Kate came in from outside a few minutes ago. She stopped about 12-15 feet in front of me with a puzzled look on her face and said, “Something’s going on.” Then she didn’t say anything. I stood up from the sofa and walked over to her. I tried to get her to explain. She struggled to find words. I asked if it involved somebody else. She didn’t answer. I asked if it involved her. (Something she said made me think that she was worried about herself or something about herself.) She said yes. I asked if she was afraid. She said yes. Then she said that maybe she just imagined it. I couldn’t get anything more. She was quite hot from having been outside. I asked if she wanted to cool off. She said she did and wanted to go get something to eat. We had just eaten about an hour earlier; so I knew she probably was not hungry. I also know from past experience that she sometimes says she wants something to eat or drink and then promptly forgets it. It did turn out, however, that she wanted to get out of the house.
On several afternoons when she has wanted to “get out of the house,” I have mentioned going to Barnes & Noble. In each instance, she has said no and reacted as though it had been a silly suggestion. That has led me to take her back to Panera. It is often hot in the afternoon there; so I was looking for another place. Figuring that she simply didn’t remember that B&N has a cafe and tables where we could camp out the way we do at Panera, I brought her to B&N without telling her where I was going. She never raised a question even upon arrival. We just got out of the car and walked in with our cups and iPads and my laptop. I picked out a table, and she sat down. I got each of us an iced tea. We have been here over an hour, and she hasn’t gotten up from her seat. She is still working puzzles on the iPad. I will come back again. It gives us a good alternative to Panera.
