My brother and I went to the car dealership yesterday and helped my mom pick out a car (honda civic hybrid). She wasn’t her usual self. Usually, Mom enjoys bargaining until the sales guy just gives her what she wants, but this time, my mom stared at me and my brother with empty, pleading eyes as if she wanted us to make the decision for her. I’ve never had to do that before, and I’m guessing neither has my bro. We did play good cop/bad cop until she ended up with a deal. The hybrid car was the only thing that made her eyes light up a bit. “Maybe hybrid…let’s try something different.” So hybrid it was.
We bought and cooked dinner that night as well, since our next door neighbor (the one we dont like) gave us a betty crocker cake, and we are getting sick of stew from the neighbors (we like them) from across the street. I’m a little worried about my mom. I’ve always thought of her as pretty independent, but now that my dad’s not here, I’m becoming aware of the hole his absence has and will create.
My dad took care of everything for my mom: bills, dinner, cleaning (not too good at that), renting movies every night. I’m just worried what my mom’s life will be like coming home to an empty house, and cooking dinner for one every night. At the funeral service, one of my cousins pulled me aside and asked me to consider having my mom move closer to her relatives. Um. I appreciate the thought, and I know he was saying it from experience (his mom/my aunt died about 3 yrs ago) but still…I can’t even begin to start thinking about that.
So, I dunno. I can only take care of so much before i have to return to San Francisco. I can get her netflix. Figure out her taxes. All that admin stuff. But I don’t know what to do about the her being alone thing.
