Fate brings us strange twists and turns. Several years ago, my Mema had a 2 bedroom house all to herself. In her neighborhood was J, a stern retired vet who shared a home with his wife. Shortly after J's wife passed, his kids moved back in. His kids brought their kids, their friends, and friends of friends. They trampled through his home. They partied, wrecked, stole from J. They ran him out of his own home. J slept on Mema's couch while he fumed 'they can't do this to me.' A vein on his forehead would bulge and he would raise his voice in rage.
Day after day passed while he fumed and slept on Mema's couch. Slowly J moved his stuff into Mema's home since she had an extra bedroom. They lived together for several years. J came over to our house on Christmas and on all the holidays. As Mema became more frail and forgetful, J saved her life on numerous occasions. She would forget to take her insulin and slip into a diabetic coma, or fall down in the middle of the night on her way to the bathroom. Mema finally passed on. In her will, Mema left her house to me and my sister. But what to do about J who was residing there? There was no hesitation: he stays. He offered to pay rent with his veteran's check. We refused and we told him: you live rent-free and you're not paying for any bills. Spend your money on yourself. My mom would stop by the house to check up on him, fix things in the house, call a repairman if something broke. A few more years passed and J started to get frail. His kids were now stopping by his new residence...taking things, casing the place. When J. went into the hospital, his kids broke into Mema's house looking for valuables. We all agreed that this was not going to end well. We could no longer protect J from his own kids. We found a nursing home for him. He had his own kids taken off his emergency contact. We were listed now since we were his family. Years continued to pass. We visit on occasion, check up on him, moved him into a better retirement home. He is safe.
This afternoon I walked into the new retirement home. The place actually seems nice. I found J in the TV room watching football. We greeted each other. J said had no problems any more. I told him I had a gift and he fretted because he didn't have any room for something fancy. I took out a small booklet with pictures of him and Mema. Years and years of photos my mom compressed into a small book he could carry with him. I thanked him. He saved my grandmother's life, which means he saved my life and the life of everyone in my family. He doesn't rage about his kids the vein doesn't pop in his forehead. He doesn't think about them any more and this strange twisting road of fate has led us to this point in our lives. A taciturn vet with few words. Mema's house was sold, his house is occupied, but here we are...so grateful to have found a new family.
Day after day passed while he fumed and slept on Mema's couch. Slowly J moved his stuff into Mema's home since she had an extra bedroom. They lived together for several years. J came over to our house on Christmas and on all the holidays. As Mema became more frail and forgetful, J saved her life on numerous occasions. She would forget to take her insulin and slip into a diabetic coma, or fall down in the middle of the night on her way to the bathroom. Mema finally passed on. In her will, Mema left her house to me and my sister. But what to do about J who was residing there? There was no hesitation: he stays. He offered to pay rent with his veteran's check. We refused and we told him: you live rent-free and you're not paying for any bills. Spend your money on yourself. My mom would stop by the house to check up on him, fix things in the house, call a repairman if something broke. A few more years passed and J started to get frail. His kids were now stopping by his new residence...taking things, casing the place. When J. went into the hospital, his kids broke into Mema's house looking for valuables. We all agreed that this was not going to end well. We could no longer protect J from his own kids. We found a nursing home for him. He had his own kids taken off his emergency contact. We were listed now since we were his family. Years continued to pass. We visit on occasion, check up on him, moved him into a better retirement home. He is safe.
This afternoon I walked into the new retirement home. The place actually seems nice. I found J in the TV room watching football. We greeted each other. J said had no problems any more. I told him I had a gift and he fretted because he didn't have any room for something fancy. I took out a small booklet with pictures of him and Mema. Years and years of photos my mom compressed into a small book he could carry with him. I thanked him. He saved my grandmother's life, which means he saved my life and the life of everyone in my family. He doesn't rage about his kids the vein doesn't pop in his forehead. He doesn't think about them any more and this strange twisting road of fate has led us to this point in our lives. A taciturn vet with few words. Mema's house was sold, his house is occupied, but here we are...so grateful to have found a new family.
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