Antonio D'Andrea--I Used To Drive In The Fast Lane

The fellow that entered the freeway behind me became impatient with my 60 miles per hour speed and angrily zoomed around me and crossed three lanes into the fast lane.

“I used to drive in the fast lane, remember?” I asked my wife sitting next to me.

“ No, not really. I remember me being a faster driver than you. You were always a very cautious driver.” She responded.

Ellen, my soulmate for the last 50 years, had to stop driving about five years ago, when her memory started to fade. It starts slow
this Alzheimer’s thing. Little by little, you scarcely notice the changes it’s so subtle and so sneaky.

We were on our way to see the doctor now. Ellen had not been officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but we both knew what it was. Maybe it was dementia, we didn’t know the difference.

My beautiful wife had refused to discuss her memory loss with the doctor and insisted I not mention it either. I did give the doctor some hints and by the looks she gave me back, I think she understood.

I am 86 years old and my wife is 81 and we’ve had a wonderful life together and wonderful memories. Luckily, Ellen can recall many, many old memories. This disease, doesn’t seem to have any specific pattern as to what you can remember and what you forget.

At our age we realize there is no cure for us, so we just live our lives as best we can, taking one day at a time and enjoying what ever pleasures we can.

“Remember that little green MG convertible I had when we first met?” She said.

“Barely. That was fifty years ago” I said. Amazed that she could remember that car and not what she had for breakfast this morning.

“What about it?” I wanted to keep the conversation going.

“Do you remember the time, I was driving you over the mountain to San Juan Capistrano, and I started racing that Porsche and you were screaming to high heaven that we were going to crash and I just kept laughing?”

“How could I ever forget”

“Those were fun days, weren’t they?”

“Yes, they were”

“Where are we going now? I forgot “ She asked.

Back to the present and reality.