Suzie’s House 397 : Just So We’re Clear

“Can I get a glass of water from you?” Drew used it as an excuse to follow Walter into the kitchen, but he really was thirsty.

“Yeah, sure.” Walter opened a cupboard. “You must think I’m a total idiot. Crawling out a window without my pants. So lewd.” He shook his head sadly. “I don’t remember that at all.”

“It’s no worse than some of the things I’ve done,” Drew assured him.

“Yeah, well. Drugs will do that to you.” Walter ran the tap.

Drew froze. It wasn’t one of his episodes, though for a minute the walls did waver. He was shocked that anyone could see it when he wasn’t currently messed up.

“I’ve had some friends.” Walter handed the glass to Drew. “I know the signs. So what got you? LSD?”

“No. China Black.”

“Come again?”

“I was an FBI agent working undercover on a drug case and had to take a designer drug in order to further the case. It has long term effects.”

“Oh. Undercover. Now that’s something I can respect.”

“Thanks.” It felt odd to say it, but Drew didn’t know what else to say. Then he got back on track. “You aren’t as far gone as you pretend.”

“Don’t kid yourself. Alzheimer’s is no joke.” Walter’s eyes flashed.

“But Alzheimer’s doesn’t make you hide in closets. I’m sure you do have some moments when you do unreasonable things, but hiding from your care taker – making a game of it – strikes me as boredom.”

“You got me.” Walter forced a laugh and slapped Drew’s shoulder. There was nothing giddy about it.

“But I wouldn’t say the whole arrangement is needless.” Drew watched closely as he sipped his water to see how Walter would react.

A small frown deepened the wrinkles of his face and his eyes fastened on a completely boring linoleum floor.

“No. It’s not… pointless. I do end up… “ Walter stared into a corner of the ceiling, looking for words. “It’s like I’m living in the here and now part of the time, and I’m reliving the past part of the time. And part of the time it’s…I don’t know what. Like I’m not really here at all. There’s just nothing there.” He pointed at his temple.

Drew nodded. It wasn’t exactly the same for him, but he could relate.

“To be honest,” Drew said. “I don’t know if I’ll be all that helpful, but I’ll do my best to get you home when ever you find yourself someplace you didn’t expect to be. Do you have a phone?”

“Sure. Right there.” Walter pointed at a landline attached to the wall.

Drew smiled indulgently. “How about one of these.” He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. “This one has GPS.”

“Oh, no. I’ve got no use for…”

“It’s not for you. It’s for me. Without this I don’t stand much chance of finding a vet hiding from the enemy. Besides, when you get bored, you can call me. My number is right here.” Drew moved over to stand shoulder to shoulder with the old man so he could show him how the phone worked.

Ten minutes later they were still going over functions when Vin and Ned walked into the kitchen.

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