Found

“And then what happened?” asked Miss Brenda, her eyes wide as Viv unexpectedly plied her with the day’s exploits. They sat together at the vintage red Formica table in Miss Brenda’s very dated, but incredibly homey kitchen in her tiny war-time bungalow. “You know I shouldn’t have told you any of this right?” “I know nothing my dear, and the things I do know I’ll take to my grave. No one believes a blathering old lady anyway. Plus, I told you all about my day! I started my tomato seeds and I’m crocheting a new baby blanket for my great grandniece. It’s only proper to tell me about your day. Besides if you didn’t want me to know you had a very bloody call, you should have washed your watch band before joining me for dinner. I always tell you to wash up.” She looked at Viv with playful indignance. Viv laughed, “Fine you win, but only because you’re feeding me! This is the best cabbage roll casserole I’ve ever had. And did I see new cookies on the counter?” “Yes yes, you know they are for you. Snickerdoodles, your favorite. Now tell me the rest!” Miss Brenda was in her 80s but acted as though she were in her 50s. Her petite stature and short curly white bob made her the perfect huggable grandma. The first day Viv moved in across the street, Miss Brenda had marched across the road with a tin of cookies and instructions to come over for a plate of food when she had finished for the day. It had started a beautiful friendship despite the 55-year age gap. Viv got up, put the kettle on and brought the container of cookies to the table. “Right, so we got the guy to the hospital alive, and I warned the doc that all his upper airway anatomy had been re-arranged, and there was no way they would be able to tube him, you know like an endotracheal tube they put down someone’s throat all the time in shows and movies.” “Yes yes I know, hurry up girl, you are going to give me apoplexy if I don’t hear what happened!” “Well, some docs can’t be told anything. We flipped the patient onto his back and then he almost drowned in his own blood, despite the constant suctioning, while the doc took his sweet time to come to the same conclusion that there was no normal anatomy and no way to tube him. They ended up doing a tracheotomy. We stayed to be their transfer crew to the trauma centre. And in the meantime, a cousin had showed up in the waiting room and said that buddy had borrowed his ATV minus a helmet and met a tree branch with his face. Explains the leaf I found inside his nasal sinus.” Viv gave a nonchalant shrug and grabbed 2 cookies. “Anywho, we did a very quick transport to the trauma centre and last I heard he was still alive.” The first snickerdoodle was already devoured before Miss Brenda answered. “You, my dear, have nothing on those TV soaps. I feel like I need to catch my breath just hearing that madness! Oh, speaking of madness, that reminds me, your little friend Maddie came by today with all her little babies. She said she thought you were off today, but I told her you were on an overtime shift. She dropped off a surprise for you and I tucked it in the front living room. Give me a minute.” Miss Brenda made to get up from her chair; Viv almost stopped her, to offer get it but she remembered their deal. Miss Brenda would ask for help if she needed it; otherwise, Vivienne could mind her own business. If she didn’t, she had been informed in no uncertain terms that the cookie-train would come to an abrupt end. There was no way she would risk termination of cookie benefits.