Questionable Parentage

Merrill is one of my favorite residents on the unit, but that wasn't always the case. He had a tendency to be a real grump, which doesn't exactly endear him to the staff members. He can be, and often is, quite resistant to doing what he needs to do. We often hear language from him that could curl your ears.

When I first began caring for Merrill, there were many days when I was completely frustrated in my attempts to get him up and ready for the day. He would fight me every step of the way. Other staff members would tell me that I had to let him know that I was in charge, but I was of the opinion that some of their tactics bordered on verbal abuse, so I continued to be frustrated. And then came the night that I was asked to work the 11PM to 7AM shift.

In our facility, showers are given around the clock, and each resident is scheduled for his/her showers on specified days. As luck would have it, I was told that I had to get Merrill up at five o'clock, and give him his shower. So there we were, Merrill and I, in the shower room. He was, as usual, very uncooperative, and I had about reached the end of my patience. After hitting and kicking me several times, he began to hurl several verbal insults, which I tried hard to ignore. And then his insults questioned the legitimacy of my birth. He didn't realize what an opening he had left me when he made that statement.

I dropped the shower head to the floor, placed one hand on each arm of the shower chair, and looked him directly in the eye. "Merrill," I said, "I am not a bastard. I'll have you know that my parents were married for five years when I was born!" And I continued looking him straight in the eye.

He looked at me for a moment, and then began to laugh, a laugh that had another CNA coming in to see just what was going on in the shower room that could cause that kind of reaction from him.

For the rest of that shift, every time I glanced over at him, he would chuckle and wag his finger at me. And since that day, although he has continued to hurl insults at me every chance he gets, he has never questioned my parentage again.

To return to the story menu, click on the Back button below.