The Time Bank: A Story of Elderly Care

In a world where time is the most valuable commodity, people can deposit and withdraw time from a centralized time bank

As the young girl entered the house, she greeted Miss Marta, "Hello Miss Marta, I've come a quarter of an hour earlier today. I hope you don't mind if I leave a quarter of an hour earlier than usual to make it in time for my first day at Mr. Jonas'. He lives near the monastery and it's quite a distance from here. I hope he is as kind as you are."

Miss Marta replied lazily, "A quarter of an hour does not make any difference to me."

"Thank you, Miss Marta," said the young girl, named Sophie.

Miss Marta spoke softly, "Sophie, they didn't agree to my request. They said they will put me in the queue, but I'm not sure if it will be my turn in two months."

Sophie replied sympathetically, "I'm sorry to hear that. The number of elderly people is increasing and those who have saved more money are given priority. Additionally, they prioritize those who are unable to move. Luckily, you can still move, albeit with difficulty."

"Yes, I can," Miss Marta replied.

Sophie went into the kitchen with some plastic bags in hand. She wore a pink t-shirt and sky blue jeans. She placed two packets of milk in the fridge and then brought out a box of cupcakes that she had tried to hide in the bag. She removed the box and placed candles that formed the number 71 on top of the cake. After a few minutes, she entered the living room and stopped in front of the old woman who was sitting on the couch, with her blonde hair covering one of her eyes. Sophie gently pushed her hair away to reveal both of her blue eyes. She patted Miss Marta's waist and said, "How do I look, Miss Marta? I told you to wear something cheerful for your birthday. Do you like it?"

Miss Marta raised her head and stared at Sophie for a few moments before smiling and saying, "You've become so beautiful, my dear."

"Wait, I'll be right back," said Sophie before leaving to get the cake. She placed it on the table in front of Miss Marta and lit the candles with a lighter from her pocket. Miss Marta looked at the number 71 on the cake and Sophie said, "Don't forget to make a wish before you blow out the candles."

Miss Marta replied, "I have two wishes. I don't know which one to say first. I'm afraid only one of them will have a chance to be fulfilled."

Sophie comforted her, "I think I can guess your wishes after all this time. It's better to combine them somehow. For example, you could say 'I wish my daughter would come back and decide to take care of me.' That way, you won't be alone anymore and you won't miss her either. I will also try to visit you whenever I have the chance. I may not be able to come once a week, but I will definitely visit you once a month."

Miss Marta asked, "Can't you take care of me again? I'm willing to give you all my money."

Sophie said, "Ms. Martha, you know how busy I am. I can only visit you for two days. I have to work several jobs to save up time for myself. These days, time is more valuable than money. Why should I keep coming back?"

"Emilia, won't you call your daughter?" Mrs. Marta asked.

Sophie replied, "Which girl cares about her mother these days? Emilia always says she's too busy to take care of you more than once a week."

"Give him a break. It's a long way from New York to here," Sophie said.

Mrs. Marta frowned. "What's wrong with him? He moved because of me. It's all Emilia's husband's fault. He won't let her come visit me. Emilia should divorce him for my sake. After all, I've worked so hard for her." Mrs. Marta continued, "I heard him say to Emilia, 'Your mother should have thought about this when she was young and saved more time in her "time bank."'

"I wish he hadn't said that," Sophie said.

Mrs. Marta sighed. "Well, I was young then, and the elderly care bank scheme had just been established. I didn't think it was that important. But I saved ten years of time. I didn't think I would need more than that."

"Let's not dwell on the past. Let's think about good and positive things during these last days," Sophie suggested.

"What if my arthritis and back pain get worse? I can hardly walk right now," Mrs. Marta said worriedly.

"Don't worry. If your health declines, your insurance will take care of you," Sophie reassured her.

"Oh, I forgot to blow out the candles," Mrs. Marta said.

"Let me help you with that," Sophie said. She took some of the cake and put it on a plate, then handed it to Mrs. Marta. "I'll go make lunch. What would you like me to cook for you?"

Mrs. Marta did not answer. Sophie took a deep breath and said, "It's okay, I'll decide on something."

Sophie went to the kitchen. After a few minutes, she heard Mrs. Marta's voice asking, "Sophie, what time is it?"

Sophie looked at her watch and replied, "It's ten past ten. Isn't there a clock in the living room?"

Sophie went to look at the clock above the fireplace, but saw that it was not working. "Apparently the battery is dead. I'll change it right now," she said.

"No. I removed the battery myself this morning," Mrs. Marta said.

Sophie was surprised. "Why did you do that?"

"I was tired of staring at the clock. . Go get your work done.. I won't ask about the time again," Mrs. Marta replied.

Sophie patiently answered Miss Martha's frequent questions about the time, but found it difficult to engage her in conversation. They had lunch at a quarter to twelve, and afterwards, Sophie attempted to initiate more conversation, but Miss Martha's responses remained brief and to the point. Sophie then assisted her to the bathroom and changed her bed sheets.

"Miss Martha, what time is it now?" Sophie asked as she finished up.

"It's been twelve minutes since lunch," Miss Martha replied with a sigh.

Sophie prepared to leave, and as they hugged goodbye, Miss Martha suddenly spoke up. "Sophie, could you stay just a bit longer and not leave early this time?"

Sophie hesitated, considering her other obligations, but ultimately decided to stay by Miss Martha's side. She closed the door and returned to the living room.

Reviews

[Ballpark Frank]

You are an excellent story tell my new friend. This Is so endearing and sad. Sophie seems amazing in her dedication and empathy.

One suggestion? Please hit the return key between paragraphs. This will.give your readers more visual room to separate the lines. It would make it easier to read.

Please don't be offended. You are very good.

[Charlotte Flores]

Thank you so much for your kind words and feedback, I really appreciate it! I'm glad you enjoyed the story and found Sophie's character endearing. And don't worry, I'm not offended at all! In fact, I appreciate any constructive criticism that can help me improve my writing. I'll definitely keep your suggestion in mind. Thanks again for taking the time to read and share your thoughts with me!

[Interviews Ready]

Heardle is a popular word online game in which the player has six attempts to guess a randomly picked 5-letter crossword