"Was that Mom I just heard?"

It was a quick too quick start to my day.
At my last client, I had to use a key to get in.
She is rather deaf and very pleasant although her world is one of varying stages of confusion. Her dog was barking at me from another room where she had it penned in. The dog had her leash on so I decided to take her out for a quickie.

When we returned, my client greeted us with:
"Was that Mom I just heard?"
She looked hopeful.

"I don't know', I said.

I went about my tasks and looked her over from the sideview.
She was still in her housecoat late in the day.
Her hair had been washed and set by her morning Home-maker.
Her eyes were orbited by dark circles.
I was wondering why I could not see her smile which is the usual way she greets me.

I looked in her fridge and spotted a Copenhagen.
"Hey, want some tea and one of these tasty delights?" I asked.
(distract, distract, distract...)

We sat and sipped tea as she took her pain pills and she wolfed down her Copenhagen.

"Sooo," I ventured, "Did your Mother ever live here on the Island?"

"No, wait, maybe, wait... hmm I am not sure, no, I don't think so... hmm well..." She fussed about this for 2 or 3 minutes.

Then she told me about the two girls who came in the morning.
The Home-maker and "that other girl."

I have no idea who this other girl is but you know there *IS* no other girl. There is one girl who comes in the morning to assist her to get up and washed and dressed and so on.

This is the second week where she has alluded to this second girl who accompanies (call her Alice.,..) Alice.

I let it go.
It is a good thing it wasn't one or two of my co-workers visiting her today. She is already on red alert as far as placement goes.
I do not happen to believe she needs to go just yet, hopefully never.

Maybe she did hear her Mom.
Maybe she is dying.
Maybe she is failing.

Who knows?
Not me. That's for sure.

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Did you vote today?

If not GET OUT THERE and do so.
And if you are reading this after the polls close and you chose not to vote, I don't want to hear any whining or complaining about politicians from you.

USE YOUR POWER.

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