random acts of senseless beauty

Yesterday evening after work I went to see my Aunt, Jane, who’s staying at a small clergy hospital in London.

The building is a narrow four-storey townhouse not far from the BBC buidling and, from the outside looks a bit like a boutique hotel, or a rather posh firm of solicitors. Anyway, I signed myself in with the receptionist who told me that Jane was in 10A and motioned past her through a door. “10a?” I checked, “Yes, through there… 10A”

So through the door I went, into a short corridor. I looked about me and saw nothing looking like a ward or private rooms. There was a room marked chapel, one marked quiet room, and then a door at the end with a small window – through which I could see a set of stairs. Ah! I’ll go up there, they must be on the 1st floor.

I got to the door which, like a lot of the ones at work, needed to be opened by pushing a light-switch type button on the wall. I went up one flight of stair to get to a very similar door, through which I could see a row of private rooms with numbered doors. Bingo! I tried to open the door.

Nothing.

I pushed the switch beside it. The light went off.

On the right hand side was an electronic pad – obviously you needed a pass to get in this way. So I went back down stairs. Couldn’t get back in there either. No phones around. A fire exit maked ALARMED. Some locked offices. So I returned to the first floor.

I peered through the window on to the ward and saw a nurse at the other end of the corridor. I waved hopefully. He saw me, ignored me, and walked into a room. So I started knocking, gently at first and then a little louder when nobody came.

5 or 6 minutes later, having been ignored twice by nurses, and having nobody answer my knocks I was beginning to get a little frantic. Very warm, and a trifle worried that I’d have to spend the night there.

I called directory enquiries. “St Luke’s Hospital for the clergy?” “Yes, that’s right.”

Then a nurse came out at my end of the corridor and started walking away from me. I knocked somewhat frantically on the door. “Hello?” says the woman on the phone “do you want your number?”

The nurse turned and I waved like crazy and knocked again. He walked towards me

“I think I’m ok now” I say to the woman on the phone “you see I’m stuck in a stairwell, but somebody’s coming now” She laughed. and laughed.

The nurse comes to the door and asks “Who are you?”