Love at the Roller Rink...part 2

I first met Roberta on July 27th, my first month at the First Time Widows Senior Apartments, or the F.T.W. in the future. It was love at first sight when she set her sails on Bob and even though he could skate rings around her, it did produce a an eternal ring-which she proudly wears today......We met again this past Sunday and had long two hour chat in the steaming Library of the Five Points Apartment building. The third floor library sits on the third floor and is wired for air-conditioning but it is no  longer in use. The sofa chair's light fixture is there for show only.... Roberta is petite and thin, ever so thin and wiry. She is constantly removing the mucus from her nose since the rooms with southern exposure hold the humidity and mold inside. 

 "See You've combed your hair and you are right on time at three."
  "I combed it just for you George."
  "How are things going?" 
   "I can't stand the Bank of America. I wanted to remove my money and the dingbat teller told me I had to wait until the seventh of the month. The nerve.  Don't they respect seniors anymore. Back in the day, the banks respected us and the tellers spoke good English.
     "I wished to transfer my money to Chase. I can walk to Chase down the street and they treat me a lot better. I never carry money and don't need to since social security sends my rent to the apartment. Also, my groceries  last a month. I still walk three miles a day, but not one step more." 
     She wipes her nose time and time again since the apartments probably need cleaning and are host to mold. Yet she is still livid and vibrant.
   "Tell me more about your husband and where you first lived." 
     "Like I told you, I kissed Bob on our fist date. I have never felt the same for any other man. Since the age of seven her worked as laying floors. He continued even when we moved to California." 
      'You told me that you worked as a nurse. Where?"
      "I worked at the Veterans Administration here for fourteen years. I dealt with many patients with memory problems and saw some die on my lap." 
      "What is the one thing you would like changed in Huntington Beach?" 
       "Transportation stinks here, just like our president. I can never go when I wish to go but go and only when the shuttle is available."
   "What do you remember as a kid growing up in Utica?"
   " My Mom watched us do the dishes, all seven of us. I was the first born and then came the twins. We set them on a rack to dry. One broken dish meant a strap from my Mom who watched us work." 
    'Dad distributed the Union Syracuse newspaper and was always relocating us to set up a new distribution area. Since we had only two bedrooms, Dad watched over us and made sure that we went to sleep and didn't fool around." 
    "But as I told you George, It was my mother-in-law I remember the most. She was gorgeous and I admire how she took care of her fifteen kids and husband without any fanfare or emotion. She had  a job to do and she did it."
    "Anytime her husband came home late from the local tavern, he would crash beside the door. She would carry the lug inside and put him to sleep and awaken him for work in the morning." 
     "How often do your seven kids see you?" 
      "They don't and I have to watch my money!"
    I returned her to her humid apartment on the second floor and decided to head for the beach. The apartment library was too hot. 
    I parked on Main and took my book on World War 2 with me. My spot is under the pier and close enough to watch the surfers skim the ten footers. Too bad I never learned to surf. Next time I will bring food and a drink with me. It is one place to forget about time. 
   By and by, the Widows apartments are the Five Points off of Main and Florida Streets.