HER LONG-TERM MEMORY IS STILL GOOD

FINDING THE HUMOR 3

My mom persisted from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Monday morning to please help her get up. And since that's been her entire life's mission the past four days, I helped her up. 

She can't walk anymore, so I had to hold her up. But she did enjoy sitting on the edge of the bed and stretching her legs across a chair instead of the bed. 

The sad part came when she asked me to go into the other room to retrieve some clothes. 

Me: Mom, we're not at home. 

Mom: Where are we?

Me: A hospice room. 

Mom: Whose sick that we're here for?

Me: You. 

Mom: Why? What's wrong?

That was tough to answer. It was like she was hearing it for the first time. 

Later the nurse asked where she was. Off and on the last few days, she kind of thought she was still at home but now she knew she wasn't. 

Her response: Folsom. 

Nurse: What year are we in?

Mom: 1974. 

Other highlights from the past 24 hours:

-- She looks at Paul. "Is that a pass to get into Playboy. In Playboy 2, they said I'll guess we will go to the tit pool. She said I didn't know we had a tit pool. It looked pretty fun. Wish I knew how much it was to join."

-- Mom was all kinds of fidgety last night. I'm trying to calm her down as she continually puts her feet over the bed railing. 

Mom: I'm gonna kick you right in the stomach.

Me: Relax. 

Mom: (Making a fist): I'm gonna relax you right in the face. 

-- Did you know there's an alligator party tomorrow?

Me: No. You going?

Mom: Yeah. They have lots of parties. 

-- How come I can have candy, but I couldn't have it yesterday?

Me: You did. I gave you some. 

Mom: But why couldn't I have some yesterday?

Me: You did yesterday. I gave you some. 

Mom: I know. But why couldn't I have candy yesterday?

-- She's picking at the catheter tubing. 

Me: Can you stop doing that?

Mom: I'm getting my bottles. I don't want to lose my bottles. 

-- I ask mom if she remembers the visitors she had Sunday. 

Me: Do you remember Kelly coming?

Mom: Yes. 

Me: Paul?

Mom: Yes. 

Me: Dad?

Mom: Yes. We all went bowling. Then y'all made up some bullshit and probably went fishing. Y'all made up some bullshit.