At lunch today, Kate asked me something about “a guy who wanted to make her naked.” I had no idea what she was talking about and said so. She looked frustrated with me and indicated I must have remembered. She went on to say that she had been in the restroom, and there was a man and a woman. The man wanted to disrobe her and walk her around the restaurant and parade her outside. She said she knew that I would not let that happen. I assured her that was the case.
A moment later, she asked me the name of our server. I told her it was Sandra. Then I said that reminded me of someone who was in her bridge club years ago. I could see that she didn’t recall and went on to tell her the names of each of the members and their spouses. She said, “Where was this?” I told her it was right here in Knoxville. I noted that two other members of the club as well as the two of us are the only remaining living members. She said, “Where was this? In North Carolina?” It was clear that she had little or no memory of the bridge club of which she had been a member for more than twenty years.
Then she asked me our daughter, Jesse’s, middle name. I told her. She asked what her last name is. She followed that by asking her husband’s name. After I mentioned the twins, she asked their names. I said something about having a son in Texas, and she asked his name.
These are not names that are lost forever. They come and go in her memory, but they are signs that the names will be forgotten sometime in the future. When I encounter moments like these, I am amazed that she functions as well as she does.
