The Lady Who Couldn't Leave


" Now lets see," Rube said while looking at her kitchen, "I suppose I'll do the dishes first, then the laundry, and then go clean the upstairs bathroom."
She walked over to the dish filled sink with her dress slightly swaying. She looked at the heap of grime covered plates, bowls, and utensils and gave a deep sigh.
Rube was a widow of sixty. At thirty she had married a man named Ralph and they had had two children. They had spent twenty years together. But sadly, at the age of fifty, Ralph had died of a heart attack. Now Rube lived alone in their small yet quaint two story house on Maple Lane Drive.
Rube began to scrub. It took her about forty-five minutes to get most of it done. She soon after finished the remaining dinnerware and began to dry them all off. After that was done she moved over into her bedroom where there was a pile of cloths was scattered on the floor. She sat down and started to fold them. She matched up socks and sorted the different size towels while separating them from her shirts and pants. After an hour of that she went into her storeage room and took out a bucket. She went into the kitchen and filled with water to where it was three-fourths full. She then opened the drawer and took out a towel and a bar of soap that was still in the box. She opened up the box and threw the bar into the water along with the towel. She even threw in a sponge in case she needed it. She made her way up the stairs. As she got to the top she stumbled. She made her way to the bathroom not noticing the puddle of water that had spilled from the bucket.
"Oh mercy," Rube said with a tired voice.
She started with the bathtub. She stirred the water in the bucket around with her hand and made it soapy. She then picked up the towel from within it and started to scrub the tub. Just when she was getting finished the phone rang. She walked at a fast pace to the only phone in the house which was downstairs in the kitchen. When she got to the top of the stairs she slipped on the puddle on water and went tumbling down the stairs while screaming.
She tried to get up but as she did a searing pain went through her hip.
"Oh no!" she shrieked, "I've broken my hip!"
Now she needed to call for help. And the phone had stopped ringing. The only way to get to the phone was to drag herself with her arms. She started out and did fine. But as she got halfway through the living room she became out of breath. It took her thirty minutes to get into the kitchen. When she finally got under the phone that was hanging on the wall, she couldn't reach it. She reached out for a broom that was laying up against the wall. She took it and knocked the phone off of the receiver. She then picked up the phone and called her daughter for help...

Rube now lay in a hospital bed watching the baseball game. She had been here for a day now. She would have to stay for at least a week until the hip had healed itself. Just then, the door opened.
"Hi mom!" John and Marie said happily.
"Hey!" Rube exclaimed.
"How are things?" John asked.
"Okay I guess. It is a hospital after all."
"This room seems familiar," Marie said.
"What number is it?" Rube asked.
"Fifty," John replied.
"Oh! This was your father's room when he had that heart attack. Who'd a thought?"
"Your right," Marie said.
The three of them finished watching the ball game. As they did a draft swept in the room.
"This is the draftiest room," Rube said a little irritated by it.
"It's probably the air condition," Marie said, "I'll turn it down."
Rube could see this was going to be a long week. The day had went by ever so slow as all she could do was lay in the bed. Night finally came. She decided she would go to sleep early so she wouldn't have to wait up all night and make it even longer.
When she woke up the next day, a piece of paper was sitting on the night stand. It had been carelessly torn from a notebook that was sitting under it. Scribbled on it were the words: STAY WITH ME. She was a bit taken aback by this. As doctors and nurses came in the during the day she asked them if any of them wrote it. They all said, no.
Later on that day she was watching t.v when all of a sudden, the toilet flushed. This frightened her a little. Scared someone had entered the room without her knowing, she rang for a nurse. When the nurse arrived she checked the bathroom only to find it empty.
"Probably just the plumbing," the nurse said, "Acts up around here all the time."
The rest of the week passed. All of which was quite boring. All Rube could do was just lay in the bed and watch t.v. But now, her day to leave and return home had finally come.
"Okay, Mom," Marie said, "Are you ready.
She pushed Rube out in a wheelchair. They passed the cardiology lab and the cafeteria. They then made their way into the lobby and out the door. Marie's car was parked right outside of it. Marie opened the door to the car while helping Rube to get in. Marie shut the door and then went around to get in the drivers seat. When the two of them were situated Marie started up the engine and began to drive. As she was nearing a tree, the steering wheel turned itself to the right and made the car smash into it.
"AHH!" the two of them shrieked.
"What hapened!" Rube screamed.
"I don't know! I lost control or something."
They were breathing heavily. Three nurses came outside and ran over to them. They helped the two of them out while bringing them back in the lobby.
"It did enough damage to make the car not start," Marie said to John on her cell phone, "I don't know, I lost control or something."
Rube was sitting on a couch. She then saw something that caught her eye. Standing by a automatic door was Ralph. Rube stared in disbelief. She blinked and he was gone. She shook it off as being from all the excitement.
About an hour later, Ralph arrived. Marie held Rube's arm as she walked her out the automatic door to the parking lot. As Rube was passing the door it closed and caught her leg. She fell down while screaming. Marie began to scream also as John ran in. Together they tried to pry open the door. It finally gave way. But after it did they found that their mother's leg was now broken.

"What are the odds!" Rube yelled while once again laying in a hospital bed.
Rube had been looking forward to going home so much. But now, she had to stay here another week. She then began to curse to herself.
"Calm down, Mom," John said, "You'll be out of here in week."
"Don't remind me!"
Four days had passed. Rube would be out of here in just three more. Three more long days of lying in a bed.
That night she was watching t.v. She was watching the Jessica Simpson concert that was being done in Miami. Just in the middle of her singing about loving angels, the t.v went off. She pushed the ON button, but nothing happened. It wouldn't come on.
"Stay with me," a airy voice said.
"Who's there!?" Rube called in a frightened tone.
A shadowy figure appeared at the foot of her bed.
"Ralph!"
"Stay with me."
He disappeared. The t.v turned itself back on. Now Jessica was singing about having her eyes on someone. Rube went underneath the covers and fell asleep.
It was finally time for her to go home. Rube was sitting in the lobby waiting for Marie to pick her up. When she go there they did the normal thing of getting into the car. As they were driving out of the parking lot, Rube passed out.
Lucky Rube would now have another stay at the hospital. They wanted to check her out to see if anything was wrong with her. Three days had passed and they could find nothing wrong with her. She tried to leave again. This time, she broke her fingers from getting them caught in the car door.
After that was fixed, she tried to leave again. She had a seizure. The next time, it was a mild heart attack. And these were nothing compared to the broken hand, banged head, stroke, blood clot, pneumonia, chronic stomach and head aches, kidney stones, and broken neck. Every time Rube would try to leave something else would happen that would cause her to have to stay another week or another few days. And she knew why. It was because Ralph was haunting that room and he wanted her to stay with him.
Rube sat in the lobby after having to have her appendix removed. Marie came to get her.
"I can't leave," Rube said while staring at the floor.
"Why?"
"You know why. Something else will happen. I'll have to stay longer. I just won't try again. I'll have to live here. It is what your father wants."
"Mom, Dad is dead."
"He is haunting that room and wants me to stay. You have to trust me."
Arrangements were set up for Rube to live in room number fifty. Furniture was moved him to make it feel more like her home. They even put in a little kitchen. And in time, the people that worked in the hospital realized that that room was haunted.
Rube was sitting in her red chair watching the football game. Ralph's favorite rocking chair was sitting next to it. And it was rocking ever so steadily...