Elgin State Hospital Part III

Of course there's a lot of mundane in every job, I suppose. Clipping aged toenails comes to mind. In my teens I looked at that as a drawback. Likely I still would. But there were other considerations as well.

I worked swing shift at Elgin State Hospital, so for two weeks that was from 7 am till 3 in the afternoon, then 2 weeks from 3 till 11. The drawback on the morning shift was the adjusting I would have to do walking up to the buildings where I would work, trying to transition from the fragrant summer morning breeze to the harsh stench of urine that emanated from the structure and reached its crescendo as I neared the locked front door. The women only bathed once a week. That says it all.

Every time I had to force myself to put one foot in front of the other to trade that beautiful fresh start of a summer morning for the counterfeit experience awaiting me inside. But not so when I worked afternoons. Maybe the heat would be overbearing enough in the afternoon and the inside/outside contrast not quite as extreme between the two oppressive realities, so I could manage to get myself inside with less nausea.

But the drawback when I worked late was for my dad---not me. He would drive out to get me and show up a little before 11. And then he would hunker down. Guess that place was eerie at night---all the deserted grounds, and no other vehicles on those roads, no signs of life. Just the silence. And your imagination. Expectations of who could be out and about in the shadows. There he'd wait---my hero dad who had been a big brave soldier in the war, seen death and destruction in the battle fields and concentration camps of Europe 20 years before. But when I would reach for the handle on the car to get in... he would invariably jump a mile!  Darkness so deep, he could never see me approaching.  Breathe.                                                  
No audible screams, mind you, but his hands would grab the wheel as he was coming down from hitting his head on the car roof. And I could see his white knuckles glowing in that pervasive dark. I loved it! I was young and absolutely fearless, and somehow I felt like we'd switched roles for a moment, and it would be me who could protect this hunk of manhood from all the zombies of the night.

Hmmm, maybe the anticipation of that high was what made it easier to work the late shift.