The other day, I reached out to my friend Pat, the former hypnotist, to see how she is doing. And I found that she had moved out of her apartment in Lower Westchester county, and moved to an assisted care facility on the other side of the Hudson. This news didn't surprise me too much, as Pat is 80 years old and was having trouble taking care of herself. But what did surprise me was that she was having memory issues that made this home a better place for her to spend her final days.
I've known Pat for over 2 decades, and we have had many an interesting conversation in those years. So RQS and I decided to go across the river and meet Pat in her new digs. Would they be nice? Or, would they be a hell hole? Would this be a place in which one could be happy in one's later years? Who knows? But this would all come out when we saw Pat.
Years ago, I dated a woman named Eileen who lived in the area where Pat's nursing home now is. I'm now very familiar with the area, and suggested to RQS that we'd eat at a place 5 minutes away from the home. This would allow us to get to Pat's place at 7 pm, and be able to take advantage of an excuse to leave - we were going to see a movie nearby, and needed to be there by 7:45. I had chosen a Mexican place I had eaten at with MWL, but it had failed in the year since I went there last. So, it was off to El Bandido for some Mexican grub. The Bandit is an old standby, and it has been around since I dated Eileen many years ago. I knew the food would be good, and RQS agreed with me after we finished our Enchiladas.
Once done with our food, it was off to Pat's place. The place looked both sterile and empty, and the only person other than Pat that we saw was the receptionist at the front door. Once we knew where Pat's room was, it was off to her wing to see her. It took a while for Pat to answer the door - there is only one person there with whom that she feels comfortable socializing. And then, it was like "homecoming day."
All too soon, it was time to leave. But RQS and I knew that we had a new thing to do - keep tabs on Pat for her daughter. No one else will do it, so guess who had to step forward....
