This was a few years ago when ma was in hospital.

Ma wasn’t being looked after the way she should have.

It was a disgrace what was going on in the ward. Maisie just wanted to come home but they said they needed to keep an eye on her. I tried not to laugh when they said that. It wasn’t even funny.

I approached the head nurse on the ward one day after ma begged me to bring her home.

• Can I have a word with you, nurse?
• Who are you?
• I’m Maisie’s dealer
• Pardon?
• Yeah, thought I’d bring a few E’s in for me ma
• I’m sorry you can’t do that
• Why not?
• Drug dealing is not allowed here.
• You could have fooled me.
• Excuse me?
• What are them lads doing in cubicle 3 with Dorothy?
• Her brothers?
• Her dealers.
• No way.
• Yes way.
• I’ll call security.
• Please do, and then bring my ma for a shower.
• Pardon?
• I’ll score some E’s from the brothers for you.
• I don’t know what you mean.
• I mean…the only patients getting any attention around here are druggies. My ma hasn’t had a shower in three days.
• There are no illicit drugs in this hospital.
• Don’t tell Dorothy.
• Excuse me?
• Why do you think she was so long in the shower?
• Showering of course.
• Yeah right three times today, and each time, she came out fully dressed in the same manky clothes, and never got her hair wet once.
• I’ll speak to her when she wakes up from her nap.
• Nap? Is that what they’re calling it these days?
• I don’t understand?
• She’s out of her bleedin’ box.
• I’ll check on her immediately… Dorothy, Dorothy, wake up
• You’d better break the news to her gently, nurse.
• What news?
• That she ain’t in Kansas anymore.

I brought ma home the next day.

I thought it was bad then. I hate to think what it’s like now.