PETER PENROD AND THE PESKY PUZZLE
"Welcome to the Lazy Days Retirement Home, Mr. Penrod," the perky brunette volunteer gushed as she led Peter by the elbow into the common room. "Here at Lazy Days there is nothing you have to do but soak up the sun, visit with other seniors and enjoy your retirement."
Who's she kidding? Peter thought bitterly. I didn't come here to retire. I got dumped here because I can't remember a few things and my kids are too busy to be bothered with me.
The volunteer didn't seem to notice his sour disposition as she cheerfully continued her tour of the facility. "There's coffee here 'round the clock and cookies in the afternoon. You gotta try the peanut butter - they're the best! The TV area is here. We only get three channels, but they're the good ones. We get all the old shows you remember from when you were younger: Rin Tin Tin, Alfred Hitchcock and Ed Sullivan..."
How does she know what I remember? Peter's bitter thoughts continued. I remember getting our first TV. I told my sister, Hattie, that it was a radio big enough for people to sit inside and look out the window in the front and talk to us. And she believed me! She never questioned why their skin and clothes and hair were all shades of gray. Peter chuckled softly to himself.
The volunteer was leading him now to a big round table in the center of the room that had chairs all around it. "This is our most popular area - it's the Puzzle Place. We have a community jigsaw puzzle that everyone can work on and
when it's done, we glue it together and hang it on the wall in the long hallway that leads to the cafeteria. Do you remember seeing them there?
Do I remember?! Peter thought, indignantly. Of course I...well, actually, no, but I saw so many new things this morning, who can keep track? "I like puzzles", Peter answered quietly.
"Good, the volunteer answered. "You are welcome to hang out here in the common room or in your bedroom. You can go outside in the fenced area we passed as you came in whenever the weather permits. Dinner is at 6, breakfast at 8, lunch at noon. There are signs pointing to the cafeteria or you can follow the puzzles." She smiled and winked at Peter.
"My name is Holly Halper, but some of the residents call me Helper Holly. Either is fine with me, and I'm always around if you need me. I'll leave you to get acclimated. Welcome to Lazy Days!" Holly moved off to speak to another resident. Inmate, more like it, Peter thought. After a wrong turn or two, he found his room and lay down on his bed feeling more alone than he had ever felt in his life.
Good, Peter thought, I've got the puzzle table to myself. The puzzle had about 300 pieces of a size large enough to get arthritic hands around and was spread out so each piece could be easily seen. Easy enough, he thought. But the puzzle proved more challenging than Peter imagined. The frame was already done, so only the hard part remained. Not only that, but the box was missing! There was no picture to go by. After 45 minutes of trying one wrong piece after another, Peter threw up his hands in disgust. "This is stupid!" he yelled.
Startled, the woman at the window shuffled over to Peter. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"How's anybody supposed to do this puzzle?" Peter grumbled. "You can't even tell what it's supposed to be."
"Oh, that's the fun of it", the woman replied, eyes twinkling. "We like to try to guess what the picture is going to be. Then whoever guesses right gets their name put up under the puzzle in the hallway. It's like being famous.""Famous, huh?" Peter looked at the woman a little more closely now. She had a nice smile and kind blue eyes, but was hunched over like her back hurt. "Are you famous?"
"Quite", the woman answered. 'My name is under the barnyard and the waterfall. Oh... this piece goes right here, doesn't it?" She smartly snapped the same puzzle piece Peter had tried a dozen times into its rightful spot.
Fed up, Peter bolted from the table jarring it and sending a few pieces to the floor. He didn't look back but made a beeline for his room. He did slow down enough to make out the name beneath the waterfall and barnyard though. "Dolly", it read. Dolly and Holly, isn't that jolly? Peter thought. Is everyone here perky or famous? Peter spent his second night at Lazy Days wondering if he'd ever fit in.
Peter woke the next morning to birds chirping outside his window. He had another good breakfast and was feeling pretty good. As he walked down the hallway, he stopped to read every name under every picture puzzle.
As he reached the common room, Peter nearly ran into Holly Halper. "Hi, Mr. Penrod. There's a shuffleboard tournament starting outside. Everyone's out there. Would you like me to take you?"
"Not today, Jolly Holly - I've got important things to do."
"Ok, let me know if you change your mind", Holly sing-songed as she went around the corner and down the hall.
True to her word, the community room was empty. Peter walked up to the Puzzle Place. There were only about 20 pieces placed inside the puzzle's frame, but Peter was determined to figure out the picture if he had to spend all day trying. He stared down at it for a full five minutes. Then he moved to the chair to his left and looked at it from that angle. No clue. He moved to the next chair. Nope. And to the next one. Nuh-uh. By the time Peter made it around the table to his original chair he was too dizzy to see anything straight. Darn! he thought. I'm just going to have to put more of it together.
Piece after piece, he tried, but nothing seemed to fit. Lunchtime came and went with Peter stubbornly refusing to leave the puzzle until he'd tried every piece. Problem was, a lot of them looked the same and he couldn't remember which ones he'd tried.
