The Grumpy Old Man

Bridget had been a Community Carer for 10 years now, and had a reputation for winning the most difficult of people over with her wit and patience. The work involved caring for mainly elderly people within their own homes.

It was Monday morning, and Bridget had called into the office to collect her rota for the forthcoming week.

She knocked on the door marked "Janet James, Care Coordinator."
hearing a voice call "Come in" she entered the office.

"Ah! Bridget, here's your rota, you'll find a new one on it. Gentleman called Morris Jones, I've put his notes in the folder for you to look through."

"Thanks Janet, see you Friday."

"Bye Bridget."

Sitting in her car, she looked through the notes for Morris Jones, which said that he was a 70 year old man, who at the last count had five cats. The Warden had referred him as she felt he was neglecting himself.

Apparently, very stubborn and very much a loner, he had refused to allow the Warden into his house for almost a month now.

He lived in a pensioner’s bungalow on an estate, which had previously housed coal miners and their families. Unfortunately, since the closure of the local pit the close-knit community spirit had been lost.

70-year-old Morris had no family, he had been married to his wife Emily for 45 years but she had died eighteen months previously. There had been no children.

The closing note said "We have to get a foot in the door here."

Under normal circumstances, a Social Worker would have visited to complete an assessment. The notes showed that there had been several attempted visits, but each time Morris had not let them over the doorstep.

Driving along the road, Bridget suddenly had a thought; she pulled her car in at the local shop, a few minutes later she was back in her car.

Parking outside the house, she saw the usual curtain twitching from the neighbours, some of them she already knew.

Mrs Johnson, who lived three doors up, immediately opened her front door and called to Bridget.

“Good morning Bridget, are you coming to see me?”

“No, not today Mrs Johnson.” she said as she made her way to Morris’s gate.

“Be careful in there Bridget, he’s a nasty piece of work, curses and swears at everybody.”

Bridget noticed that the garden was overgrown, and the lace curtains at the windows were grey and tattered.

There were a couple of cats stretched out on a bench, they looked at her lazily as she passed by, but made no attempt to approach her.

She knocked at the rear door, and stood for a few minutes but there was no reply, she knocked again. Although this time, she heard some movement inside the house, there was no attempt to answer the door. Bending down she shouted through the letterbox, “Hello, Mr Jones! Are you there?” No response.

Moving around to the front door she knocked again, but to no avail.

Trying the rear door again, she knocked several times, eventually she heard a key turn in the lock and the door opened very slightly, a small face with an enormous white bushy beard appeared in the opening.

“What do you want?” he shouted gruffly.

“Hello Mr Jones, my names Bridget”

“What do you want?”

“I’ve just popped in to see if you are okay, your Warden’s concerned, she’s not seen you for a while.”

“I’m fine, bugger off and leave me alone!”

“Could I just come in and speak to you for a minute please?”

“No! Bugger off!”

“Okay, but I will keep calling until I see you properly Mr Jones.”

“Humph!”

Bridget crossed the garden to the bench where the cats lay. “Hello puss.” she said, putting her hand into her pocket and taking out a couple of cat treats. Offering them to the cats in her open hand she put her other hand out to stroke them but they backed off.

“Its okay, I won’t hurt you.” Sitting on the bench she offered a couple more treats to the cats and they moved gingerly forward, taking them from her hand.

“What are you doing to my cats!” bellowed an angry voice from the now open kitchen window.

“Just saying hello.”

“They don’t like strangers!”

Just at that the big tabby cat jumped up onto Bridget’s knee, nosing around her pocket.

“Well, hello there, you want a few more?”

“What are you giving them?”

“Just a few cat treats.”

Bridget spent a few minutes with the cats and they eventually allowed her to stroke them. They were a little unkempt and skinny; the second cat had long hair, which had become quite matted, in places.

She heard footsteps moving towards her but did not lift her head from the cats, as she continued cooing and stroking them.

“Let me see what you are giving them!”

Looking up, Bridget saw a little man with long white hair and an equally long beard; his shirt was very grubby and stained. His trousers were shabby, and dirty, the slippers poking out from the bottom of them were threadbare.

Taking the packet of cat treats from her pocket she offered them to Morris.

“See, this is all I’m giving them.”

