Pops moves in 36 hours exactly. The last two days have been hellacious. I wonder if this is Gods way of telling me that there will be relief.
With dads move coming up I thought it would be important that we go visit his brother Lyle in Orange County. I had this feeling that if we don't do it now two patriarchs of this family will never see each other again. His brother has come over several time in the year and three months my dad has lived with me but he hasn't been here in five months. He has called once maybe twice during that time and on one of those calls told me he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. His wife my aunt Helen accompanied him on there last trip in October. I was thinking with his disabling condition driving from Orange is getting harder and harder even if she drives.
I called my brother to make the arrangement if possible for a visit last weekend. I got a call from last week and he told me he called and talked with Lyle but they weren't up for a visit. It was a little heartbroken to say the least. But the next morning I get a voice mail message from my brother telling me Lyle called back and he talked it over with Helen and they changed their mind. Maybe because of the very reason I thought it would be important for the visit in the first place, maybe not, but I didn't ask, I was just grateful they did.
We agreed that Sunday who be good so a half and hour before we were to leave I grab a clean shirt for dad so he would look presentable. I started looking around the house but I couldn't find him initially. Then he poked his head around the corning where he was hiding in the kitchen. He had this look in his eye, confusion, I cant describe it. So I told him I wanted him to change his shirt. He was adamant that he wasn't going to do it. "No", he said "it's wrong, I won't do it, I won't it it's wrong". This shirt was stained and dirty and he had wiped something all over the front of it so there was no way I was going to let him out out in public looking like that. I "wrestled" the shirt off of him all the time he screamed bloody murder. Getting the new shirt on him became impossible. I just figured I'll just put the clean shirt in the car and he can wear the t-shirt he had on for the trip down there. The only problem was he wasn't going to go without a fight. I pushed him out the door telling him we have to go, we have to go see Lyle your bother. He screamed and fought me the entire time. I tired to get him into the car but he was in a psychotic state of mind and wouldn't budge. His skin torn in all the commotion so I had to get bandages to put on this cut, my shirt had blood on it and I about had it. I am not sure if its his age, something in his medication, or what but his skin tears with the slightest touch or pressure. He's always bleeding from bumping into something or rubbing the wrong way or what ever, Its bad. I called my brother and who I was going to meet at our uncles house and told him what was going on and asked him to stop by and help with dad. Pops was praying to god at his point for what I don't recall but I used that to my advantage. I need to get him medicated with his anxiety meds to help the situation. I said God wants you to take this pill and pop said, "he does?". I said yes .. and he wants you to put this shirt on too. So he took his pill and put the damn shirt on. Then I said, you want to go see you brother Lyle? He was agreeable to that too. So before he could change his mind I had him in the car and I called my brother to let him know the situation changed and we were on the road.
We arrived at my uncles home. I hadn't been there in probably 15 if not 20 years. As a young family we would split the holidays between my parents house and my uncles house. So we had a lot of family gathering at this home. The place was just as I remember. We walked up to the door and rang the bell. Aunt Helen answered and I pushed dad toward the door and she greeted him warmly as always. Pops was all smiles now. I followed him in and gave my aunt a hug. I turned and saw my Uncle Lyle and my heart sank. He called me the day before to ask how many would be coming and if we should make reservations and on that call he said, "you're not going to recognize me, I have lot 60 lbs. The doctors have done full body scans and I'm cancer free and they are sure why the weight loss". Even with that warning I wasn't quite prepare for the gaunt man I was greeting. I felt bad for how I felt but I couldn't help it and I made sure my shock didn't show on my face.
We spent a good hour sitting in the living room catching up on all the latest. Their two sons and all the grand kids what everyone was up to and how everyone was doing. Dad the whole time couldn't follow the conversation, didn't expect him to. He kept saying I took a hell of a beating, the guy came at me with his fist clinched like two can hams. He was referring to me trying to get his shirt changed and he him in the car. We would change the subject and talk about other family matters but pops would chime in about this fight he had just been in. We decided to go to a restaurant in town and I decided to drive Helen and Lyle and Dad would go with my brother. My bother drives an SUV and I drive a wagon we figured it would be difficult for Lyle to climb into the SUV. On the drive over Lyle says to me .... He doesn't know who I am. I said are you sure? Knowing he was right, he said "I'm sure". He was right alright on at least one occurrence I heard pops say to Lyle, "well, it was nice to meet you".
