Free Falling for the Ghost of You by Nicole Christie

hugs and questions about my vacation in Hawaii.  But was it really a vacation if you're working ful l-time in a bakery?  According to the others, as long as you're in Hawaii, you're on vacation.
    I look through the communication log for updates on my residents while we have our meeting.  After it's over, I grab my walkie and pager and head for the storage room to get a box of tissues.  Helize always needs tissues, and she's the first one on my list.
    She’ s already awake, lying in her bed.
    "Rise and shine, woman," I announce, flipping on the lights.
    Her clear blue eyes blink up at me.  "Is that my flower I hear?"
    "Your one and only."  I turn off her oxygen concentrator on my way to her bed.  "Good morning, beautiful."
    Helize frowns at me, causing her delicate skin to bunch around her mouth and eyes.  "I was just lying here, trying to think of your name.  Lily, was it?"
    "Close.  Lily is my mother's name.  I'm Violet."
    "Ah, that's it."
    I help her pull back the covers and begin the long process of helping her sit up.  Then we work at untangling the nasal canula from her fine white hair.  Meanwhile, I tell her all about my summer in Hawaii, and my mother's surprise engagement.
    "And what have you been up to?" I ask her as I push her wheelchair over.
    "Oh, the same.  Not much changes around here."  She sighs tiredly and reaches for a crumpled tissue stuffed in the sleeve of her nightgown.
    "No wild parties?  Dancing on tables?"
    Helize cackles.  "Oh, my table-dancing days are long over.  Have I ever told you about that time in Nogales when the federales thought I was a prostitute?"
    This is what I love about Helize.  You can say anything to her and she'll come up with something even more wild.
    I get her up and in her chair, and start pushing her toward the bathroom.  As we pass her mini fridge, I fish in my pocket for the magnet and slap it on there.
    "I got you a souvenir from Hawaii," I say, stopping so she can look at it.
    "Oh, sweetheart!"  Helize peers at the magnet, then frowns slightly.  "Violet!  Is that a vagina ?"
    "What?!  No—i t's a humpback w hale with it s mouth open!  Here, put on your glasses."
    I hand them to her and she slips them on.  "Oh, I see it now!" she exclaims.  "It's like one of those paintings that you have to stare at a funny way until you see the picture."
    "No, it's actually nothing like that," I say, wheeling her into the bathroom.
    After getting her situated in there, I get to work on straightening out her room.  I make her bed the way she likes it, and throw away all the crumpled tissues she has stashed everywhere.   Gross.
    It's weird how easily I fall back into my old work routine.  I get all my residents down to breakfast, then before I know it, it's after lunch , and time for shift change.  I stay for a few extra minutes to catch up with the mid-shift girls, and then I'm clocking out and on my way home.
    That went good!  I'm not even tired.  I can't wait to have a nice long soak in the tub, and then eat something.  A whole cake, maybe.  I'm so hungry !   All that running around.
    I check the garage like usual to see if Zane's home, but his car isn’t there.  If that's disappointment I'm feeling, I do my best to ignore it.
    As soon as I get in the house, I grab some clothes, my ear buds, and some candles and make a beeline straight for the bathroom.
    I really need a relaxing bath right now.  I quickly peel off my yucky scrubs and start the bath.  While it's running, I light the candles and turn off the lights.  The sound of running water and the flickering lights makes me feel calm and spiritual, like I should have a dagger and an altar, or something.
    Pretending that I'm a virgin sacrifice drowning myself in the waters of purity, I step delicately into the tub.
    Aaah.  
    My whole body sighs in happiness as I sink into the hot water.  The jets are all fired up, vanilla candles wafting their vanilla- ness ...heaven.  I pop my ear buds in and