Life in the Twilight Zone - 2 years later

Because of the gale we had last Sunday, I had to give up on visiting Mum, I tried, but the wind destroyed two umbrellas and I got soaked lol. I love the rain, don't get me wrong, but that was beyond rain lol. 

Weekend before that, when I arrived I went to Mum's room, and couldn't see any of her pictures and her bathroom cupboard had been emptied. I set everything up again, and we enjoyed our coffee and cake. She had no clue who had packed up her room, telling me that there was a man who came into her room and told her they all had to leave. Didn't happen of course, but I presumed she'd done it herself. Anyway, I set it all back up and she marvelled at having a bathroom all to herself. 

Fast forward to today. I get there and first off, she goes,
"Oh I'm saved, my sister is here."

Umm number 1 I'm not her sister lol, and I don't know what she was needing to be saved from, she looked pretty happy sitting at the table doing a jigsaw, but whatever. 

I laughed and replied, "Geez, thanks Mum, I'm your daughter not your sister." 

We all laughed and I turned into her room. Bam, the room is packed up again. 

"Mum, where's all your stuff?"

"I've packed it so it's easier to move."

"Move where."

"Well, I'm going home."

"Your house was sold almost 2 years ago Mum, this is where you live now."

"No, you told me I was going to live with you, or maybe it was Anthony." she pondered.

"Mum, sorry, but this is where you live now. We cannot care for you at home."

"Oh, but I thought I was going to be living with you and your kids."

"My kids are adults, they don't live at home. Sit down, and I'll set your room up again."

"How are your kids?"

"They are fine, Mum. Busy with their own lives."

"But aren't they still at school?"

"They are 35, 33 and 28 Mum, way past school age." I laughed. 

That caused her to have a laughing fit, and exclaim how she didn't remember that, and to ask was I sure. lol. 

Pretty sure I'm right, they were that age when I left home to go see her at least lol. The room set up took a while because she kept taking things out that I was putting away. I seriously need to give her cupboards a clean out, but I spend all my time there, setting her damn room up. Maybe after a few weeks, she'll settle down again. 

"So, tell me, have you seen Mum and Dad lately."

"Grandad died 28 years ago, and I can't remember how long it's been for Nana, but it's been at least 7 years."

"Are you sure? I thought they lived downstairs?"

"I'm positive Mum."

That kept her quiet for a while, either thinking that over, or it might have been the caramel date slice she was munching on lol. 

I get asked if she has regressed further, and yes she has. I was wondering at first if it was because of being moved to a different area, but when she first went into the home, she knew that Nana and Grandad were dead. She knew all her Aunts were dead. Now it's as if they are all still alive, and if it's not the Aunts moving the family up the coast, it's Nana and Grandad walking the halls of a place they've never been. 

Physically, she is still the same, she's old, so she has more aches and pains, but gets around just fine. Mentally, she regresses to pre marriage or pre 1991. When she is in pre marriage faze, she still has kids, so that's pretty damn scandalous, and I tell her so, it's a good laugh. Pre 1991, my son was born that year, her Dad died that year. And yet, my son is at school with his sisters, and her Dad is still alive. 

While she gets puzzled over the truth that I tell her, we can still have a good laugh over it. I have no doubt that when I go up next Sunday, she'll have packed up all her photos again, and again, I'll be unpacking them all, and having to explain that she lives there now. It's exhausting, seriously exhausting, both physically and mentally. I won't stop though. There will come a day when she won't recognise me for real, not just a silly slip of the tongue. So as long as she does, I'll treasure every moment, even if I'm unpacking her shit for the rest of my life lol. 

There is a few things missing that I didn't find, she had 4 toothbrushes before (yes that's way over the top, but she had them), she now has none. The TV remote has also disappeared, which of course means someone must of stolen it. I'm hoping when I can get into her drawers more, without being in there to unpack everything, it will turn up lol. 

Catch yas
Cathy