Interesting journeys

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A few months ago I signed up to the volunteer driver service (VDS). This service takes people to and from medical appointments if they don’t have their own transport. They were very helpful to my Dad in his last year when he could no longer drive. When I was able of course I would take him, but I lived 180 miles away with two young children, one of whom was in school, so it wasn’t easy. So now, when I saw they were asking for volunteers I thought I would join as a sort of payback. Well I haven’t done all that many journeys so far but there have been some interesting ones! The first person I picked up was a young man going to the dialysis unit. He hopped in the back of the car, put his headphones on and promptly fell asleep, so that solved my dilemma of whether or not I was expected to make conversation! Since then I have transported a series of mainly elderly patients, most of whom have been no trouble and interesting to chat to. One told me she used to make chocolates for the Royal family when she worked for a major chocolate maker in her youth. Another told me all about his son who had suffered agoraphobia and didn’t leave the house for 20 years, but is now over it and behaving like an overgrown teenager! But the last two have been interesting in other ways. Last week I took a lady to the main local hospital, and her husband came with her. We got there just in the nick of time, due to traffic, but when I drove up to the main entrance she insisted that couldn’t be the right place and made me take her back to the other end of the hospital where she marched (as much as one can with a walker) straight into the entrance of the children’s hospital. I convinced her husband to wait with the car while we double checked… eventually, with the help of two passing members of staff, we managed to persuade her that it couldn’t be the right place, whereupon she finally produced her appointment letter which clearly said where she should go. So they got back in the car again and I drove them back to the main entrance where we were in the first place. Today I set off to pick up a gentleman to take him to the local community hospital. First I was told there had been a mistake and the appointment was actually half an hour earlier than stated. Then the directions supplied by the VDS sent me to the wrong place! Luckily it turned out that the appointment time was correct after all so we got there at just the right time. The patient's wife came along with him. After the appointment I picked them up as agreed and drove back. All was fine until they got out, whereupon the wife began gathering up things on the back seat, complaining she had a lot to carry and she needed her husband to help her with them. The catch was that they were not her things (she hadn't brought anything with her), they were all my things that just live in my car - the road atlas, blanket, the bag of parking permits, cleaning wipes etc. that the VDS gave me, the steering wheel lock, picnic blanket, a book of short stories... Eventually she let me hold stuff while she got out and her husband persuaded her to go to the house while I put things back in the car on the other side. I think she may have dementia, sadly. Next time I will be more careful to tidy things away in the boot. All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2023.