Tonight my father returned for while.
he talked a lot and made sense about 30 percent of the time (usually its 5%)
he listened and seemed to answer questions accurately
he also made jokes... sort of
each evening a woman from the kitchen staff enters the Alzheimer wing with a tray full of snacks.
Tonight when she entered... my dad yelled out
"Hey! Who are you?! What do you have there?"
"Snacks"
"Yeah? well Im going to call the police!"
and then he started laughing... we laughed too... I mean the joke made no sense but the delivery was perfection.
He also couldn't stop talking about sheep. He asked one woman if she had any sheep 6 times. Then he began to make sheep impersonations... and continued to laugh.
It was a real pleasure to be around him this night.
John Henry Part II
One day I walked in to find John Henry on his knees in front of naked Ned.
Ned was not yet naked this evening
but John Henry was helping Ned to remove his socks.
It could have been homoerotic
if Ned had any idea there was another man removing his clothing
if it had been other clothing besides socks (some of the patients feet are not the most sexy body parts I've seen)
if John Henry weren't 90 years old
and if it didn't somehow remind me of the story from the bible...
because after John Henry removed the socks... he began to use one of them as a rag
and began to gently wipe Ned's feet... very meticulously... between each toe ... from every angle.
Isn't there that story of a prostitute who washes Jesus' feet
and he ... says something about casting stones?
I never listened in Sunday school...
anyway that was what this was like... or at least my poor memory of it. If it isn't in the bible it should be.
A week later Ned and John Henry were fighting.
Every time Ned stood
John Henry said, in angry British
"Please sit down!"
Ned would sit and wait about 3 minutes before rising again
to which John Henry would react
"Please sit down!"
This went on for about a half hour. Suddenly this is what John Henry surprisingly said,
"I don't wish you to be next to me. You promised you'd be quiet but you've been an ugly stupid old dope. Now SIT DOWN!"
John Henry was about 5'5" with big rimmed glasses... probably about 115 pounds... very frail but intelligent looking... always so kind... polite... I cracked up.
So I salute you John Henry. You were a fabulous man. And maybe it's nice... that here you are in this blog... and a whole 6 people will read about you.
I really like John Henry, but his name is making me think a bit. When I first read about him, I thought
ReplyDeleteWhen John Henry was a little baby,
Sittin' on his daddy's knee
He picked up a hammer, a little piece of steel,
Said hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Said hammer be the death of me
But this didn't sound like your John Henry at all. He's no steel-drivin' man.
So I thought John Henry... like 'put your John Henry right here on the dotted line'. I mean, that's right up there with John Doe and Jane Roe. John Henry is a mysterious person.
Is it John Henry, or is it John Henry (last name)?
We'll never know.
And I paid attention in Sunday School,so I know that was Mary Magdalene, the prostitute, who washed Jesus' feet. My goodness, I LOVE John Henry.
All names have been changed to protect the innocent. Perhaps John Henry's family would not enjoy reading about him as Mary Magdelene in some distant future...
ReplyDelete