I am not very good at planning escapes.
I tend to freeze when alarms go off.
And they do go off.
Even if it is the person behind me, at the library or Target, and the buzzer goes off indicating something hasn’t been checked out or paid for…I freeze.
When they go off for me, I always turn around and am not sure what to do.
Usually, an employee waves me on.
Once, someone who worked at the store- in security guard garb told me, “We know that if you turn back, you aren’t’ stealing anything.”I thought about it, and realized the truth in that statement.
But this was different.
I was planning an escape, and I already knew that I was taking something out without checking it out.
Well, maybe.
You see, the staff person had told me that Mary couldn’t come with me unless I signed her out.
And I couldn’t sign her out, unless I got permission from her son, in Florida.
Which, I tried to do, but his regular phone wouldn’t even take a message, and I wasn’t sure if her was going to answer the message I left on his cell phone, in time.
You see, I had promised Mary- and soon, she wont’ be here.
Her son is moving her to Florida.
So, I had visions of tossing her in the back of my car- or maybe the front, and desperately driving away from the nursing home at 85 miles per hour.
I know that Esther goes 90…. but I couldn’t quite even visualize that…
I know, this is a sign that I should probably let Mary drive.
You see, Mary has Alzheimer’s, only I am not sure she does.
She cycles a bit in conversation- not good memory for things you discussed 15 or 20 minutes ago. But she knows it is Sunday, and tomorrow is Labor Day, and on Tuesday, she will be on her way to Florida.
And she can tell you all about yesterday and a week ago- but an hour ago? No.
So, part of me is also trying to second guess the doctor who labeled this- but, the good thing about her move is that maybe her son will oversee this- in case it is something else…..
Anyhow, I needed to get her out of there, because I had promised to show her the synagogue.
A couple of years ago, after generations spent in decaying, but loved, buildings, our kahal (community) built a beautiful new building.
And Mary has ever only seen the outside of it.
And she has mentioned a few times wanting to go inside.
Since, she was moved into the nursing home right behind it (a 5 minute walk, if you are slow, and she isn’t), I go to see her on Shabbat, after services.
A few times, I have thought about coming by before services and taking her with me, so that she can see the inside- but taking Mary to services? Why would I do that- I like her.
Mary wouldn’t’ enjoy the services; although she would be happy to shmooze afterwards- what she really wanted to do was just see the inside of the building.
So, I had, when, yesterday, she told me how soon she was leaving, very little time to arrange this.
And, I had to figure out how to do it, in case her son didn’t get back to me, in time.
As I said, I am not good at planning escapes.
So, it is a good thing that he did call me back.
Which is why I can write to you from the comfort of my own family room and not from eth lockup in Kansas (I would like to think we might have made it that far.)
Mary, when we got to the front of the synagogue, realized that it was closed, and locked- and that we were going in, anyway , exclaimed, “They trust you with a key?”
Well, as I said to her, “no, they didn’t.”
But we won’t go into that, now……
Incidentally, I think we will have to have another field trip, tomorrow.
Mary suggested a bar.
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