Flu Season

     Safe behind a wall of glass sat Ermyl, the lady who manned the fort at the local community center and  all the old men loved her. An eighty plus year old hottie is what she was, born and raised on a farm where work was her only friend. Her hair was dark and she didn't care that it should be gray because it made her feel pretty when it was colored besides that's how it was when her father was alive. She lived with her son and man was he lazy, how would he take care of her now that her eyes were going. Neither one of them drove much but they liked to cook and I always knew what she was fixing for dinner. Ermyl was afraid of catching the flu, so much that her bottle of hand sanitizer remained behind the wall of glass.
    After a long winded conversation with Ermyl, she would grumble, "Card! Slide your card under the window," where she would slather protective germ killer lotion on her wrinkled hands. This was prime timing to mention something about myself such as what I was cooking for dinner or how the tree in the front was loaded with apples, perfect for a Thanksgiving cobbler to which she'd reply, "uh huh, yea, ok now, goodbye~!"
   My old community center was torn down and replaced with a park. I don't think Ermyl is alive any more but we laugh often thinking about her. Thanksgiving is one day away, wash your hands, it's cold and flu season. Be kind to the relatives and your friends, don't throw up on anyone and remember to take turns telling tales.