Today (December 26) is my 54th wedding anniversary, so I delivered Bill his present, and my daughter, Shelly, prepared him a special dish. Wil, my son, accompanied me on the visit. Bill devoured the dish, which made me happy. The one thing we can still do for him is to bring him some special meals.
He then asked about Wil's children (he has none) and then about mine. This segued into a rather heated "rant" about his ex-wife, whom he was planning to "kick" for her lack of visits.
Wil gently reminded him that I was his wife and a frequent visitor. Bill stared at me, bewildered, and said, "Really?" He clearly had no recollection of me. Perhaps he confused me with Shelly (who also has no kids). I fought to keep my tears from flowing, and redirect him to something else.
I knew this day was coming but it still came as a shock. Evidently, he no longer recognizes me, or at least not all of the time.
Later, over lunch with my son, we couldn't help but laugh. I mean, what else could we do? Now, I'm "the other woman" in his fading memories. I've heard this happens, but I sure didn't expect it today.
On a brighter note, Bill's new medication is working wonders. He's sleeping better and his arthritis has improved. Today, he moved his knees without yelling in pain. He looked better too. This makes me happy. So, despite the unexpected twist, I suppose it was a good day after all.
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