Carol was on the psych unit. Again. She was being discharged today. I was her case manager for the state and we’d run this drill a few times. She was a handful, but I liked her.

I talked with the doc about her new medications, got them filled and gave her a ride home. We stopped at the grocery store so she could get her beloved Pepsi and a few basics. It was late Friday afternoon.

When we got to her apt I noticed she had mounds of dirty laundry and nothing clean to wear. I loaded laundry into my car and took it home to wash and dry. I wanted her to have clean linens and towels and underwear. I was the laundry angel.

All that night I did Carol’s laundry with the zeal of a
missionary. I washed it all-whites,colors,bedspreads, mattress pad. It took me until about 2:00 am. It was beautiful.
It filled my car; back , front and trunk. I arranged items in between and on the floor. .

At 9:00 AM Carol watched me carry it all inside. ” That it?”.

“Yes” I beamed. “OK”. Then Carol shut her door in my face.