Short Story: The Angel's Keeper
Two plates and silverware sat on the small kitchen table, a glass of orange juice station by one and a cup of coffee by the other. Scrambled eggs and a slice of bacon were on the menu this morning, as a man gently helps his wife sit at the table for breakfast.
“Can I have some orange juice?” The lady asked with a confusion look on her face.
“Sure, momma.” He reaches out and moves the glass of juice to the other side of her plate.
“Thank you.” She starts to reach out to pick up the glass, but hesitates and puts her arm back down at her side. “What are we eating?”
“Bacon and eggs, your favorite.” He smiles at his own joke, knowing that even though she enjoyed bacon and eggs, they were the only things he knew how to cook. She looks at the plate. His smile fades as he watches her. “Is something wrong?”
“Can I have some orange juice?” She asks.
“Sure, momma.” He reaches out and moves the glass again.
“Thank you.” She picks up her empty fork and brings it empty to her mouth. The man scoots his chair closer to her, taking her hand holding the fork. He helps her lower it to the eggs, spearing a few, and then helps raise it back to her mouth. She chews, as he reaches for the orange juice and helps her drink. Mentally he thinks, she’s having another bad day. He remains at her side, helping her eat, until she shakes her head refusing to take another bite.
“No thank you.” She says quietly, as she tries to reach for her napkin.
“You ate really good this morning, momma. Here let me help you with that.” He picks up the napkin and cleans the crumbs from her dressing robe and her mouth. As much as he tries to keep all the food from falling off the fork, there always seem to be a few pieces that end up on her or the floor, but he’s not upset about the food, he loves his wife. Even after 60 years, he would do anything to help make her life easier. He gets up and helps her out of her chair, then
walks with her, down the hall, towards the bathroom. Her clothes for the day are already on the hook that hangs on the wall, because he put them there last night. He does that every night before he goes to bed, so she wouldn’t have to think about what to wear for the day. She turns to him as they enter the bathroom.
“I will be out in a minute.”
“Okay momma. If you need any help, I will be right outside the door.”
“I can dress myself.” She didn’t have any annoyance in her soft voice; she was simply just stating a fact she thought was true. He nods his head and shuts the door behind him. There is a chair and table nearby. He sits down and picks up the morning paper that he laid on the table before breakfast. Several minutes pass by with only silence coming from the bathroom.
“Momma, are you okay in there?” Silence still. He begins to worry and wonder if she is having difficulty getting dress, but he waits another minute before speaking again.
“Momma, do you need some help?” He stands up and taps lightly on the door before he opens it again. Still no answer, so he slowly opens the door. “Momma?” His heart goes out to her as he sees her standing there. Her pants are on backwards and she is holding her blouse with a confused look.
“I’m not sure how to…” She couldn’t finish her sentence because she doesn’t remember what the name of the garment in her hands is even called. She looks at him with tears threatening to spill over in her eyes. She is scared because she knows something is wrong, but she is unable to put her fear into words. His heart breaks all over again on days like today, the same way his heart broke the first time he heard the words from the doctor…Alzheimers. He smiles to hide his sadness from her, even though he feels like his life is shattering in a thousand pieces with each bad day that seem to come more and more often than before. His love keeps him by her side each day as his role of husband to her, turns into caretaker for her. If there were a way for him to take this dreaded disease from her and carry it on his shoulders, he wouldn’t hesitate to inflict himself just to spare her from the disease that will rob her of her memory, family, friends and life. The only blessed thing about this disease is the fact that she doesn’t remember that she even has it.
Helping her put her blouse on, he then he leads her to the chair in front of her vanity. He picks up her favorite brush and begins to brush her hair. Looking at her, all he sees is the beautiful vibrant girl he saw walking down the sidewalk one summer day, long ago. He and his friend were driving in town when they spotted two girls walking; one he knew was his friend’s girlfriend, but
the other girl he had never seen before. He felt she must be an angel, because he had never seen anyone so beautiful. They turned the car around to pick up the girls. The car was lacking in enough seats, so the angel had to sit on his lap as they drove. He used to tease her about riding on some strange boy’s lap the day they met. They fell in love that day, and have been in love ever since. In his eyes, she is as beautiful today as she has always been, and his love for her has never faltered. Even through this disease, he refuses to leave her side, because to be without her would feel like being without life itself. He would be lost, as lost as she is in her mind.
She looks up at him with a hollowed look, and it hurts to see the emptiness in her eyes. He thanks the lord for all the happy times he has lived with her. He blesses his good fortune in having a loving family full of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. If only she could understand all the love that surrounds her, but it’s enough for him to know that she is loved completely by everyone that knows her. He knows she still feels her family’s love, by the smile on her face when they come to see her, even though she may not remember all of them. He dreads the day he knows will someday come when she doesn’t remember him too. But for now he will keep reminding her of things and help her through her days, until the time comes when she is called to heaven to become the angel he and their family already knows she is…the angel that lived amongst us.
