Mom, in Her Dementia, Steals Oranges

by Sally Bellerose

and apples, mackintosh mostly, but any kind left in The Pub
at the Assisted Living Place
                                         She lost her son to kidney cancer
The oranges are navel with the thick peel, or sometimes clementine
Bananas she steals at any stage of ripeness
                                         She lost her husband, back and forth they went, to dialysis, for years
The fruit, free for the taking
is not meant to be liberated in unlimited quantity
                                         Fruit flies are her roommates now
The residential director speaks to me about Mom’s pilfering
A sign appears in The Pub: Choose one. Leave the rest for others to enjoy
                                         Mom loses Jeanne, the last of her close friends
The oranges from the tiered fruit bowl in the activities room go missing
Mom smiles and sits on fermenting citrus stashed in the compartment
                                         under her walker

Sally Bellerose, a retired RN, essayist, short story writer, and poet, has two published novels The Girls Club, 2011 and Fishwives, 2021. Class, sex, illness, the absurdity of life, and lately, growing old, fascinate Sally. As an author, Sally loves to mess with awkward emotion and is drawn to humor and transcendence.