SHE LIKED TO DANCE

SHE LIKED TO DANCE

So she danced

  **

 For four-and-a-half years, my life was beyond busy. I truly had no time for myself. Oh, I’m not complaining, not by a long shot. You see, from January 1, 2012, to October 6, 2016, I’d been taking care of my invalid mom. Mom was unable to walk – heck, mom couldn’t even stand on her own. For the first two years, mom was able to feed herself. We held many interesting conversations. Then the dementia set it. It didn’t take long to ravage her body and mind.

 After mom died, my husband and I went on a long-needed vacation – a cruise to Mexico, where I immediately and unintentionally broke my toe! So much for a fun trip. Hobbling on a floor that swayed with each wave wasn’t fun, but we made do.

 Back home and after my toe healed, I realized that while my husband had things to keep him occupied, I felt lost.

 It didn’t take me long to clean the house and do the laundry. I never was one to just sit and watch TV. I’m a fast reader but even so, how many books can you read in a day without wanting to take a nap?

 I needed something to do, so I went online and found a neighboring website where locals are looking for help: driving them to doctors’ appointments, grocery shopping, taking care of the elderly. Well, that was what I did for over four years, so why not do it again – and get paid doing it?

 Maybe I was the only person to apply, but I was hired immediately – and I do mean immediately. My boss, Henry said he needed to run to the supermarket (which was ten minutes away). Upon his return, he handed me a sheet of paper where I was to write down all the hours I worked taking care of his wife, Miss Agnes.

 The day I met her, she was extremely energetic. The only time she sat still was when she had lunch.

 But Miss Agnes had dementia and had to be watched every second, which I found out about the very next day.

 I arrived at ten in the morning, my scheduled time. And there she was, almost flying through the rooms. It was my job to follow her and be sure she wasn’t doing something that might harm her.

 With her husband out with friends, I had no one to ask where things were, so when she grabbed his laptop and ran with it, I ran after her. I guess she thought she was tidying because she lifted the cushion of his favorite chair and put the laptop beneath it. Henry was not a thin man so should he sit on that chair, I’m sure he’d have broken his computer. So, as soon as she turned away, I grabbed it and hid the laptop in the pantry.

 Off and running again to find out where she zipped to. Ah! There she is – in his office! He worked from home a few days each week, so there she was reorganizing his paperwork. Yikes! I gently led her out of the room, then locked the door (hoping he had a key).

 Off we go again! I found her in their bedroom where one closet door was one big dressing mirror. As she stood there, she was having the greatest conversation with the woman who looked back at her.

 Miss Agnes couldn’t speak. She could only make, what I call “buzzing” sounds, so she and her new friend buzzed at each other for about twenty minutes. Ah! Time to take a breath.

 While she was in that area, once she began walking away from the mirror, I decided to get her into the bathroom. Have you ever tried bending a very old oak tree? That’s what she felt like when I tried getting her on the toilet. She stiffened her entire body to the point where getting her in a sitting position, just wasn’t going to work.

 I gave up, pulled her pants up and allowed her to zip out of the bathroom.

 Then to my horror, just like when you see a horse defecate, there she was, waddling through the living room, leaving her droppings with every step! Oh joy! I quickly ran to the kitchen and grabbed handfuls of paper towels and picked up her mess. Then, not finding a mop, dampened more paper towels and washed the floor.

 Hoping I might keep her occupied while I cleaned the floor, I put the radio on and suddenly, she stopped zipping through the rooms and began to sway. Okay, so her rhythm was off, but she swayed! And fast! But boy, did she smile.

 By the time Henry arrived back at his house, I was truly exhausted. I told him where to find his computer and explained why his office door was locked. He just smiled and said, “Thank you. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

 I eagerly walked out to my car but didn’t eagerly start singing, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow. You’re always a day away!”

 And that was only my first full day taking care of Miss Agnes.