So how was Vegas?

by Hero Jenkins

My wife and I find ourselves in a unique position. We are caring for both grandbabies and grandparents and the similarities are striking. They both are in diapers; they both are extremely demanding because they want things NOW and cannot get them for themselves. They know when they hurt and they know when they are hungry and they are not afraid to let you know. They go to sleep when they are sleepy… anytime, anywhere. They live for the present and they don’t remember a thing.

My mother’s blood pressure shot up one weekend to where we thought we would loose her. We called the paramedics and they called an ambulance and they rushed her to the hospital. We spent all day and all night in the emergency room while they tried to stabilize her blood pressure. Then they over corrected and it got too low.

It turned out there was a problem with her medication and eventually they got it figured out. It was an awful, awful time and we were afraid that this time she would not leave that hospital alive. My mother cried most of the time. She hated hospitals.

They kept her in the hospital for three days and we all took shifts sitting with her. When she was discharged we loaded her up and took her home.

To our surprise my mom sat in the back seat grinning from ear to ear.

“This was the best Vegas trip ever,” she said. “I won $1,400 dollars.”

I made eye contact with my sister, that trip had been months ago.

Thank god for short-term memory loss.

My brother was in the front yard, looking tired and grim. My mother popped out of the car and glided up the walkway.

“I won $1,400,” my mother informed him with a grin.

My brother was shocked and more than a little confused.

“We just got back from Vegas,” I said.

“Ohhhh,” he said, nodding with understanding. Then he turned to my mother and asked.

“So how was Vegas?”