“No,” he said, “we were definitely shitty to you.”
She laughed. “Whatever. I had my own problems, so I wasn’t getting sucked into yours.”
“We as a group definitely had a problem,” he said. “So it’s good that we’re all getting along much better now.”
“Yeah. It’s a good thing,” she said cheerfully. “Who has time for all that anyway?”
“Right,” he said, shaking his head. He stepped forward, opened the door, and she walked in past him.
“Thanks,” she said, with a cheeky grin. As they walked up to the reception desk, Kate identified herself. “Hello, we’re here to see Jan Spiller.”
The woman looked at her in surprise. “I’ll see where she is right now,” she said, then got up and walked into the back.
“What do you think she’s checking?” Rodney asked her.
“The schedule maybe, who knows. Maybe she’s trying to figure out which resident it is.”
When the woman came back, she had a chart. “It looks like she is outside in the backyard.”
“I saw a couple ladies sitting off to the side,” Kate said, as she turned and studied the big window behind her. “We need to know which one she is, so could somebody take us out there, please?” She used a more informal tone of voice, looking for cooperation instead of trying to make this formal. But, at the same time, she wasn’t about to go around talking to several residents trying to find the one they were looking for.
“Yes, of course,” she said, “just a moment.” She called over an aide, and when the gentleman arrived, she said, “Could you take these two out to meet with Jan Spiller, please?”
He nodded. “Sure, she’s outside having tea,” he said. “Follow me.”
They followed him back outside, and Kate could really appreciate the fact that the residents had lots of fresh air, big open doors, and lots of light. “Are the residents generally happy here?” she asked.
He nodded. “We have very little turnover,” he said, “outside of the expected.”
At that, she raised an eyebrow in question.
He shrugged. “Most of them leave in an ambulance.”
She nodded. “I guess it goes with the age group, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” he said. “Jan is no problem. She’s easy to get along with and always has a friendly smile on her face.”
“Good.”
“Is there a problem?” he asked hesitantly.
“Nope, not at all,” Kate said. “Just need to ask her some questions.”
He nodded. “I hope you don’t upset her. She does take a long time to calm down.”
“What things would upset her?” Kate asked in surprise.
“It’s hard to say but usually her family.”
“Oh, that’s great,” she said. “Because we definitely have some family questions involved.”
He winced. “Would you object if I hung around? She might feel better.”
“Nope, we’re not asking anything private,” she said.
“Okay, good. Maybe I’ll do that then.”
As they approached, he walked up and said, “Hello, Jan. How are you doing today?”