Turning point

            I was born 21 years ago, third and unexpected child of a happy marriage.  Always hyperactive and problematic, smiling and smart. A great student but mischievous all the way to college. Not caring what others think, living in a bubble thinking nothing bad could happen that would destroy this marvelous place I’ve created for myself. “While I have my family and friends, nothing can affect me” I thought.

            As a tradition, me and my family have a family reunion every Thursday at my grandma house, Abuela chispa. It was the longest living family tradition I can remember, turned my Thursdays in these family time that we, not caring what could be happening in the world, would see each other and catch up on everything. As a child I thought of it as a time for me and my cousins to get together and play, but later on it became the center of communication. Abuela chispa would make a whole caldero de arroz con salchichas y chuletas (rice with sausages and pork chops) and turned the radio oro radio station on so we could hear music she grew up with as Titi Evelyn, the crazy aunt and Mami danced with her and told us the daily stories. Everyone would laugh and have a good time for a couple of hours.

            Everything seemed nice, ups and downs but life seemed great. My perspective about life changed the day I was told that my grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease, one dark, cloudy day, to complement the cliché of the sad news. I never thought something like that could happen to my family. “What would that mean for my family? what’s happening to abuela?” I started asking to myself as I neglected that my world was being affected.

            Abuela started to change and our family Thursdays were changing to. She started to forget people, songs, locations, family, starting from the most distant related ones. Soon enough Abuelo Chispo took over cooking and sooner than one could think Abuela Chispa would start segregating from us, getting distant, hallucinating, in short she was getting much worse.  Some Thursdays we wouldn’t meet because she had an appointment. Another cloudy Thursday, as if my life was a continuous cliché, we gathered as usual. “Did you eat already?” she asked for the millionth time as she sat and mumbled while I opened the windows she closed for no reason. “I’m going to eat now” I said while we gathered in the dining room with mami and titi Evelyn. “What a pretty boy isn’t he?” said Titi Evelyn, just like her mother” said Mami, “do you know her?” Abuela Chispa glanced and laugh, meaning she didn’t have answer. I sat and eat the day Abuela stop recognizing me.