After the shuffleboard tournament, people started trickling into the community room. The cookies were brought in, making Peter's hungry stomach rumble, but nothing, nothing was going to deter him from his mission. Dolly started to bring him a cookie, but thought better of it, remembering his outburst the day before and feeling the ache her back still carried from bending to pick up the pieces he'd spilled. I'll just leave him alone, she thought sadly, eyes no longer twinkling.When it got too dark to tell black from brown from blue, Peter hung his head and left for his room, having not placed one piece in the puzzle.
The next morning was as dreary and gloomy a Peter's mood. It had rained all night and was still dark and overcast. Not even breakfast could coax Peter out of bed. Around noon, Helper Holly came by to make Peter's bed only to find Peter still in it. "This is not what we meant by "Lazy Days", Mr. Penrod. Now get on up so I can make your bed. Come on now - you missed breakfast and if you don't hurry, you'll miss lunch too." Peter sighed and pushed the covers aside. Holly went next door so Peter could shower and dress, but she said she'd be right back. He knew she would.
It was almost 2 pm. by the time Peter got to the community room and to his dismay saw 20 people standing and sitting around the puzzle table, fitting pieces here and there. "Whaat? What's everyone doing?" Peter stammered. "TV's out", one man complained. "Can't go outside", another added. "Nothing else to do", a third chimed in. Peter looked down at the puzzle and noticed it was about a third of the way finished and certain areas were beginning to look familiar.
"What do you think it is, Jerry?" someone asked the tall black man with the long grey beard. Jerry? No! He was one of the famous guys, the one that had already guessed two puzzles!
"Dunno", Jerry shrugged, "Looks like some kind of animal."
"Looks more like a building", Peter said, trying to sound confident.
"Yeah, maybe", Jerry said. "What do you think it is Sue?" Sue? Not another celebrity!
"It's an animal, alright, but I can't make out what kind it is or what that is behind it."
Just then there was a loud clap of thunder and all the power went out. "Ok, everybody stay calm", they could hear Holly saying. "Buddy up. I've got flashlights, but we've got to share." After each person had found a partner and each pair was handed a flashlight, Peter found himself standing alone. "You're with me, Mr. Penrod", Holly said taking his arm with one hand and holding the flashlight with the other. "To your rooms now until the power comes back. There are candles lit on your night stands."
As they walked down the shadowy hall, Holly asked, "So how are you doing, Mr. Penrod?"
"Melancholy, Jolly Holly. Just like that puzzle, I don't seem to fit. I thought if I guessed the picture, I could have my name on the wall like the others and I'd belong. But I guess I was wrong. Sad, sad song."
"Cheer up, Mr. Penrod. Things are not always the way they seem", Holly whispered as she led him inside his room. "You'll see. You are part of the picture here." But Peter had already pulled the covers of his freshly made bed over his head. He didn't even hear her leave.
Peter woke with a start the next morning and noticed the alarm clock flashing. The power must be back on, he thought. I wonder what time it is? Peter hurriedly dressed and nearly ran down the long hall to the cafeteria, but it was closed. After nine, before noon, he thought.
As he walked back to the community room, Peter recited the names beneath the puzzles - almost from memory now: Jerry. Bill. Doris. Dolly. Tom. Dolly. Jerry. Nick. Sue. Fred. Suddenly Peter remembered tht the puzzle was taking shape and people were guessing the picture. In a panic, he burst into the door of the community room. He stopped cold, his jaw dropping as he saw what must be every single resident of Lazy Days Retirement Home gathered around the table. "Oh, no!" Peter groaned.
"There you are!" Dolly smiled, tugging him toward the table. People parted to let Peter through. As he walked up to the table, he noticed that the entire puzzle had been put together except for one piece.
Jerry stroked his long beard and said, "That's definitely a bear. I'm guessing a forest."
"You silly man", Sue scoffed. "Don't you see the bars? It's a circus".
Dolly cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "Go ahead Peter. Put in the last piece. We saved it for you." Peter reached for the last puzzle piece and snapped it easily into place. It was a sign. A sign that read..."It's a zoo!" Peter shouted.
"So it is", Jerry said, shaking his head in apparent disbelief.
"Now that you mention it...", Sue mumbled.
A man in a wheelchair shook his hand. "Congratulations. You won! My name's Bill. This here is Tom, and the ornery one over there is Nick."
"Hey", Nick said, giving Bill a friendly shove. Peter also met Doris and Fred and some of the other people who weren't famous but were just as friendly. They all watched as Holly glued the picture and readied it for hanging.
Standing in the hallway, there was a reverent hush as the latest picture found its spot right next to Fred's basket of puppies. "It's a zoo, alright",
Holly exclaimed. "And you fit right in, Mr. Penrod."
"So I do, Jolly Holly", Peter answered, looking around at his newly made friends. "But please, call me Peter.
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