's you.." Ruth immediately put up her usual façade. "Why are you still here? Aren't your 'detention' thing already ended one hour ago?". Bianca let her self to sit on the old woman's bed. "And why are you so rude? I didn't let you,-"