Patricia Tay
Bio
An average human stumbling through life.
Stories (2/0)
Hope, KS
Nothing good ever happened in Hope, Kansas. To be fair, nothing terribly bad happened either. Hope was just a run-of-the-mill small town in the middle of America with a Walmart, a Dairy Queen, and a Main Street that had seen better days. Most of the residents of Hope worked either at the Walmart or on one of the local farms - Davey’s Turkey Farm or Macon’s Dairy Farm. Some traveled out to towns like Abilene or Chapman to sell cars or tractors at the dealerships or wait tables at the Applebee’s or Chili’s. Hope was shrinking, to be sure. Job growth over the past decade was in the negative numbers. None of the young people wanted to stay past high school, and those who could, left within three months of graduation to attend college or to find jobs in Topeka or Kansas City.
By Patricia Tay3 years ago in Humans
Your Closet
Six years ago over a warm, sunny Memorial Day weekend, we watched you die in the bright hospice room that Pop had found for you with a view of the rose garden. I hadn't seen you in a couple months, busy in L.A. with your two lively grandchildren and a full life. We spent Easter with you at Andria’s. You were very thin then, but still yourself. When I walked in and saw you, just skin and bones, six weeks later, it felt like someone punched me in the gut. I hadn't known you were actually going to die, organs failing hour-by-hour. I had planned so many questions and conversations in my head on my five-hour drive up from Los Angeles. But when I got there, you weren't able to speak. Just barely whispers, asking for tea that you couldn't swallow.
By Patricia Tay3 years ago in Families