Hot steaming coffee. Something I took for granted until visiting her in the madhouse.
You see, hot water for making coffee or tea is available but it is more like tepid warm water. This is to protect the patients from burning themselves.
Craving a reprieve from the entire experience and not wanting to fall asleep at the wheel on the way home, I tried the coffee.
Yuck.
I know that there are people who would cherish just a drop of water. Any water. But that's not the point here. It is about appreciating a luxury that one has taken for granted.
She eventually did get some hot coffee (microwaved in the nurses station) after waiting for the clock to strike the hour. Confused? It's like this: patients may only request something from the nurses behind the glass partition once an hour, on the hour. So we patiently waited ... 3 minutes to ... 2 minutes to ... all the time being ignored by the nurses inside until the clock hit exactly the hour.
They are in serious need of therapy!