Dementia
Food.
My grandma has dementia.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a bunch of stuff revolving around brain deterioration.
She has false memories of our family, and how my grandpa died.
She'll repeat the same story over and over, about how surgeons scooped his brains out and killed him in front of her. He died of emphysema, but he did have a traumatic brain injury when he was younger. Maybe in his 40s or 50s, I'm not too sure. That's where that story stems from.
...
There was a moment during one of our visits where she was describing a time when my mom and aunt took her to get Mexican food.
She was trying to tell me that she had beans and rice, and how good it tasted. She couldn't quite describe what she wanted to tell me, so my mom had to tell me what she was talking about.
Not verbatim, but something like this: "They gave me this... Yummy stuff! It was just... Yummy stuff!" She exclaimed, with a big smile.
That statement stuck with me. The childlike, joyous explanation of something that's mundane.
It makes me very sad.
She was witty and snarky when I was a kid. Seeing her regress into a person who isn't quite all there is very sad.
Essentially turning into a baby who doesn't recognize anyone or anything.
Jaws.
A little while ago I had that same feeling again, but with a different experience.
My mom and dad went to go see a movie together for the first time in (probably) 5 or 6 years.
They've been a mess of a relationship due to his drinking and her depression.
He stopped drinking a few months ago after some revelation, which is good. They reconciled with each other, and things seem to be on the upswing.
My mom sent me a selfie of them sitting in the theater, and they both looked happy.
Finally happy. So much wasted time arguing and fighting. Years of my dad's verbal abuse. Years of miserable mornings and eggshell gatherings.
Finally. A picture of them happy together.
With a $40 popcorn bucket.
They found a small chunk of time that was just nice, and nothing else.
I hope it lasts, and I hope they stay happy.
We're all getting older.