“What are you here for?”

“I explained to you before Mr Jones, your Warden was concerned about you, you’ve not been letting her in when she’s called to check in on you.”

“Nosey old Biddy! She just wants to know everybody’s business so she can go and gossip!”

“Mr Jones, it’s her job to make sure you’re okay, she had to report that she hadn’t seen you.”

“You got cat’s?”

“No, I have a dog, how many cats do you have?”

“Why do you want to know? You’re not going to take them off me!”

“Why would I want to do that, I’m just making conversation?”

“Well, you’ve seen me and my cats so now you can Bugger off!”

“Okay Mr Jones, but I will call back tomorrow. Is there anything you need? I could call to the shop on my way over if you like.”

“Don’t want anything!”

“Not even cat food?”

Bridget saw him hesitate for a moment, before the piercing blue eyes looked at her again.

“Well, maybe they could do with some fresh fish, not had any of that for a long time.”

“That’s fine it’s market day tomorrow I’ll bring you some.”

“You’ll need some money, stay there and I’ll bring it out to you.”

Bridget left with a smile on her face, round two tomorrow she thought.

The next day Bridget called at the fish stall then made her way down to Morris’s bungalow with the parcel.

Walking down the path, she heard the rear door unlocking, by the time she’d got there Morris was standing on the doorstep waiting for her.

“Morning Mr Jones, how are you today?”

“Don’t think you can get round me that easily woman! You’re not getting in my house! Where’s my fish?”

“Here you are just as I promised, its very fresh and there’s enough for you and the cats.”

Bridget passed the parcel to him together with his change.

“Hmph!”

“Bye then, see you tomorrow Mr Jones.”

Bridget turned away and walked up the path.

“I’m putting the kettle on, I suppose you could have a drink, but it will be in the garden, go sit on the bench and I’ll bring it out to you.”

He disappeared into the house and Bridget went to the bench and sat herself down, the cats from the previous day were sitting there and eagerly nuzzled up to her pocket.

“You two have good memories” she said as she put her hand into her pocket and took out some treats.

There was a sudden crash and a shout from inside the house! Bridget dashed to the door.

“Mr Jones! Are you okay?”

There was a loud groaning noise coming from inside, Bridget stepped inside the door and saw Morris lying in a heap very still. He had fallen and hit his head on a cupboard, blood was streaming down his face, there was also a nasty blister beginning to appear on his left forearm, where he had spilled the contents of the kettle.

Bridget took her mobile from her pocket and dialled 999. “Ambulance please, I have a 70 year old man who has had a fall, he is unconscious and has a laceration to the back of his head and a scald to his left arm.”

She gave his name and address and was told that an ambulance was on its way.It seemed an age before they arrived, but in fact it only took a few minutes.

Morris was taken to hospital; Bridget was left wondering how to manage the situation. Looking around she saw that the small bathroom window was open.” He must leave that for the cats to go in and out.” she said out loud, not a great idea but what else could she do.

She left the house, taking the fish and locking the door behind her.

After she had finished her other calls she took the fish home, cooked it, went round to the house again and left the fish in dishes at the back door for the cats.

She arrived at the Hospital just as Morris was being taken to the Ward; she followed him up and asked the Ward Sister if she could see him. “Just for a few minutes then, he is still a little dazed, he has been shouting about his key and his cats.”

Bridget went up to the bed and saw Morris lying there very pale and drawn; he had a dressing to his head and arm.

Opening his eyes as she moved closer, he said, “ Where is my key! Why did you send me here? What’s going to happen to my cats! I knew you’d be trouble! I shouldn’t have let you into my life, things were much simpler when it was just me and the cats!”

“Here’s your key, I’ve left the window open for the cats, and I took the fish home, cooked it and took it back to your house. I didn’t go in, just left dishes at the back door.”

“Hmph! Go away and don’t come back!”

Bridget left the Ward and on her way called into the office to speak to the nurse in charge.

“I’ll leave my number if you need to contact me, he’ll worry about the cats if he’s here for any length of time.”

Bridget continued to call at the house over the next three days to feed the cats and leave them fresh water, they began to get used to her and after the second day they were sitting waiting for her, when she arrived.

Later that day, she had a call from the Hospital.

