Volunteering wasn't Anna's 'cup of tea'. In fact she wouldn't have been caught dead in the local care centre for the elderly, if it weren't for the judge in charge of her case. He could have given her a hefty fine- Anna could afford it- but a hundred hours community service was too much. Especially at two hours a day, five days a week. That was ten weeks in total. Anna had to completely rearrange her schedule, and she wasn't pleased about it. The community service had to be done in a hospital for old people nonetheless. She had only been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. If only her stupid ex-boyfriend hadn't gotten drunk and decided to 're-decorate' the police station.

The lobby of the care centre smelt like antiseptic, Anna decided, how could the old people stand to live here? Well they were old, maybe they had lost their sense of smell. Anna wasn't sure what she should do first. Was there an office where she should check in? She didn't want to waste any time. The sooner she checked in the sooner she would be able to leave. Deciding to find an administrator, Anna turned around and walked right into a woman who appeared to be a secretary.

"Hello dear, are you Anna?" the thirty-something woman asked.

"Yeah," Anna answered tentatively. The woman seemed fake to her.

"Well welcome to the Northshore Care Home," so that was what this place was called, Anna thought "I have you scheduled to read with Mrs. Wellington. I hope you don't mind."

Of course she minded, but Anna wasn't about to say so. Instead she bit her tongue, nodded her head, and with a shrug said "Sure."

"Well, if you'll follow me, I'll show you how to get to Mrs. Wellington's room."

The secretary rapidly moved out of the lobby and down a hall with numbered doors on each side. Anna, who's legs were significantly shorter, had to jog to keep up. At the end of the hall was a heavy metal door, a stairway presumably on the other side.

"It's up there Anna, third door on the left. I'll come and get you when your time is over. Have fun!" the woman stalked off again, leaving Anna standing alone.

Anna stood and starred at the door for a moment. This was it, her last chance to escape community service. A little voice inside of her suggested that maybe this experience would be fun. A challenge. Something that might look good on a resume. The rest of her mind dampened the idea. Good on a resume? Who in their right mind would want an employee with a criminal record. This was a waste of her time. Why couldn't the judge have given her a fine instead?

Someone was coming up behind Anna, and she was just standing around, wasting time. Taking a deep breath Anna pushed the heavy door and began to climb the stairs. She would rather deal with old Mrs. Wellington than an angry nurse.

"Third door on the left, third door on the left," Anna muttered to herself as she reached the top of the stairs.

Anna hesitantly knocked on the door third door on the left. What if Mrs. Wellington didn't like her? What if Mrs. Wellington was a mean, nasty witch? Or even worse, what if Mrs. Wellington was a whinging, prying, old hag, not unlike her own grandmother.

"Come in," came a male voice from the third door on the left.

Anna opened the door, "Mrs. Wellington?" A young man, not much older than herself sat beside an elderly woman lying in bed.

"Fiona dear, I'm so glad you could join us," The old woman gushed, her heavy British accent adding to her grandmotherly appeal. Fiona? Anna thought to herself, who was Fiona? She glanced at the man, who was trying not to laugh.

Upon regaining his composure the man spoke, "Yes Fiona, thanks for coming. I thought that you couldn't make it tonight." Anna glared at him. He was making fun of her. Anna hated when people did this.

Mrs. Wellington began to ramble on about young love, oblivious to the world, so Anna whispered, "Who's Fiona?"

"My girlfriend," the man responded, "Grandma adores her, but I guess the Alzheimer's caused her not to recognise you."

"So you lied?" Anna hissed in response. Mrs. Wellington still hadn't noticed that she was no longer the centre of attention.

"She won't remember you tomorrow, so what's the harm?" the man answered with a shrug, then gesturing to his grandmother, he said "Shhh, this is going to get interesting."

"…I remember when your grandfather and I first met. He thought it was love at first sight. I didn't. I figure that must by why I…." the old woman trailed off, looked confused for a moment then asked, "So when are the two of you getting married?"

"Grandma, I've told you before, I only just met Fiona, we aren't getting married anytime soon." The man looked embarrassed.

"There's no time like the present, I would like to see you married before I die Tony. You know that."

"I'm sure we'll discuss our wedding more, Mrs Wellington, once we have known each other a little longer," Anna countered, getting into her role as Fiona.

"Like more than a month," Tony mumbled, under his breath.

"I heard that Tony. A month is a long time when you're dying," Mrs. Wellington countered, "Onto more cheery things though. Where did the two of you go on your date last night?"

"We didn't go on …" Tony started, but Anna cut him off.

"We went bowling, and then for sushi."

"Oh how nice," Mrs. Wellington commented, a smile growing on her face, "So when are the two of you going to have children?"

The conversation carried on that way for a long time. Tony and Mrs. Wellington seemed to be enjoying their selves, so Anna decided to keep up with the charade. Anna was almost disappointed when the secretary she had met earlier appeared in the doorway.

