A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson

Author:Sophie Hudson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: RELIGION / Christian Life / Family
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2013-06-03T21:00:00+00:00

It’s a tricky thing, Alzheimer’s—or any debilitating disease, for that matter. Caretakers and loved ones know they have to adjust to a new normal, but that new normal is a shifty rascal. One day Chox would feel like everything was under control because Joe had responded well to a new medication or because he seemed better adjusted to his schedule or because he was acclimating to new environments a little easier, only to realize several weeks or months later that Joe’s condition was worse—again. Chox did everything she could to keep their lives as normal as possible, but caring for someone with a progressively debilitating disease is like trying to hold your balance on a high wire while juggling explosives. It’s possible, of course, if you set your mind to it and devote your life to the task, but you certainly can’t sustain the nonstop pace of the routine year after year after year. Because eventually, unless you’re some sort of superhero, you’ll fall down from sheer exhaustion, or something will blow up when you least expect it. And neither outcome is particularly desirable.

The weather forecast wasn’t in our favor a couple of days later, and since Benji’s girls wanted to do some back-to-school shopping (they were only ten and eight at the time, but they’ve always appreciated a cute outfit), we decided that an afternoon at the nearby outlet mall might be good for everybody. Since there were too many of us for one car, Alex hopped in Paige’s SUV with all his cousins, and I jumped in the car with Chox and Joe. We had barely turned out of the condo entrance and onto the main road when we realized Joe had interpreted the fact that he was riding in a car as a sure sign that his wish was finally coming true.

“Choxie? We going to Prayer Meeting, Mama?”

“No, Joe,” she replied. “I told you earlier. We’re going to the outlet mall. The one at Foley.”

“Foley?” Joe answered. “Not Myrtlewood? We’re not going to Prayer Meeting?”

“No. We are not going to Prayer Meeting.” Chox laughed. “We’re going to the outlet mall.”

Joe tried to put the pieces together for a second or two before he decided to be agreeable.

“Oh. Okay, then. If you say so.”

Chox’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. She just shook her head.

Joe was quiet from Orange Beach to the toll bridge, but as soon as the toll-bridge arm went up, it was like a lightbulb went on in his head. Maybe he remembered that they’d stopped to pay a toll on the way to the condo, or maybe the sight of the toll arm moving triggered a memory from years before. Regardless, Joe determined that Chox wasn’t telling him everything, and he intended to get to the bottom of the situation.

“Choxie, are we going to Myrtlewood?”

“No, Joe. I told you. We’re going to the outlet mall.”

“Well, is that in Myrtlewood? Because I want to go to Prayer Meeting.”

“Joe. We’re not going to Myrtlewood. We’re not going to Prayer Meeting.

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