3 minute read
Do You Know Where My Wife Is?
Pretty Amazing!Do You Know Where him answers he needed to hear in the moment. I kept him from trailing off. Because that’s the least I could have done. Suddenly, in walks this tall young woman who looked about
My Wife Is? 28 or 29. Long black hair and green eyes. We locked eyes and she came rushing over. “Thank you. THANK YOU,” she said. “I had to leave for just an hour, and this happens. I knew I shouldn’t have left him. I’m SO sorry.” She explained that he sometimes
The other day, I was out grocery shopping at my runs off and looks for his wife. That he lost her 13 years ago, but local supermarket around 6:30 pm when an older he never stops trying. man turned a corner into the pasta aisle and put She proceeded to help him out of his chair and thanked me his hands on my shoulder. I jumped up. My first once again. On their way out, I heard him say once more, “Where instinct was to get angry and ask him to please not is my wife?” My heart hurt, but I was so happy to see him with touch me. Then I noticed something. The man was his family again. I share this not only because this man touched crying. He looked distraught and confused. my heart, but to say this:
Suddenly, he asked, ‘Do you know where my The majority of this world are strangers to you. I know that. wife is? I’ve been looking for her.’ I told him I didn’t But never forget that we all share this world together, and in it we know and suggested maybe he ask the store front can share kindness. That is the only thing that can keep us going. for help finding her. I was thinking maybe he lost If you see something, do something. You never know how big her in the aisles. Hasn’t everyone lost someone this your impact can be on someone else’s life. way? I was wrong. I don’t care that the shopping cart I accidentally left in the
He proceeded to ask, ‘Where is my wife? She was pasta aisle during the frenzy of this situation was unloaded and right here.’ Tears welled up in his eyes. I told him put away. That I had to re-find everything. I don’t care that I ate once again that I was not sure and gestured to walk dinner a little later that night. That I went home and cried my with him to the customer service counter where eyes out in the kitchen for this sweet, poor man. Kindness costs they could use the overhead speaker service to nothing. make an announcement for her. He obliged. Kindness...it costs nothing, but can mean the world to some-
There, the woman asked for a name. He looked to one today. me in confusion, as if I had the answer for him. The woman half rolled her eyes and turned to me. ‘Miss.
Do you have THE NAME?’ I explained he was a stranger and I had no other information than she did. “Is this a joke?” she asked. By then, it became really clear to me that this man was very confused.
Not just regular confused, but Alzheimer’s confused. Having had a grandpa with this condition, I knew it all too well.
I took him to the food court and we sat down. He was now shaking and crying softly. “Where is my love?” I held his hands and I asked him if he had a cell phone. My heart was breaking for him. He said he wasn’t sure, so I asked if I could search his pockets. He obliged. I was careful. In it, I found a small flippy phone. I searched through his contacts and found one that read ‘Daughter Krissy.’ I immediately called her. She answers in seconds.
Hello?’ she said, her voice already sounding frantic. I explained that I was with an older man who I assumed was her father. That we were at the supermarket on Lane St and he was very distraught and upset.
‘On my way,” she said. “Can you make sure he doesn’t wander off?” She continued, “Thank you, thank you. I’m coming.”
For 20-something minutes, I sat with a crying stranger. I held his hands. I wiped his tears. When he shivered, I layed my jacket down in his lap. I gave 23
