And Comes The Fourth Generation – part 30

Selma lay in the hospital, visited by members of the church, a few of them, Board Members.

A number of the Members were livid that they had hired Selma in December, had paid her every month,  yet she had been incapacitated since January!

January!

Not one of these Board Members accepted any form of responsibility.  None had thought of stopping by Miriam House.  This negligence was standard in their lives.

Wondering what to do, one of them, with the loudest mouth, decided to have the woman who worked in the Church office,   Fran Alman, be deployed to the home each morning.

Who was there now?    The cleaner.

They spent the next day sharing their big ‘news’ among the other Board members.

Then they called Odette, the cleaner who toldl them that Selma’s brother was staying there.

This provoked more telephone calls  among the Board Members, each getting to express their opinion.  It was basically ‘how dare Don take advantage of the situation.’

They, the Board, paid for all utilities.  It was bad enough they had paid a salary to Selma, (plus utilities) from January to April for nothing, but now were paying for her brother.

They did not know that Joe and Don had arranged for Selma to return to Miriam House.

By the time they had called the other members, run their mouths, and appointed Van Barnes to inform Don that he could not stay at Miriam House, Selma had been returned.

Van Barnes stood in shock looking at Selma lying in a bed at Miriam House.

Don told Van he was flying out in a couple of hours and that he and John had hired nurses for Selma.

Van blasted that Selma must be moved to a hospice.

Don told him  he was cash strapped as was Joe.  If the Board was going to pay for it, fine.  If not…shoulder shrug.