The doctor returned my mother’s hearing aid after she died

Dear Delyara, My mother died in hospital yesterday. A nurse handed me a small clear bag containing her hearing aid. I put it in my coat pocket and forgot about it until this morning when I heard a faint squeal while sitting in the car. The battery was still alive. For the last five years, we argued constantly about that hearing aid. Mum said it made everyone sound metallic. I told her she was missing conversations. She accused us of mumbling. At family dinners, she would remove it halfway through and smile as though she understood. Now the little device is still amplifying sound for nobody. I switched it off. Then I switched it back on because the silence after felt too final. Ridiculous, I know. A machine cannot listen on her behalf. Yet while that tiny battery remained alive, something connected to Mum was still performing its ordinary job. Tonight, it is beside my bed. I have finally turned it off. The room did not change. I did.