Driving Mr. and Mrs. Daisy

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DRIVING MR. AND MRS. DAISY

Adventures with My Parents

Theresa Perez

tmp96@yahoo.com

My folks are both in their 80’s and are needing more and more help getting to places. My dad no longer drives because he had a stroke about five years ago that limited his mobility so that left Mom to drive, but she will only drive to places that have a simple route. So, that’s where I come in.

Now, they both have various doctors in various places for various reasons; there are constant appointments. Just keeping up with all that is a chore in itself. Needless to say, we try to schedule more than one appointment in a single day so that taking off from work will be worth it for me. This is where the fun begins.

The day before the appointments, there’s the phone call or visit to set the time we will be leaving in the morning. Of course, it is always an hour before the first appointment. However, it must be clear. Okay, that’s set. Then, in the morning, a phone call thirty minutes before the set time to leave, “Are you ready?” “Sure,” is always my response because I already know it’s coming. That puts us almost an hour early. I walk over to their house, because we live next door to each other, and we get on our way. Conversation usually is about something we’ve already talked about, but I act as though it’s news to me, and we discuss it all over again. Then we get to our destination and wait. Sometimes we are fortunate, and they will be called in early. We leave from the first appointment. Then, if there is enough time between the appointments, we will have breakfast or lunch, or we will wait until after the next appointment.

“Let’s go eat. You hungry?” Eating out is the highlight of any outing for Dad. He carefully and strategically plans which restaurant we will eat at. If it’s breakfast, then McDonald’s or Denny’s usually suffices, and he will order the largest breakfast available. However, if it’s lunch, look out! We have done Golden Corral, Must be Heaven, Mexican, burger joints, steak houses, seafood, and if someone suggests a new place, of course, he has to try it. And it amazes me how much that old man can put away!

After appointments or eating, it’s on to the grocery store or some place that Mom has planned to go. “I wanted to go see if I could find something.” So, there we go; WalMart, Bealls, one place or another. If it’s a place where Dad can get a motorized cart, look out! If not, he’ll say, “I’ll wait in the car.” He will sit with the radio on and windows down. If it gets too hot, he’ll crank it up. I think he does that so that we won’t be too long in the store, knowing that he’s out there. Smart!

If it’s the grocery store, he’s in the motorized cart, and he’s off to his usual route. He doesn’t want anyone with him so that he can’t be stopped from his non-diabetic choices. First stop, doughnuts! Two dozen, of course! Then, the deli. A pound of some type of lunch meat and cheese. Later, around the corner to the sausages, a link or two. A couple twelve packs of sodas, maybe some chips or crackers and then some type of gadget that he probably already has at the house and has forgotten where he has placed it or feels that he needs another one, just in case. Once he has what he deems necessary, he parks in the front to wait for us.

After we have walked every aisle of the grocery store, very slowly, then we make our way to check out. Dad will precede us in the line to hurry and unload his cart before Mom can inspect it. Occasionally, she will get to it and start taking things out and fussing at him the whole time. He grins because he got caught!

Then we head home.

“You hungry?”

It’s five or six o’clock in the evening. We left at eight in the morning. I’m exhausted! Old people wear me out!

I can’t wait to do this to my kids!

enough