Not sure if this is going anywhere, but I started something: --- “Afghanistan or Iraq?” the weathered voice asks. “Sorry?” Robbie replies, confused. “Oh come now, your posture clearly says military, so where were you stationed Afghanistan or Iraq?” It takes Robbie a minute of startled amazement before he can respond “Neither, we haven’t had troops in either of those places for decades. I was part of a peace keeping mission in North Korea.” “Really? Damn. I am getting old” Mr. Holmes grumbles “Pardon me for saying sir, but I think you passed ‘getting’ a long time ago” Robbie says, then immediately regrets it. But Mr. Holmes looks up at him with his clouded eyes and a wry smile. “I suppose you’re right” he sighs “you look so much like him” he says more to himself than to Robbie. “Like who, sir?” Robbie asks. “Whom.” Is the only response he gets, and Mr. Holmes turns to pick at the tray Robbie had set in front of him with his fork. Robbie can see that the conversation is over, and he has other meals to dole out, so he leaves Mr. Holmes starting sadly at his plate of what amounts to little more than mush. Later he asks one of the nurses about Mr. Holmes. “He talked to you?” she says, nonplussed. “Yeah” Robbie replies “I suppose he doesn’t do that much” “Well,” the nurse “he doesn’t suffer in silence that’s for sure. Most people don’t take the ‘Let us know if there’s anything at all we can do to make your stay more pleasant’ quite so literally, but, I mean, never heard of him talking to anyone voluntarily if it’s not a demand.” “Do you know who he was, before…” Robbie gestures at the elderly milling about the nursing home. “Not really” she says “I think he was some kind of detective, worked for the police or something, but that’s about the extent of it.” “Thanks” Robbie says, and decides to ask Mr. Holmes about it when supper roles around.
To his surprise, Mr. Holmes does answer when Robbie asks “So I heard from a nurse that you used to be a detective, did you work for Scotland yard? My cousin works there.” Mr. Holmes snorts “I was a consulting detective, only one in the world, I invented the job” “So like a private eye?” Robbie presses “No, no I was brought in for the cases they were too thick to solve on their own.” Mr. Holmes says “But the police don’t consult amateurs.” Robbie retorts. Mr. Holmes turns his head to look at Robbie sharply and stares at him a long while replying sternly “I was no amateur” before turning to his tray in a way that clearly indicates that Robbie should leave.
Maybe the start of a fill
---
“Afghanistan or Iraq?” the weathered voice asks.
“Sorry?” Robbie replies, confused.
“Oh come now, your posture clearly says military, so where were you stationed Afghanistan or Iraq?”
It takes Robbie a minute of startled amazement before he can respond “Neither, we haven’t had troops in either of those places for decades. I was part of a peace keeping mission in North Korea.”
“Really? Damn. I am getting old” Mr. Holmes grumbles
“Pardon me for saying sir, but I think you passed ‘getting’ a long time ago” Robbie says, then immediately regrets it. But Mr. Holmes looks up at him with his clouded eyes and a wry smile.
“I suppose you’re right” he sighs “you look so much like him” he says more to himself than to Robbie.
“Like who, sir?” Robbie asks.
“Whom.” Is the only response he gets, and Mr. Holmes turns to pick at the tray Robbie had set in front of him with his fork. Robbie can see that the conversation is over, and he has other meals to dole out, so he leaves Mr. Holmes starting sadly at his plate of what amounts to little more than mush.
Later he asks one of the nurses about Mr. Holmes.
“He talked to you?” she says, nonplussed.
“Yeah” Robbie replies “I suppose he doesn’t do that much”
“Well,” the nurse “he doesn’t suffer in silence that’s for sure. Most people don’t take the ‘Let us know if there’s anything at all we can do to make your stay more pleasant’ quite so literally, but, I mean, never heard of him talking to anyone voluntarily if it’s not a demand.”
“Do you know who he was, before…” Robbie gestures at the elderly milling about the nursing home.
“Not really” she says “I think he was some kind of detective, worked for the police or something, but that’s about the extent of it.”
“Thanks” Robbie says, and decides to ask Mr. Holmes about it when supper roles around.
To his surprise, Mr. Holmes does answer when Robbie asks “So I heard from a nurse that you used to be a detective, did you work for Scotland yard? My cousin works there.”
Mr. Holmes snorts “I was a consulting detective, only one in the world, I invented the job”
“So like a private eye?” Robbie presses
“No, no I was brought in for the cases they were too thick to solve on their own.” Mr. Holmes says
“But the police don’t consult amateurs.” Robbie retorts. Mr. Holmes turns his head to look at Robbie sharply and stares at him a long while replying sternly “I was no amateur” before turning to his tray in a way that clearly indicates that Robbie should leave.