“Can I have some orange juice?” The lady asked with a confusion look on her face.
“Sure, momma.” He reaches out and moves the glass of juice to the other side of her plate.
“Thank you.” She starts to reach out to pick up the glass, but hesitates and puts her arm back down at her side. “What are we eating?”
“Bacon and eggs, your favorite.” He smiles at his own joke, knowing that even though she enjoyed bacon and eggs, they were the only things he knew how to cook. She looks at the plate. His smile fades as he watches her. “Is something wrong?”
“Can I have some orange juice?” She asks.
“Sure, momma.” He reaches out and moves the glass again.
“Thank you.” She picks up her empty fork and brings it empty to her mouth. The man scoots his chair closer to her, taking her hand holding the fork. He helps her lower it to the eggs, spearing a few, and then helps raise it back to her mouth. She chews, as he reaches for the orange juice and helps her drink. Mentally he thinks, she’s having another bad day. He remains at her side, helping her eat, until she shakes her head refusing to take another bite.
“No thank you.” She says quietly, as she tries to reach for her napkin.
“You ate really good this morning, momma. Here let me help you with that.” He picks up the napkin and cleans the crumbs from her dressing robe and her mouth. As much as he tries to keep all the food from falling off the fork, there always seem to be a few pieces that end up on her or the floor, but he’s not upset about the food, he loves his wife. Even after 60 years, he would do anything to help make her life easier. He gets up and helps her out of her chair, then
walks with her, down the hall, towards the bathroom. Her clothes for the day are already on the hook that hangs on the wall, because he put them there last night. He does that every night before he goes to bed, so she wouldn’t have to think about what to wear for the day. She turns to him as they enter the bathroom.
“I will be out in a minute.”
“Okay momma. If you need any help, I will be right outside the door.”
“I can dress myself.” She didn’t have any annoyance in her soft voice; she was simply just stating a fact she thought was true. He nods his head and shuts the door behind him. There is a chair and table nearby. He sits down and picks up the morning paper that he laid on the table before breakfast. Several minutes pass by with only silence coming from the bathroom.
“Momma, are you okay in there?” Silence still. He begins to worry and wonder if she is having difficulty getting dress, but he waits another minute before speaking again.
“Momma, do you need some help?” He stands up and taps lightly on the door before he opens it again. Still no answer, so he slowly opens the door. “Momma?” His heart goes out to her as he sees her standing there. Her pants are on backwards and she is holding her blouse with a confused look.
“I’m not sure how to…” She couldn’t finish her sentence because she doesn’t remember what the name of the garment in her hands is even called. She looks at him with tears threatening to spill over in her eyes. She is scared because she knows something is wrong, but she is unable to put her fear into words. His heart breaks all over again on days like today, the same way his heart broke the first time he heard the words from the doctor…Alzheimers. He smiles to hide his sadness from her, even though he feels like his life is shattering in a thousand pieces with each bad day that seem to come more and more often than before. His love keeps him by her side each day as his role of husband to her, turns into caretaker for her. If there were a way for him to take this dreaded disease from her and carry it on his shoulders, he wouldn’t hesitate to inflict himself just to spare her from the disease that will rob her of her memory, family, friends and life. The only blessed thing about this disease is the fact that she doesn’t remember that she even has it.
Helping her put her blouse on, he then he leads her to the chair in front of her vanity. He picks up her favorite brush and begins to brush her hair. Looking at her, all he sees is the beautiful vibrant girl he saw walking down the sidewalk one summer day, long ago. He and his friend were driving in town when they spotted two girls walking; one he knew was his friend’s girlfriend, but
the other girl he had never seen before. He felt she must be an angel, because he had never seen anyone so beautiful. They turned the car around to pick up the girls. The car was lacking in enough seats, so the angel had to sit on his lap as they drove. He used to tease her about riding on some strange boy’s lap the day they met. They fell in love that day, and have been in love ever since. In his eyes, she is as beautiful today as she has always been, and his love for her has never faltered. Even through this disease, he refuses to leave her side, because to be without her would feel like being without life itself. He would be lost, as lost as she is in her mind.
She looks up at him with a hollowed look, and it hurts to see the emptiness in her eyes. He thanks the lord for all the happy times he has lived with her. He blesses his good fortune in having a loving family full of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. If only she could understand all the love that surrounds her, but it’s enough for him to know that she is loved completely by everyone that knows her. He knows she still feels her family’s love, by the smile on her face when they come to see her, even though she may not remember all of them. He dreads the day he knows will someday come when she doesn’t remember him too. But for now he will keep reminding her of things and help her through her days, until the time comes when she is called to heaven to become the angel he and their family already knows she is…the angel that lived amongst us.
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