“Is that Bridget? Could you come up to the Ward please, Morris is causing havoc! We’ve tried everything but he won’t listen to us, insists he wants to go home, we can’t keep him against his will.”

“I’ll be right up” she said.

As she arrived at the Ward she could hear loud shouting. “Get me out of here! You can’t make me stay, I want to go home!”

As she suspected it was Morris.

“You! Take me home!” he shouted at her.

“Calm down Mr Jones, let me talk to you without shouting.”

“Do as I say! Get me out of here!”

“I’m doing nothing until you calm down!”

“ Well bugger off then, I don’t need you anyway!”

“That’s fine, bye.”

“Come here!”

“Look Mr Jones you either calm down and I’ll stay, or continue to shout and I’m going home!”

He sank back onto the bed, breathless and pale.

“You’re not well enough to go home Mr Jones, how are you going to look after yourself and your cats?”

“I’ve been here three days now, they’ll be starving to death!”

“No they’re not, I’ve been everyday to feed them and leave fresh water.”

“I don’t believe you! They don’t like people! They won’t eat anything you give them!”

“Yes they have, the dishes have been empty everyday I’ve called.”

“Smudge definitely won’t go near strangers!”

“Is she the white cat with an eye missing? She was very timid for the first two days, but she was sitting on the doorstep today with the other four when I arrived.”

“Well I never!”

“Everything is fine Mr Jones, you must be patient and stay here for another few days until you are strong enough to go home again. I promise I will look after the cats and come to collect you when the medical staff say you are fit enough.”

“Hmph! Suppose I don’t have much option do I? And the names Morris! So stop calling me MR JONES!”

Bridget continued to feed the cats over the next week and to pop into the Ward to see Morris.

When she arrived one afternoon, he was sitting in the chair beside his bed actually smiling at her as she walked towards him.

“They say I can go home tomorrow, but I’ve got to have someone calling in for the next few weeks to check on me. Will that be you?”

“I can do that if that’s what you want.”

“Hmph!”

“I’ll call back tomorrow, around two, to pick you up.”

“Hmph!”

Bridget called to feed the cats again the next morning, after she’d finished her rounds she called to pick up Morris.

“Where are my clothes? Someone has taken them!”

“Calm down! I have them here. They were covered in blood, I took them home to wash them.”

“Hmph!”

Half an hour later Bridget was on her way back with Morris sitting beside her. As they pulled up outside the house she noticed the usual curtain twitching.

“Nosey old Parkers look at them!” said Morris.

“Take no notice, come on lets get you into the house.”

Walking down the path, Morris noticed that someone had moved into the house next door.

“Another nosey parker no doubt!” he grumbled.

“Actually it is a lovely old man, his name’s Arthur. I’ve been in this morning to help him with his breakfast and to make the fire.”

“Hmph!”

Five cats ran towards them as they went around to the back of the house, rubbing their heads against them both.

“They seem to like you after all” said Morris.

Several weeks went by, Bridget called every morning to see Morris, he actually smiled now when she arrived and chatted quite amiably about the cats, his wife and life in general.

Bridget introduced him to the new man next door, the two of them began taking it in turns to visit each other, and have a cup of tea together in the afternoons.

“You’re like a couple of old women sitting there” she laughed one day when she called and found them tucking into tea and cakes and playing cards.

Morris had allowed her to tidy the place up bit by bit, it was looking much more homely. Bridget had washed all his clothes, and even managed to coax him to have his beard and hair cut. She was collecting his pension and doing the shopping on weekly basis now, with the result both Morris and the cats were looking much healthier.

One morning, she arrived to find Morris trying to wrap something up. “Bugger!” he said as she stepped into the room.

“What’s wrong Morris? Can I help?”

“Here!” He said, as he roughly pushed a package into her hands.

“What’s this?”

“Its for you.”

Bridget unwrapped the parcel to find a beautifully carved figure of a cat. “This is lovely, where did you get it?”

“Made it myself, I’ve always liked carving, do you like it?”

“Hmph!” Bridget said.

They both looked at one another and burst out laughing. Morris’s startling blue eyes twinkled at her as he said. “Thank you.”

Another difficult customer dealt with she thought happily as she drove home with her carved cat sitting on the passenger seat beside her.