SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2010

This morning I asked Carol if she wanted to go visit Tom, she said she was going to lay down for a little bit (10 AM), so I ran over to Walmart and got some things. After she got up and we had some peanut butter sandwiches and watermelon, I tried to get her to go see grandpa with me. She said no, flat out. "So you're going to make me go alone?" "Yes" "Any reason?" "I don't think I want to see him like that." "Well, he's going to be there for awhile. Are you never going to visit him again?" "I'll have to see." [long pause] "what if he misses you?" "Well, I have to live my life."

I figured I wasn't going to make any leeway with her, so I just went alone.

"Hi, Sunshine!" Grandpa greeted me from the tucked away room at the highest tower of this assisted living palace. My conversation with Grandpa was a lot like the one he had with John, just continuing to ask how he got where he was, then when I told him he wasn't doing well and was in the hospital and then either saying, "I don't remember that" or "well what the hell is this bullshit." The good thing was that whenever he started getting worked up, I would just look away and he would say, "I'm not mad at you. I just need someone to piss and moan to." Love it. I was hoping to just skip the whole conversation about Carol not coming with me, but the conversation kept steering that way. Where is she? Is she with her mother? She didn't sleep here last night. I haven't seen her in days. Is she OK? I told him that she is staying at their home in Port Saint Lucie (he seemed confused about where he had last lived) with me and simply had a headache and decided to lie down. "Well, she can have a headache HERE." "Can we go where she is now?" "Tell her I want her to come here... TODAY." I also offered to unpack the neat pile of boxes in the corner (that my mom had already unpacked), but he insisted it would be a waste to do so, because "they're" moving out to Carol's mom's house tomorrow. I told him tomorrow was Sunday--"The day after that then."

When I got home Carol asked me how my "day...morning?" was. I said it was fine, and that I went to go visit my Grandpa. "Oh, you went went there with out me?" "Yes, you said you didn't want to go." She nodded slowly, concentrating on the floor. "I just need to get my strength up." "Well, he sounded like he was really worried about you and missed you." To that she nodded again and turned to her room and shut the door. Didn't come out until I started making Lasagna a little while later.