Chapter Seven: Bret:

Kathy carried her lunch with her to the next location. Maybe they could have lunch while they ate. This neighbor was rather unpredictable. He never left his house. There were even rumors of substance abuse. Kathy drew in a breath and knocked on the door.

“Bret?” she asked. “Are you awake in there?” Kathy put her ear to the door. The silence inside made her stomach flip. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her key. After finding the right one, she unlocked the door. A foul smell hit her nose just from opening it a crack. Kathy stepped back, covering her nose.

“Oh damn,” she muttered. The carer pushed the door further open and walked inside. The whole house was dark. The floor was covered in trash, broken glass, and leftover food. Kathy had to use her phone as she stepped over the mess.

“Hello?” she asked. “Mr. Bret, are you here?” Kathy ignored the flies buzzing in front of her face as she walked further into the living room.

“Mr. Brent?” she asked. “Mr. Brent?” She noticed a light on in the hallway. Kathy followed it to the bathroom. When she looked inside, she stepped back, gasping. The man, a little bit older than her, lay slumped over the toilet with vomit around his mouth. Kathy ran over to him.

“Mr. Brent! Mr. Brent!” she cried, shaking him. Kathy checked for a pulse. Her heart relaxed at the faint beating at her fingertips. Still, she had to act quickly. The carer pulled out her phone and dialed 911.

“911, what is your emergency?” the operator asked.

“My neighbor has overdosed!” Kathy said. She kept two fingers to his neck. “Could you please hurry? I don’t know how long he will last.” The ambulance ended up taking Bret away with an IV in his arm. Kathy sank to her knees, breathing. At last they weren’t taking him away with a sheet over his head. She shook her head at the empty and broken needles on the floor. Seeing the house in this state reminded her that not everyone had recovered from the exile. Her employer told her that this wouldn’t be an easy job.

“These people are broken,” he said. “You have to be gentle and patient with them. Stay and talk to them if you have to. They have seen a lot and it still haunts them sometimes.” Back in reality, Kathy looked around Brent’s house. She lowered her shoulders and sighed.

“At least I could clean up his house,” she said to himself. Kathy walked around the house and started cleaning. As she got the box of garbage bags, she looked out the window. It didn’t help that it looked like it was going to rain today.