BRIAN
‘Where have you hidden my glasses?’
Brian demanded.
Dawn sighed. ‘They’re on the table where you put
them.’
Brian snatched up glasses and
newspaper, but two minutes later he threw the paper down. ‘Bloody Tories! It’s
your fault for voting Labour.”
Dawn chopped onions, trying not to
cry. Everything was her fault these days. ‘How about a nice
cup of tea?’
Taking his grunt as assent, she
placed his mug beside him, but Brian deliberately knocked it over. ‘I’m not
drinking that – you’ve poisoned it!’
As Dawn ran cold water over her arm
she wept for her husband, lost forever in a cloud.
.............................................................................
I did try to think of a 'silver lining' story but this is what came out ! Thanks to Rochelle for the photo prompt and for hosting Friday Fictioneers on her blog https://rochellewisoff.com/ from whence you can follow the link to read how other writers interpreted the prompt.
Some days hold no silver lining. And I think that a day when a spouse is so gone that they can't see the suffering (physical and psychological) of the one they married, well... that day is pretty much all dark. I think your tale does a great job at showing the hurt.
ReplyDeleteThank you Magaly - I know from experience how sad it is.
DeleteOh, that's so poignant.
ReplyDeleteThanks Helen.
DeleteSo sad what can happen to people... and to be mean and bad is not unusual... my mother passed that phase before she became worse.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I opened an old wound, Bjorn - my father too.
DeleteShe should leave, in theory, but often that's not possible, or easy. So many couples are trapped like this.
ReplyDeleteTrapped is the right word.
DeleteDear Liz,
ReplyDeleteIt would be so hard to live with someone who is the same person and, yet, not the same person. Poignant and gut wrenching.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Dementia brings a long slow grieving in its wake.
DeleteSo very sad when the person you loved is no longer "there"
ReplyDeleteYet the odd glimpses of who they were still hold you captive.
DeleteOh, so sad. My mother was like this before she died. It's horrible to see the person you knew just gone and a stranger staring out of the familiar face. Gut-wrenching story, Liz.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your mother, GaH - and thanks for commenting.
DeleteSo sad. I hope she can get him the help she needs or save herself. Preferably both.
ReplyDeleteYour right - they both need help.
ReplyDeleteThat is so, so sad. There are many people living out in the community, trying valiantly to cope in this situation and often not getting the support they need. Yes, there might be basic help with physical care, but I think that emotional support is not so readily available, especially due to financial cutbacks (at least, that's how it seems in the UK). Dementia is a devastating thing all round.
ReplyDeleteIt is devastating, and so often hidden.
DeleteNicely done. I can't imagine the life either the caretaker or the person with dementia must live. You really captured that in 100-words.
ReplyDeleteThank you alicia.
DeleteWell captured in so few words. Interestingly, I met someone on my travels recently whose wife has Alzheimers, so your story resonated strongly, Liz.
ReplyDeleteSusan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
There are times when I feel pangs of guilt at using my own life lessons in my writing, but if it's true, I shouldn't feel guilty. At least, that's what I tell myself.
Deleteit must be alzheimer's. tough situation to be in.
ReplyDeleteVery tough.
DeleteIt's hard to tell what exactly is fueling the man's paranoia (Alzheimer's, dementia or something else entirely), but it's clear the wife has lost hope of him ever emerging from that cloud. I hope she has someone to reach out to for help. I can only imagine the loneliness and anguish of having to face it alone.
ReplyDeleteParanoia and irritability are signs of dementia, unfortunately.
DeleteReally, really sad.
ReplyDeleteSadly, true to life.
DeleteThat is so sad, entrapment for them both.
ReplyDeleteWatching someone gradually lose themselves in dementia is very sad.
Delete