Sunday, August 01, 2004

im fifteen for a moment

well today was exciting (sarcasm)! i was brutally waken up by my little brother at noon ("ARDEN! WAKE UP!! DAD WANTED ME TO WAKE YOU UP!!"). then we went to the farm, and since the gator wasn't working we sat in the incredibly hot house and played poker. i lost.. stupid pair of nines. well after that we went to enjoy a nice "family dinner" with my grandpa, who really didn't even want to go, so it was more of a "lets all go to dinner and try not to feel really akward for the whole thing" sort of meal. and it was at around 4:30. that's not dinner. that's... something else.

so then we went back to opa's assisted living facility, and his air conditioner was broken so i went and sat in one of the chairs outside his door. suddenly, the door across the hall opens and an old woman in a wheelchair emerges. she wheels straight over to me, saying "i have something i'd like you to do for me, if you would like to". it was kind of bizzare, watching an old senile woman slowly wheel across the hall straight towards me. so she wheeled right infront of my chair, leans close to me, and says "will you please take off my necklace? i can't see it to get it off. i had to sleep with it on last night because i couldn't get it over my head". so i unhook the clasp and take it off. she expresses her thanks and then wheels backwards back into her room and closes the door. five minutes later, she comes out again. wheels straight up to my chair, pulls out a dollar bill, and says "take this. thank you so much for helping me with that necklace. here, take it". hands it to me, and then starts wheeling off towards her room again. at the same time, another old (slightly odd..er) woman walks down the hall and greets the woman in the wheelchair, and questions her about her activities. she responds, "i was just giving this sweet girl a reward for helping me with a necklace. i couldn't get it off. had to sleep with it on last night. i am proud of her". the other woman says, "oh how nice". then the woman in the wheelchair returns to her room, and the other walks up to me, pats my leg and says, "you're such a good girl. i am proud of you. you know, you are beautiful. really, you are.. such pretty hair." she turns and continues to weave down the hall, looking back to say "you do have such beautiful hair".

it was... odd. you know, it always feel so weird to be there. all the old people look at you, and they smile. then they start muttering randomly about medicine and cigarettes. they're all so quiet, and when you look them in the face they appear to know everything and nothing all at the same time. it sounds weird, i know.. but i don't quite know how to explain it. they're old and senile, and a good portion of them don't remember much more than who they are, where they are, and their closest family and friends. but they have all lived through so much, and it's as if they want to forget.

i don't know. now i'm just rambling about crazy things.

caught inbetween ten and twenty