Flash Fiction:LOOK AT ME, I'm in a terrible state. Big white lump of plaster on my leg. Don't know how that got there. Wait a minute, yes I do, my leg, all that blood, I suppose they're fixing it.
I’m in a hospital but I don’t know which one. They say I fell in the supermarket. If it was Tesco’s in Sandymount this would be St Vincent’s but if it was Lidl in Glasnevin it would be the Mater.
I know all the hospitals and I’m good at supermarkets too but they only asked me silly questions like what day it is and who is the president of Ireland. I don’t know, I told them, go and find out for yourself.
But the supermarkets, well, I know them all: H Williams, Superquinn, Spar, Tesco, Lidl and then there are the ones in England, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose. No one seems interested in supermarkets.
Doesn’t matter, they are all very kind and tell me I can go home soon only I don’t know where home is. I told them 17 Dagenham Road, London E10 but they said that can’t be right. Why I don’t know. I was getting a bit angry with them and then a nice man helped me fill in the forms and answer all their questions. He seemed to recognise me. Maybe he works in Tesco. Quite fancied him but he’d be too old for me.
Funny, the nurse said he was my husband. Silly girl, that can’t be right, he’s old enough to be my father. But he isn’t. I don’t know why they think he’s my husband.
I know I fell over and cut myself and broke my leg in the supermarket and now I’m in one of the hospitals. My mum will come and take me home soon. I wonder where she is.
Lovely girl came in with daffodils and asked me if I knew who she was.
Very sorry, I told her, give me a clue. She started to cry so I asked her to leave. She said she’d come back but I told her not to bother as I’d be going soon. I don’t know what’s keeping Mum.
I don’t know when I’m going to get some food. It’s two o’clock and I haven’t had anything since yesterday. They must have forgotten me. When I shouted they took no notice, they told me to be quiet and said I had my dinner half an hour ago, but that’s a lie.
They all have Irish accents here, all except the foreign doctor. I can’t understand him at all. He asked me my name and I said everyone knows their name, that’s easy. I know my name I told him. I told the girl already, it’s Vera, named after Vera Lynn I am.
My mum loves her, she’s beautiful. She sings that song – we’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when, don’t know . . . don’t know . . . don’t know . . .
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