Devoted Wednesdays

For several years I devoted Wednesdays to Aunt Dot, who lived to be 90.  We made weekly forays to the hairdresser, lunch somewhere, and the grocery store.  But September 30, 2005, became a breakfast day, so we went to Nikki's, Aunt Dot's favorite.  Aunt Dot, standing five feet tall and weighing 103 pounds, ordered 1/2 pound pork chops, three eggs, hash browns, biscuits and gravy.  She ate the meat, the eggs and a biscuit.

As she waited for the order, Aunt Dot smoked a cigarette and drank a cup of coffee.  Practically a chain smoker, she claimed she never inhaled.  "That's why I made it to 90," she would say.  She called herself the "Last of the Mohicans" because, being the eldest of four siblings, she alone survived in 2005.  The "baby" died in 1995 at age 64.

"Next week we'll go to Cappuccino's," Aunt Dot said.  This is an Italian Bistro we frequented to the point that they begain mixing mimosas the minute they saw her little white head bobbing toward the door.  Sometimes she fooled them, asking for a Bellini.  They treated her like a queen, setting up a smoking place on the patio after the meal.  She loved the attention.  Here, too, she ordered large: Italian sausage with pasta, lobster bisque, and Caesar salad.

Some Wednesdays we spent at the podiatrist or the dentist.  But we never missed the hairdresser or the meal.  Toward the end we began sharing a dessert together.  Turning 90 brought out the carpe diem in Aunt Dot.  She bought ingredients for eggs benedict and mimosas and made herself Sunday morning feasts.  After a long day of chores and gadding about, we shared mimosas and chocolate goodies.  Before leaving I would say, "you be good now."

She responded, "Well, I can't promise, but I'll try."

Aunt Dot lived alone until Thanksgiving 2005.  "I can do it," was her main mantra.  "I can unlock the front door," - "I can put that away," - I can carry my own glass to the table."  A bit of a trick for someone using a cane.  I followed her around the grocery store, reaching for the high things, but only if she asked.

She fell and broke a hip in November and moved into a rehab center.  I showed up every Wednesday.  She never fully recovered, dying February 3, 2005.  Wednesdays have been tame.