Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord

Author:Cynthia Lord [Lord, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2014-09-10T04:00:00+00:00

On a gray, calm day, the lake becomes a mirror, reflecting other things: trees, cloudy sky, the ghostly outline of the mountains. It matched how I felt. Upside down and not really myself.

When Mom and I came home from the cookout, she told me she thought something was wrong with Grandma Lilah. Not just the ordinary kind of getting older and forgetting a few things, but maybe something bigger.

“I think she might have dementia,” Mom said.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It’s difficult to explain,” Mom said, “but it’s a brain disability that happens to some people when they’re older. When I was your age, my aunt had dementia and we used to visit her sometimes. She had a hard time doing certain things and understanding and remembering — even things she’d done her whole life. No one really knows why it happens.”

“You never told me about your aunt,” I said.

Mom shrugged. “As a child, I didn’t like visiting her. It was always sort of confusing and sad. She didn’t even seem like the same person anymore.”

“Did she get better?” I asked.

Mom shook her head. “My mother stopped bringing me when my aunt didn’t know who we were.” She put her arm around me. “Lucy, I just don’t want you to take it personally, what happened. The photo was a lovely idea, and if Grandma Lilah were completely herself, I’m sure she would’ve loved it.”

Nate had told me they were doing all Grandma Lilah’s favorite things this summer, and it had seemed nice when he said it. But now, I could see that maybe it was more than that. Maybe they were doing those things because she was still “her” enough to enjoy them.

I wanted to apologize to Nate, but I didn’t know how. So the next morning I texted him.

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