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The Memory Book
When Daniel Weston’s wife, Tina, (he called her “Teenie” because she was so small) died unexpectedly in her sleep one month before her and Daniel’s sixtieth wedding anniversary, Daniel’s mental health began to deteriorate. He’d already suffered severe mental anguish when he and Teenie’s son was hit and killed by a drunken driver while riding his new tricycle on his sixth birthday almost fifty years ago, and thought he had recovered from that, but losing her only brought back those memories and more.
He went into a deep depression and had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks so that he would have round-the-clock care. When he came out of it, his doctor, having only hinted at the possibility of the onset of Alzheimer’s, released him and allowed him to return to his home to live by himself, if he had someone who would keep an eye on him to make sure he was doing okay and to ensure he made it to his monthly doctor’s appointments.
Daniel’s niece Maggie, whose mother was Daniel’s older sister, Emily Ann, was a lawyer at the firm where she and her husband Tony practiced, and is Daniel’s eldest living relative, at least one with full mental capabilities, because her mother had suffered a stroke and had to be put into a nursing home. Maggie agreed to watch out for Daniel and began making routine checks on him; cleaning up his house, taking his laundry home and doing it for him and bringing it back, and taking him to get his groceries and to his monthly doctor’s appointments and anywhere else he needed to go.
Daniel just sits around the house all day because there’s nothing else he’d rather do. He doesn’t drive any more so he doesn’t go anywhere unless someone takes him and he doesn’t care for television and all he wants to do is sit around and look at pictures of his wife in his photo albums. He looks at her pictures every day. He talks to her, and sometimes falls asleep and dreams about her.
Maggie worked nine-to-five and sometimes even longer, and did her best to stop by his house daily. But as her practice began to demand more and more of her time, and since the kids were out of school for the summer, she divided some of the tasks, like going to the store and to the doctor’s and where ever else he needed to go, among her soon-to-be-out-of-the-house and off-to-college daughter Emmy, her high school football star son Taylor, and herself.
After a few weeks of occasional visits by each of them, and after Daniel had a few “episodes,” Emmy, Taylor, and Maggie all began to realize that he had more than just a forgetfulness problem. His doctor said he believed that Daniel was suffering from the beginning stages of dementia. He suggested that Daniel start taking one of the new medications designed to combat neurodegenerative diseases and that he should be moved somewhere where he would get round-the-clock supervision. Rather than move him into a nursing home, Emmy moved him in with her family.
At first, everything was fine, one big happy family, going places together and doing things as one. But then, his condition worsened and everything changed.
This book is a work of fiction. However, some of the events that take place are based upon my true experiences with my father. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of my imagination and are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental and not my intentions.
He went into a deep depression and had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks so that he would have round-the-clock care. When he came out of it, his doctor, having only hinted at the possibility of the onset of Alzheimer’s, released him and allowed him to return to his home to live by himself, if he had someone who would keep an eye on him to make sure he was doing okay and to ensure he made it to his monthly doctor’s appointments.
Daniel’s niece Maggie, whose mother was Daniel’s older sister, Emily Ann, was a lawyer at the firm where she and her husband Tony practiced, and is Daniel’s eldest living relative, at least one with full mental capabilities, because her mother had suffered a stroke and had to be put into a nursing home. Maggie agreed to watch out for Daniel and began making routine checks on him; cleaning up his house, taking his laundry home and doing it for him and bringing it back, and taking him to get his groceries and to his monthly doctor’s appointments and anywhere else he needed to go.
Daniel just sits around the house all day because there’s nothing else he’d rather do. He doesn’t drive any more so he doesn’t go anywhere unless someone takes him and he doesn’t care for television and all he wants to do is sit around and look at pictures of his wife in his photo albums. He looks at her pictures every day. He talks to her, and sometimes falls asleep and dreams about her.
Maggie worked nine-to-five and sometimes even longer, and did her best to stop by his house daily. But as her practice began to demand more and more of her time, and since the kids were out of school for the summer, she divided some of the tasks, like going to the store and to the doctor’s and where ever else he needed to go, among her soon-to-be-out-of-the-house and off-to-college daughter Emmy, her high school football star son Taylor, and herself.
After a few weeks of occasional visits by each of them, and after Daniel had a few “episodes,” Emmy, Taylor, and Maggie all began to realize that he had more than just a forgetfulness problem. His doctor said he believed that Daniel was suffering from the beginning stages of dementia. He suggested that Daniel start taking one of the new medications designed to combat neurodegenerative diseases and that he should be moved somewhere where he would get round-the-clock supervision. Rather than move him into a nursing home, Emmy moved him in with her family.
At first, everything was fine, one big happy family, going places together and doing things as one. But then, his condition worsened and everything changed.
This book is a work of fiction. However, some of the events that take place are based upon my true experiences with my father. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of my imagination and are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental and not my intentions.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2018
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August 3, 2020
Enjoyed
A story of old timers disease and the effects on the patient and family. I liked reading this story. I enjoyed Uncle Daniels antics. Could use a little editing but overall a nice read.
A story of old timers disease and the effects on the patient and family. I liked reading this story. I enjoyed Uncle Daniels antics. Could use a little editing but overall a nice read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review