Okay, Thank You

Fall 2009
It happened one dark and stormy night. I can actually open with that line. I needed a break for a weekend get-away and took some time off to go to Fort Worth to visit my daughter. My sister and I had agreed that mother did not need to be alone for a whole weekend. At this stage in mother's battle with Alzheimer's we weren't quite to the point of needing a sitter all day and care all evening, but a weekend was cause for concern. In my absence during this particular weekend, my niece Rebecca was the one who drew the short straw of who would spend the weekend with Granny.

I precooked mother's meals. I had everything ready for Rebecca to stay. I told Rebecca I would leave the garage door opener by the front door behind the safety gate. All she had to do was let herself in. I tried to explain to mother that I was going to be gone and Rebecca was coming to stay. I got that blank look that said, "You speaking dah Greek again" but the words that came out of her mouth were "Okay. Whatever."

I packed the car, left the garage door opener in its spot and drove away. With the promise of a wonderful weekend with my daughter and her husband, I did not have a care on my mind. Until I got the call from my sister.

Alicia "Did you forget to leave the garage door opener for Becca?"
Cheryl "No. I put it behind the safety gate by the front door."
A "Well, it's not there."
C "Surely someone didn't pick it up."
A "It's storming here and Becca is locked out. She has been ringing the doorbell, but Granny isn't answering."
C "Did you call the house and see if mom answers?"
A "Let me try that. Tricia and I are driving over there now."

By this time Rebecca was drenched and huddling on my front porch in the dark. Alicia called the house and mother answered the phone. Here is the conversation from Bizzaro world.

Mother "Hello?"
Alicia "Mother. Open the door."
M "The door? I just did that."
A "Open the front door. We're trying to get in."
M "The door? I just did that to let those dogs out. It was doing that stuff up out there and the dogs didn't want it that."
A "Not the dogs mom. Open the front door. Rebecca is trying to come in. She's ringing the door bell."
M "Do what?"
A "Open the door. Can't you hear us banging on the door?"
M "I did that already."
A "No, mom. We're trying to come in."
M "Oh, you're coming over? That's nice. Thank you." And she hung up.

Alicia called again. "Mom. We're here. Let us in."
M "Okay. Thank you."
A "Mom. Open the door."

I don't know how long this went on. Eventually mother must have noticed the dogs going crazy at the front door and opened it to investigate. As the light from the open door spilled into the darkness to reveal the bedraggled and frustrated trio, mother beamed "Oh. You're here. So nice."

Alicia questioned mother as to the whereabouts of the garage door opener. "Mom, did you pick up something by the front door?"
Mother, "Do what?"
A "Did you pick up something by the door? Outside? A little black box?" She finally opened the door and pointed to the place the truant mechanism should have been. Mother perked up and said, "Oh, yes. Someone put this little thing down there." and the item surfaced.

On the first day of good weather after that my sister pulled her Honda into my driveway and programmed her garage door opener to match my garage system.

The moral of the story is: Don't go thinking you've covered all your bases. Something's going to go wrong, and you will be standing in the rain wondering what on earth you did to deserve it. This time - It Wasn't Me!!!!