"I have to go now. It was nice meeting you Mrs. Wellington." Anna said standing up to leave.

"Nonsense Fiona. I've met you before. My memory hasn't failed me so much that I forget my grandson's girlfriend," Tony smirked, and Anna had a hard time keeping a straight face. "Don't call me Mrs. Wellington either. It's Isabel or Grandma, take your pick."

"Yes… Grandma," Anna replied, not entirely sure if she was doing the right thing.

"I should go also," Tony added hastily. He got up, hugged his grandmother and followed Anna out the door.

The secretary gave the pair a curious looked and asked, "How did it go?"

"Okay, I think," Anna responded, "Mrs. Wellington didn't want to read today."

"Good. Good. I guess we'll be seeing you tomorrow," The secretary responded as she hurried down the hall. Anna felt a little put off, but she didn't say anything. Instead she headed through the metal door and down the stairs. Tony followed a little ways back.

The sun was shinning, Anna notice. That was a surprise, it was supposed to have rained all day. As she headed towards her car Anna felt a tap on her shoulders. She turned around to face Tony.

"Thanks for playing along back there," he said.

"It was no problem, probably more fun than reading to her."

"What are you in for anyways?" Tony asked sounding more curious than mean.

"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Anna snapped in response. She really didn't want to discus the event, leading up to her arrest.

"Fine then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Tony added as he walked off. He hesitated for a moment and turned to face her, "Bye Fiona," he added with a grin, and walked off.

I never told him my name, Anna thought guiltily to herself. Not that it mattered. She'd rather he didn't know her name. It wasn't like they were ever going to see each other again.

Getting into her car Anna was overcome by guilt again. It had been wrong to lie to Mrs. Wellington-Grandma, about her true identity, but then again, the old woman had seemed so thrilled with the fact that her grandson's girlfriend had come to visit her. Maybe she could consider this a white lie and not worry about it.

The next afternoon Anna arrived at the care centre slightly more enthusiastic than she had the day before. She doubted that she would be working with Grandma today, this time she would probably be working with some smelly, old, senile man who complained constantly. Maybe, just maybe, the person she was assigned to work with today would be as pleasant as grandma had been, but it was unlikely.

She was barley in the door when the secretary started to scold her, "You're late," she snapped, "Oh well, there isn't anything that we can do about it now. You must have done some good with Mrs. Wellington. I have never seen her so happy. She asked for me to send you up directly, though she probably won't remember you. I can't figure out why she insisted that your name was Fiona."

"Thanks," Anna called back as she headed towards the stairs.

"Oh you came," Mrs. Wellington commented happily as Anna opened the door, "I was only half expecting you to show up. Then again we had fun yesterday, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did," Anna said, feeling somewhat guilty. If Grandma remembered her today, then the lying she did yesterday had been wrong. Although she wanted to say something Anna couldn't bring herself to do so. Grandma seemed so thrilled to see her.

"Tony won't be here for another hour. He phoned me this morning to say he was coming over at five. Odd, he rarely is able to come more than once a week. Do you want to play Scrabble?"

"Umm," Anna hesitated, she wasn't overly fond of board games, "I guess."

"It'll be fun," grandma insisted. Anna was doubtful, but she chose to stay quiet. Fortunately, Grandma was right about the game being fun. When Tony entered the room an hour later he was surprised to see the two women hunched over the board staring intently. Trying not to disturb them he quietly slid into a chair and began to watch the game.

About five minutes later Grandma shouted "Victory! I knew I would win!"

"Go Grandma!" Tony called out in congratulation. Anna nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice.

"When did you get in?" She asked accusingly.

Tony grinned sheepishly, "I didn't mean to startle you, Fiona," he apologized, "I've been here for about five minutes."

"Join us," Grandma encouraged, so Tony did. As they set up the game again Grandma asked, "So where are you going on your date tonight?"

Anna continued for visits to the Northshore Care Centre for the next month. While she felt dejected every time she noticed how slowly her community service hours were adding up she found the prospect of completing her sentence was becoming increasingly more depressing. It wasn't until one day when she met a middle aged woman who volunteered part time at the home that Anna realised she could continue her visits even after her sentence was completed. This prospected sincerely brightened Anna's mood as she headed for Grandma's room one rainy Monday afternoon.

Tony had been visiting the care centre on almost a daily basis. Grandma had confided in Anna once that even though Tony was such a "dear boy" he had never visited half as often as he did now that she was coming regularly.

"Why are you here?" Grandma asked surprised when Fiona entered the third room on the right, "You just left a few minutes ago.

"No Grandma, I was here yesterday remember?" Anna gently reminded the elderly woman. She ha noticed that Grandma's memory had grown increasingly worse over the month that they had been meeting. There was no evident day-to-day change, but even still the transformation was obvious. The one thing that Grandma seemed able to constantly remember was that 'Fiona' was her grandson's girlfriend and that the couple came to visit her often.

