(no subject)
It's February. Morning. Cold, gray, windy, wet.
Winter conditions outside and inside. A morning to crawl back into bed, pull up the covers, and wait for something better to happen. Like spring, for instance. Instead, I am in a doctor's waiting room in a small-town hospital. In a state of nonspecific ill health. Miserable in body, soul, and mind. Don't know why. "You're going in for a checkup," says my wife. So here i am. Fix me.
Across from me is an aged couple, sitting side by side, holding hands. Neat and clean, washed and pressed. In her white hair, the womane wears a flowery arrangement- holly with red berries and some red poinsettia leaves. Odd.
The old man catches my eye, breaks into a grin and says, "Merry Christmas!" My automatic pilot shoves "Merry CHristmas!" out of my mouth at the same time that my brain waskes up and asks, "what, what, what...?"
The old man sings softly:"oh you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, im telling you why; Santa Claus is coming to town." He finishes the song, chuckles to himself, and again addresses me with a cheerful "Meryy CHristmas!" His wife smiles.
Just then the nurse sings out from behind her desk, "mery Christmas, Uncle Ed. The doctor will see you now." from down the hall, the doctor shouts, "Merry Christmas Ed! Good to see you."
(Right. Maybe its me. Maybe it really is December instead of February. Mind is going. I knew this would happen someday. Why now?)
THe nurse and the old man pass down the hall to the examination room
Uncle Ed's wife crosses over to sit by me. A little embarrassed she apologizes, pats me on the knee and explain;
" I hope he didnt upset you, the doctor says hes had a minor stroke or two and may be in th e beginning stages of Alzheimers. But in our family we know its just that hes getting old and feeble. Hes 88 and his wirings coming loose. Most of the time hes OK but every once in a while something a little crzy happens. Like this Christmas thing. A couple years ago he shouted down from upstairs something abou thow hed forgotten that it was CHristmas Eve and hadnt we better get the ornaments out and the packages wrapped. I didnt know what to think. Because it was March. But we didnt have anything else to do that day, and i thought that i might as well humor him. So we spent the morning getting ready for christmas. I called the girls--we have 3 grown daughters-- and they came over for lunch and helped untangle the lights and wrap some packages. We sang carols and made cookies and had a wonderfull time.
"When the girls left, he asked me to tell him about the Christmas when he was al ittle boy-- because he was having a hard time remembering. Now ive known this man all my life. He had a terrible childhood, father was a drunk-- beat him and his mother all the time. His father ran off with a woman from the drugstore, and his mother took sick and stayed home in bed most of the time. Ed never had a Christmas when he was a child. Well how could i bring all that up againj? i just didnt have the heart.
"we've been married 60 years. And ive never lied to him, ever. But i decided id make up some good memories for him. WHat harm would it do? So i told him about the year he got a tricycle. and the year there was a wind-up train under the tree, and the year he saw Santa Claus, and the year he got to be in the Christmas pageant at church. It made him very happy--me rememering the Christmases he never had but always wanted.
"you know, we never did get around to Christmas that March. Just CHristmas Eve. BEcause by evening his mind wsa back in the present. Christmas Eve and goo dmemories seemed to be enough.
"but four months later it happened all over agian. I heard him singing carols upstais one mornig, and here cam Christmas down the stair. MERRY CHRISTMAS! again in july. ALso in October--instead of Halloween. twice in December. And now in February.
"Every time, he wants me to tlell him about his childhood again. and i do. im getting so good at lying about how wonderful hjis Christmas used to be that i half believe it myself. I call the girls each time, and they come over to help out. They're really into it now. They brin ghim presents and sing carols and bake cookies. And twice weve even got as far as puttin gup a tree. They love to do it. See they dont think of it as Christmas annymore. They think of it as fathers day.
Just then the old man cokmes shuffling back up the hall. He and the nrse are finishing off a last chorus of "Jingle Bells" they both shout "Merry Christmas" at me and i should "Merry Christmas" right back at them.
The old lady patted my knee agian, smiled, and rose to leave with her husband. He galantly held the door open for her, and they went off into another day, hand in hand.
I didnt have time to ask her what they did when other holidays came up
but i guess every day is valentines day for them
<3