With dads move coming up I thought it would be important that we go visit his brother Lyle in Orange County. I had this feeling that if we don't do it now two patriarchs of this family will never see each other again. His brother has come over several time in the year and three months my dad has lived with me but he hasn't been here in five months. He has called once maybe twice during that time and on one of those calls told me he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. His wife my aunt Helen accompanied him on there last trip in October. I was thinking with his disabling condition driving from Orange is getting harder and harder even if she drives.
I called my brother to make the arrangement if possible for a visit last weekend. I got a call from last week and he told me he called and talked with Lyle but they weren't up for a visit. It was a little heartbroken to say the least. But the next morning I get a voice mail message from my brother telling me Lyle called back and he talked it over with Helen and they changed their mind. Maybe because of the very reason I thought it would be important for the visit in the first place, maybe not, but I didn't ask, I was just grateful they did.
We agreed that Sunday who be good so a half and hour before we were to leave I grab a clean shirt for dad so he would look presentable. I started looking around the house but I couldn't find him initially. Then he poked his head around the corning where he was hiding in the kitchen. He had this look in his eye, confusion, I cant describe it. So I told him I wanted him to change his shirt. He was adamant that he wasn't going to do it. "No", he said "it's wrong, I won't do it, I won't it it's wrong". This shirt was stained and dirty and he had wiped something all over the front of it so there was no way I was going to let him out out in public looking like that. I "wrestled" the shirt off of him all the time he screamed bloody murder. Getting the new shirt on him became impossible. I just figured I'll just put the clean shirt in the car and he can wear the t-shirt he had on for the trip down there. The only problem was he wasn't going to go without a fight. I pushed him out the door telling him we have to go, we have to go see Lyle your bother. He screamed and fought me the entire time. I tired to get him into the car but he was in a psychotic state of mind and wouldn't budge. His skin torn in all the commotion so I had to get bandages to put on this cut, my shirt had blood on it and I about had it. I am not sure if its his age, something in his medication, or what but his skin tears with the slightest touch or pressure. He's always bleeding from bumping into something or rubbing the wrong way or what ever, Its bad. I called my brother and who I was going to meet at our uncles house and told him what was going on and asked him to stop by and help with dad. Pops was praying to god at his point for what I don't recall but I used that to my advantage. I need to get him medicated with his anxiety meds to help the situation. I said God wants you to take this pill and pop said, "he does?". I said yes .. and he wants you to put this shirt on too. So he took his pill and put the damn shirt on. Then I said, you want to go see you brother Lyle? He was agreeable to that too. So before he could change his mind I had him in the car and I called my brother to let him know the situation changed and we were on the road.
We arrived at my uncles home. I hadn't been there in probably 15 if not 20 years. As a young family we would split the holidays between my parents house and my uncles house. So we had a lot of family gathering at this home. The place was just as I remember. We walked up to the door and rang the bell. Aunt Helen answered and I pushed dad toward the door and she greeted him warmly as always. Pops was all smiles now. I followed him in and gave my aunt a hug. I turned and saw my Uncle Lyle and my heart sank. He called me the day before to ask how many would be coming and if we should make reservations and on that call he said, "you're not going to recognize me, I have lot 60 lbs. The doctors have done full body scans and I'm cancer free and they are sure why the weight loss". Even with that warning I wasn't quite prepare for the gaunt man I was greeting. I felt bad for how I felt but I couldn't help it and I made sure my shock didn't show on my face.
We spent a good hour sitting in the living room catching up on all the latest. Their two sons and all the grand kids what everyone was up to and how everyone was doing. Dad the whole time couldn't follow the conversation, didn't expect him to. He kept saying I took a hell of a beating, the guy came at me with his fist clinched like two can hams. He was referring to me trying to get his shirt changed and he him in the car. We would change the subject and talk about other family matters but pops would chime in about this fight he had just been in. We decided to go to a restaurant in town and I decided to drive Helen and Lyle and Dad would go with my brother. My bother drives an SUV and I drive a wagon we figured it would be difficult for Lyle to climb into the SUV. On the drive over Lyle says to me .... He doesn't know who I am. I said are you sure? Knowing he was right, he said "I'm sure". He was right alright on at least one occurrence I heard pops say to Lyle, "well, it was nice to meet you".
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