"Maybe you are right," Grandma responded thoughtfully, "My memory isn't is good as it used to be," she paused for a moment as she tried to recall when the last time 'Fiona' had come to visit her, "Oh. Never mind, you are right dear. I remember now," Anna smiled sadly. She knew that the old woman was just saying that for Anna's benefit.

They played checkers for the next hour, Anna re-explaining the rules every so often. It almost came as a relief when Tony finally showed up. He wasn't his usual, carefree self, Anna was disappointed. Tony's laid back attitude generally helped her relax when she was in the hospital-like care centre.

"Fiona and I broke up," Tony told Anna as they exited the Northshore Care Centre. It was raining outside so they huddled under the slight overhang.

"Oh?" Anna asked, wondering why Tony thought she cared.

"Yeah, it turns out that she was cheating on me almost the entire time we were going out. I'm going to tell Grandma."

"Don't," Anna protested, "I only have a few weeks of community service left. She enjoys hearing about our dates so much. She'll be crushed if you tell her."

"Okay, I'll tell her when you finish your hours then."

"Okay," Anna said, a tone of finality in her voice. Opening her umbrella she sprinted out into the pouring rain and towards her car.

"Thanks. See you tomorrow Fiona," Anna grinned. Tony still didn't know her name.

Tony and Anna continued their charade, so well that Grandma never would have guessed that Tony and the real Fiona had broken up. She was so happy, and seemed almost at ease whenever she was discussing their relationship. Unfortunately this was one of the only times that she seemed at rest. Her Alzheimer's worsened and she was confused and disoriented more often than not. The only thing she was able to remember on a regular basis was her grandson and his girlfriend- the woman she knew he would marry.

"So when are the two of you going to get married?" grandma asked curiously. The question had become a daily routine, as had the answer.

"Someday Grandma," Anna said, taking the old woman's hand in reassurance, "We haven't known…"

"Sooner than you think Grandma," Tony cut in, "Next month don't you remember?"

"Oh yes," Grandma replied, a grin crossing her face, "I have been forgetting things a lot lately, haven't I. Why not sooner, a month is a long time when you're dying."

Later, as they left the care home Anna asked Tony, "Why did you lie to her like that?"

Tony hesitated, thought for a moment and then explained "I talked to the doctor today, he doesn't think she'll live much longer, a couple of weeks at the most."

"Oh," Anna was stunned, she knew that the elderly woman's condition had been decreasing lately-but to that extent?

"At least she's happy knowing that we're getting married," Tony commented, smiling sadly.

"Even though we're not," Anna added, "I feel bad about lying to her like that. I'm closer to Grandma now than am to most of my friends. Our whole relationship is shaped around a lie though, around a fake identity."

"But she's happy," Tony added smiling, "I'd rather that she's happy, experiencing a lie, then unhappy living real life."

"I guess," Anna agreed getting into her car, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

The next afternoon could not come soon enough for Anna. She waned to see Grandma at least one more time, tell her how much her companionship had meant over the last couple of months. Anna arrived half an hour early for her community service, she couldn't wait any longer.

"Anna, oh good, you're here," the secretary Anna had met the first day said anxiously. "Mrs. Wellington passed away early this afternoon." Anna was stunned. She had been trying to deal with the concept of Grandma's death all day, but she certainly wasn't prepared for it to happen today.

"I'm sorry," the secretary said half-heartedly, "I understand that the two of you were close. Why don't you take the day off?"

Anna nodded, and left the care centre. She felt numb. What was she supposed to do now? She got in her car a began to drive. She drove around in circles for at least an hour, contemplating what she would do next. Eventually the car ran low on fuel and she had to stop for gas. Upon filling the gas tank Anna went into the busy convenience store to pay.

She could hear snippets of conversation. Everything seemed so normal. It was then that Anna truly realised that life still went on, despite Grandma's death. One of the many voices stood out to Anna, and it almost broke her heart to hear it.

"Fiona!" the voice called out again. The memory of that name was heart-breaking to Anna. She broke down and started to cry, right in the middle of the convenience store line.

"Fiona!" it was the voice again. Then Anna felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around slowly trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Fiona!" Tony said again as Anna looked at him in the eye, "Wow, I thought after, well you know what, that I would never see you again." Anna hugged him in response. She wasn't alone in her grief now.

"What are you doing here?" Anna asked stupidly.

"We ran out of Kleenexes," Tony responded. There was a long silence after that. Anna didn't know what to say to break the silence, and she was relieved when Tony spoke again, "I know this sounds stupid, but what's your name?"

"Anna," she responded simply.

"Anna," Tony repeated to himself. There was another long, uncomfortable silence before Tony spoke again, "Well Anna, how about bowling an sushi one evening? You know when this is all over."

"Yeah," Anna responded quickly. After a moments though she added, "I'm not who you think I am though."

"I know," Tony responded.

"I mean I'm not a nice person," Anna added sheepishly.

"I figured that much. You were doing community service when I met you."

"Well, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into."