Glori Bee’s Fever A to Z Blogging Challenge

Blogging from A to Z Challenge
April 2015
This month I will be participating in the “Blogging from A-Z Challenge”

What is it?

I will be Blogging everyday beginning on April First with a topic themed on something with the letterA, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until I finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.   The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.

My theme will be short fictional (well mostly fictional) stories about women.  Each woman’s name will begin with the appropriate letter of the alphabet for that day.
All of the women will have the common life experience of a loss of some type.
I invite you, Dear reader, to comment on how you interpret the loss.

Glori Bee

Glori Bee was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard knocking on her door.  
“Glori Bee?”  
Gloria Bee recognized the voice.  It was the day nurse, Patty.  She was Glori Bee’s favorite nurse.    
Patty was a plump cheerful woman with kind brown eyes and a friendly smile.  
“You have visitors,”  Patty called out. 
Glori Bee opened the door.  
Coming into the room with her arms out stretched the tall pretty woman said, “Hello Auntie.”
Embracing her niece, Glori Bee said, “Why Kayla, I’m so happy to see you.” 
Glori Bee seemed puzzled when she looked at the man who was standing by Kayla’s side.  
“This is Daniel, Auntie.”   “You remember, don’t you?”  
Daniel and Kayla had recently gotten married. 
Glori Bee smiled and said, “Of course I do.”   “Hello Daniel”
But, Glori Bee had no idea who this Daniel was.  Of course that was not surprising since Kayla had been married twice, or was it three times before?  Glori Bee wasn’t sure. 
Gloria Bee was a youthful 80 years old.  Well, she would be 80 in a few days.  They were throwing her a big party.   That was the reason for her niece’s visit.  
Kayla looked around the room.  
Glori Bee’s room did not look like any of the other rooms in the Pleasant Valley nursing home. 
Even though she was sure that she was only going to be there for a short while, Glori Bee had insisted that she must have all of her most precious belongings with her. 
Framed art work hung on the walls.  Originals, painted, sketched, penned and inked by Glori Bee.   
Kayla noticed a child’s coloring book and crayons on the small white desk.   
Glori Bee proudly displayed several completed colored-in pages on a cork board above the desk.   Pictures of clowns, animals, and houses were enhanced by her own interpretation of color. 
Her bed was neatly made and topped with a hand stitched blue and white patchwork quilt made by her dear mama.  A pair of blue boudoir chairs were cozily placed opposite each other under the single window. 
Tall and slender with skin the color of milk chocolate, Glori Bee was still a beauty.   She continued to dress in the fashionable and classy way that defined her unique style. 
Early on in the day, she was at her best.  That was when she had the clarity to realize that she could no longer care for herself.  
But as the day wore on, Glori Bee’s mind would tire and wander back to other times.  She became prickly and would bristle.  She repeatedly urged Nurse Patty to help her pack up her things so that she would be ready to go home. 
Nurse Patty made sure she was available at those times to reassure Glori Bee that it would be better for her to pack up her things in the morning after she was rested. 
It had become the daily routine. 
On Patty’s days off, the other duty nurses were not as kind or patient.  They recommended to the board that Glori Bee’s room be emptied of her things so that it would adhere to the standard starkness of all of the other resident rooms. 
They claimed that it took too much of their time to monitor Glori Bee when she fell into her panicky state and started to pull things off her wall and beg for her suitcases.
She was happy this morning.  She was excited about her party and looked forward to being with her family and friends. 
Kayla asked Glori Bee if she had picked out her birthday dress.  
Gloria Bee told her that she was going to wear her favorite silver sequined gown.  The one she wore the last time she performed at the Knitting Factory. 
Glori Bee’s creativity was not only evident in her artwork but she was also an accomplished jazz singer and musician.
It was what happened that last time she performed that she could no longer deny that something was wrong.
She didn’t remember exactly what happened.  The details were fuzzy.   One moment she was on stage, sitting at the piano, singing a sultry rendition of “Fever” and the next thing she recalled were the people all around her calling her name.
They told her that it was only for a minute.  That for a minute she just stopped singing.
It was as if she forgot where she was.  That’s what they told her.
She had to stop making excuses for her behavior after that incident.  She could no longer chalk up the memory losses and forgetfulness to “I’m just getting older, that’s all it is.”
But now, more and more often Glori Bee’s mind would wander, her thoughts would trail away and she would become still and silent.
Kayla asked her aunt how she liked her new home.  She oohed and awwed about what a wonderful job Glori Bee had done decorating her room.
Glori Bee began telling her niece a story about how the neighbors where she used to live had told a lie about Glori Bee.
“Imagine, that,”she said.  “They told my daughter Aubrey that I was out in the middle of the night in my bed clothes.”
“That’s how I wound up here, you know,” Glori Bee said.
“But, I’m getting better.”  “I’ll be able to go home, soon.”
Kayla nodded her head and said, “I know, Auntie, I know you will.”