Return of "The Girls"

Went into work yesterday and about noon the walkers and wheelchairs came clanking through the doors of the restaurant..."The Girls" were back for another visit!

Same two care givers were with them and they had a couple of new faces with them. It takes them forever and a day just to get everyone seated and settled in.

They had a hot little firecracker from Ireland with them that was cracking me up. She wanted hot tea...and two minutes after we set her mug of steaming water in front of her she hollered (quite loudly) at me "Hey...this water is Luke warm at best!" I went to pick the mug up and it was hot, but I told her I would be right back with a new cup of hot water. I told the cooks to nuke the water in the microwave and took her back a cup that could burn off finger prints. She haughtily said "That's more like it" and was satisfied for another two minutes. She had taken her dinner napkin and spread it out under her dinner plate like a table cloth and was buttering a piece of bread with the small ramekin of butter that comes with the bread baskets. As I walked by her she said "I need another wee pot of butter for my bread." I came back with her "Wee Pot" of butter and by then of course her water was Luke warm again and had to replaced for the second time in a five minute span. This didn't bother me in the least.

I love waiting on these delightful ladies every time they come into our store ... they can boss me around all they want and I will hurry back to the table for more directions and requests.

They had a"Dapper Dan" with them on this trip and a lovely couple (he was in a wheel chair) his wife sat by him the entire time holding and rubbing his hand and the look in her eyes said that this was the most important man in her life and she was proud to still have him beside her...even if it was in a wheel chair and he had to be told what to do and helped through the entire eating process.

Ole "Dapper Dan" was on his own (swinging bachelor) and wandered off a couple of times from the table. At one point when every one was finishing their lunch he wandered back to the kitchen area to announce that he was with the big group but he was leaving. The girl who was waiting on them with me gently took him by the hand and suggested that they go back out to the dining room to wait for the others.

One of the care givers told me that after their last visit she had read my blog about them. We both had a good laugh and it made my day that she had read my blog about waiting on these wonderful seniors and that she had read how much it means to me to be a small part of their last days . Unfortunately with Alzheimer's it may not be days but years that they live in this state...but being able to wait on them, make their demands seem like nothing and get a smile out of one or two of them is enough to make my week.

One of the women had ordered the pork chop (after a LONG conversation and much debate.)
When I went back to check on them after the food arrived her chop sat untouched on the plate. She said she couldn't even cut it. I told her I would get a steak knife and cut it up for her. She got testy with me and said she didn't WANT me to cut it. She asked if I could just get her a ground beef patty cooked and put it in a box to go and she would give the pork chop to her dog. I told her of course I would and went to the kitchen to tell the cooks to put me a hamburger patty cooked in a box to go (I didn't ring it up.)

When I went back to the table one of the care givers called me over to ask me what was going on. I explained it all to her and she said "My goodness, she doesn't even HAVE a dog." I told I her I had wondered about that but it just seemed to make her happy so I didn't mind getting it for her. When I brought the hamburger patty back in a box the woman looked at it for a good thirty seconds and seemed so pleased that it made my day.

If these women had any memory left, they would ask for me every time they came in! Actually though one of them DID say "I remember you from last time." Whether she did or didn't doesn't matter. What matters is that I remember them .

As they scattered back to their walkers and shuffled their way out the door...my day was immediately brighter. On a high note, I don't think any of them stole any dishes this time!!

Til next time...Cotton