The Bulgarian temptress and the 100-year old ice cream sundae

This is, of course, my life.

I will begin with a look back — some six years ago, I guess — to the time I was nightsitting for a 99-year old former point guard at her house in Medina, New York. It is as good a place as any to start the story. Any story.

“Fuzzy” was as lively a near-centenarian as ever you could find, reinforcing the notion that a person doesn’t grow to such an age without carrying along a good flask of piss and vinegar. I say this, of course, in jest. In truth, she “merely” had a thoroughly vibrant spirit and retained her excellent sense of humor — still has both to this day, in fact, and yes, she’s now 106. But back to the story…

I had a twin bed set up in an adjacent downstairs room. My job was essentially to be the night watchman — to be there if she needed something during the night, attentive to prepare her dinner, to sit with her during the evenings, and to help her get to bed or to the bathroom safely. It wasn’t a job of particular difficulty, but it did entail a good deal of trust and responsibility.

I should stop here and point out that the quality of our elder years are determined in large part by the way we decide to handle situations very much like this one. Decided largely by the sort of society we choose to live in and support.