Every other Saturday night here at chez triv there’s a poker game. My nephew/godson Jon and his girl, Jen come over and play Texas Hold ‘Em with me and Cleetus. The game lasts about four hours and it’s my respite, my time off. My mom and dad retire to their room and watch tv–usually. This week my dad dozed off and we had company at the table.
I was nervous as Mom circled the table. She doesn’t remember Jon, even though he once lived here, was her boy, was welcome to host a house full of his friends here, all of that’s gone. How hard it is for him to see her how she is now. It kills him. And she’s never been exactly what I’d call friendly to Jen, so I was anticipating her throwing us all out on our ears. But she stopped between Jon and Jen and smiled, looked down at the cards and chips on the table and said, “Can I sit with you?” We’d be delighted.
My Mom used to play cards every week, and being at that table with a card game going on felt right to her. Jen asked if she was sitting in her seat (she was) and if she wanted her to move, but Mom said she’d sit beside her. Then she sat down and she was warm fuzzy Mom, we almost never get her anymore. She was chatty and pleasant. She can’t really finish all of her sentences, but that doesn’t matter, she wanted to be part of things, if only for a little while.
It lasted over a half an hour, with her watching us play and chatting and laughing before she started to get antsy. When she starts tapping it means she’s getting restless. So Dad came to collect her and she went back to her room with him. As they were leaving the room I glanced over at Jen and she mouthed to me–Jon needed that.
And then we sat around the table grinning like idiots for a moment. Jen marveled at how that was the first time Mom treated her like one of the kids, like family. I think Jen really needed that too. I marveled at how she sat at the table with Cleetus talking and didn’t bristle once. The atmosphere of the card game relaxed her somehow, made her happy. We all wanted to savor it for a little because we don’t know when or if it will ever happen again.
Then the card game continued and the evening went on as usual, spirits slightly buoyed by this brief interlude.
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So I make note and hold on to them.
you guys too! those more lucid moments are awesome…
but did ya win? 😉