Mrs Archer

My childhood memory, is about my great grand mother getting Alzheimer's. [to clear things up a bit, i call her grannie because i was that close to her but she was really my "great" grand mother - but i digress]

Well, grannie was my best friend in every way possible, she knew all of my secrets and i even got to know some of hers. After a time when we would sit and talk she started forgetting little things, like
which room she was in, in the house, or how to turn on the TV. I found it peculiar at first, but then one day she looked me straight in the face, and asked me, "who are you?". Three little words that hurt so much, I could not believe that she of all people could forget me. As time grew on she forgot more and more, which i expected, what i didn't expect was the violent part of her, that came out, like she was a different person, or always crying like a six year saying she wanted to go home. Then came the day she "walked away". When my mother told me that the family could not find her, I almost screamed at them! I mean how can you let a WHOLE person disappear just like that?! I was baffled, scared and angry and yes terrified, because it was getting dark, i didn't know where to look first, i didn't know which road she took, all i know is that she was gone. Thankfully we did find her. A group of school meals workers found her at the school, and realized she seemed a little erratic, and called the police to file a report, when my mother called in the same time and the police told her that, there was a women there fitting the same description.

Well by that point, i figured well i have had enough, there is nothing else that can happen right? - WRONG! Soon after she began to loose her sense of going to the bathroom and forgetting when and how to eat. At this time I was at the UWI, and I to learn how to juggle that life and the life that no one knew I had at home. On mornings I had to wake up at 5 am, to finish up any home work i had, then by six have her breakfast going, she had always been an early riser, then boil water for her to take a "wash up" in the bed because she could not move to the shower any more, roll her on a side clean and power her, then the next side. Feed her her breakfast, wait for the care taker then off i go, on evenings that routine all over again but then i had to do my home work, so there i am with my head at the bottom of the bed while she is the top just placing her hand on my thigh making sure i was not there and not moving, [she did not like being alone].

But in spite of all of that, when it was time for her to go, she knew, she told me. And i told her, ok. Because i knew that she was tired, i guess her spirit just wanted to know that i was going to be ok. I told her that day, that if it was time i was going to be ok, and in three days she passed away - just like that. And when she was finally buried i was ok too, because i knew she was at peace.

THE END