the story of the old lady at the bus stop

I spoke to an old lady at the bus stop today. She said that i'd probably see the bus coming better than she could as she couldn't see well. She started to talk to me and told me all about her life. She had an operation some time ago due to a cataract in her eye and it went wrong. They scratched her eye and now she couldn't read anymore. She told me how she had always loved to read. She'd tried all the new fancy reading machines and things but none helped and audio books weren't the same. She told me how her husband had been watching the racing and there was a crash, but she couldn't read any on the names on the screen. She couldn't work out what was going on. She can't read any text that comes up on the television now. She talked about the television for a bit. She liked programs where "they dig things up"and also soaps. She also talked about the internet and computers. Said she refused to have a computer much to the dismay of her grandchildren who wanted to send her emails. She said how people used to write a lot and they don't now. We talked about handwriting for a bit and how people rarely put pen to paper now. She told me that she'd won a prize at school for her handwriting and seemed still proud of it.  She also said she won a prize at school for sewing but could no longer sew or knit. She showed me her hands. Arthritis. She told me of how she thought arthritis was some sort of punishment. How it wasn't a disease. It must be a punishment. She talked of how it steals things for you and you can no longer do anything anymore. She explained that it's why she needs her frame to walk. The bus arrived and she told me one last thing with so much sadness in her voice.

"I'll tell you honestly. I can't do anything anymore. Sew, read, knit, go places. I'm so bored."

She got on the bus and handed over her bank card. She couldn't see her bus pass.