We’ve been at Barnes & Noble about an hour. I’ve been doing my things on my iPad. Kate is working jigsaw puzzles on her iPad. She hadn’t made a sound for almost the entire time we’ve been here. A minute ago, she broke the silence and said, “Fun.” She was expressing her feelings about working her puzzles. I know she must be having fun because she spends at least six hours a day working them – at home, at Panera, and at Barnes & Noble. This was the first time, however, I have heard her express her feelings about it.
I told her I thought she must enjoy it, that she spends a lot of time at it. She said, “Well, I don’t spend much time.” I didn’t argue. Then over a five-minute period she said other things about the puzzles. For example, she just said, “I like the colors,” “They’re not to hard. Well, some of them can be tricky.” Now, she said, “One of the things you know when you want to do something well is not to rush it. That is really true.” Earlier she had said something about liking not having any time pressure. I said, “Or telling you that you are doing it the wrong way.” She added, “Or I told you that yesterday.”
In the meantime, I am noticing that it’s been a while since she asked my name, and, not once, has the subject of my being or not being her husband come up.
We’ll be leaving here shortly. I have a Rotary dinner this evening. It is a benefit for Alzheimer’s research, and I will be making a few remarks. I changed the sitter’s schedule to come at 6:00 this evening. This will be the first time I have left her at night. I am optimistic this will work out well. My plan is for Mary to take Kate to get her Friday night pizza. That should help them pass a little of the time. The rest of the time they can relax at home.
I just asked Kate if she were ready to go. She said, “I’m just piddling. I just want to finish this one. . . Then the next one and the next one . . .” Then she said, “You had better just say when you think we need to leave. I said five minutes would be fine. She said, “Let me finish this one first.” I am really glad she has her puzzles.
