Station four and bed 135 B lies my brother Mel. Next to him in bed A lies Bill, wearing diapers " George, nobody picked me up on Monday...I am in terrible pain, and Bill will not stop talking. Can you help me?"
"Brought you two turkey legs and ice berg lettuce for dinner. I will see what I can do for you."
Mel still has not had his brain infection cured. It all began at the Pacific Spartan Senior Center with a Dr. Jennings giving him ear drops for the ear problem. A Dr. Nassir took over at the Sea Cliff Health Center and has done nothing. A Dr. Craig had called me over one and a half years ago to have his ear problem taken care of.
When I asked Nurse Ruby why Mel did not go to his appointment she replied, the shuttle did not arrive. Just maybe the doctor did not wish to deal with Medical, as they seldom pay the going rate.
"Well Ruby, you don't need to worry about the shuttle. I now have Access and can take Mel anywhere in Orange County. In fact, I can take Mel to Santa Ana and he too can own an Access card. Start to make appointments this minute for his eye doctor and also ear one."
Ruby has a puzzled look on her face and is now writing down the names of some doctors, while I go back to Mel's room and tell him what has expired. He has already eaten the peach and orange I brought him.
"Mel, will get you either a New Yorker from Vons or turkey legs."
"Thanks George, can you help me eat. I am blind."
My best friend at the Surf City Senior Center told me that their job was to fill beds and not to cure patients. I am sure now that the Sea Cliff is a death camp. I interrupted a meeting of nurses and told them of what I thought, but know we need to change the way these people are miss treated by providing no treatment at all.
It took all of four buses but I made it to the Surf City Senior Center. I needed to deflect my anger at the Sea Cliff for something better and found it at the back table. Jake is a 92 year old veteran whose wife Delores passed away a few months ago.
"I signed up in the Navy and my first ship was a sub chaser. We used sonar to track the Japanese subs and were never hit by any of them. I served in the Pacific theater of the war and also served on a landing craft."
"We shipped sailors to different islands and later removed the Japanese trucks from their ships after the war. At Tokyo Bay, we drove the trucks to shore and I will always remember what greeted us. s..There were Japanese soldiers wearing swords and they gave us such a look. My home base was Manila, and I'll never forget how its heated humidity."
Our lunches came and to my delight there were two drum sticks, sliced carrots, a succulent mashed potatoes and jello. The food eased the pain felt for my brother.
"I stayed in Manila until 1947 and returned to my home in San Antonio to see my parents I took Delores, my new wife along with me. She had a sister living in California and I was able to hook up with Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica. I worked there and in their plants in El Segundo and Long Beach. They built jets and bombers during and after the war."
A smile came over the little man's frame as good food and talk milk the pain away, or make it more digestible. Jake told me that he had three kids and the last one, a girl, takes care of him. She lives in the Magic Mountain area of California.
"I still see my wife everywhere. We married for 62 years and see her everyday I cared for her for eight years during her bout with Alzheimer's. She died only a few months ago...Will bring you pictures of her next time I see you."
Lunch now over at eleven thirty, I ambled to the piano to play a few songs and left soon after to write this.
Nuts and Bolts: Call 714 847 3515 to register a complaint at the Sea Cliff Health Center
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