My Dinner With Andrea
Last Saturday, I had dinner at McDonalds. Before I get any comments about healthy eating, it was my first meal there, besides ice cream, in a couple of years.
I'm sitting there enjoying my fries and listening to some tunes, when the older woman in the next booth told me to turn down the music.
HEY LADY!!! If the music is too loud,you're too old!! Yeah...I thought of that too late. I turned down the music.
I'm dining quietly, when I noticed that she spilled her drink on the floor. I'm not happy with her musicial attitude but I'm going to help an elderly woman.
She motions for someone to get a mop. I help her clean off her table. I tell her it's ok and that I drop a lot of things, too. I show her my shaking hands. She smiles and says to sit down.
She tells me her name is Andrea. She's 75. Has Alzheimer's, recently diagnosed. I tell her my step-daughter is named Andrea. I have Parkinson's.
She smiles again, "We're quite the pair."
Andrea tells me she's widowed, has two adult children and she's scared of two things. She doesn't know what her condition will become. She's scared of becoming a burden to her children. I told her that I keep up a good front but I'm scared of some things, also.
We talked for about ten minutes and even got some ice cream. I had to run off to a concert.
We wished each other a happy holiday and said we'd see each other in the neighborhood.
Winter has come early this year. I'm afraid it's going to slow her down. I'm afraid it will slow me down.
Spring is just a few months away.