Nurse?
Yes?
Would you be so kind to give a old man an audience for a moment?
Ok.
In the winter of my life, I went home.
Where would that be?
Pittsburgh, it was a cold place.
Well you did say it was winter
No child, that was a metaphor.
Oh.
It was cold, and unfamiliar to me.
How so?
Well, all the time I spent there throughout my long life, the old was respected.
What do you mean?
The buildings were old, but beautiful and they were preserved to tell their story, as were the people.
So what changed?
When I went home, everything was new. The old beautiful buildings were gone.
Gone?
Gone. They were replaced with plain buildings that bore no story. The people were younger then too.
Is that a bad thing?
No, not bad. Sad.
Why is it sad?
I didn’t recognize my home.
But surely one’s home is always recognizable.
Not for me, not anymore. It was alien to me. The beauty of my home had been removed.
I like the city.
You do?
Yes.
How old are you?
21. How old are you?
91.
Oh.
Thank you Nurse, for giving an old man an audience.
Are you going to sleep now sir?
Sir?