One set of neighbors included a mother and daughter who were memorable for their smiles, calmness and fancy attire. The daughter retired from teaching in New Jersey and returned home to care for her mother.
I saw the daughter at Sam’s in 2016. She didn’t recognize me so I had to explain where we met. She lit up with a nervous smile, and asked for my number because she needed me to help her find someone to care for her mother.
Her phone call turned into me caring for her mother six days a week until she passed. I learned about their family history, the daughter’s life at Paisley High School, then Winston-Salem State. The younger brother’s life at Livingstone College, the older sister’s life as a mother to her niece and nephew, a wife to a brother-in-law who owned a grocery store in Salisbury, and a retired teacher.
What the daughter emphasized about her big sister (by 13 months), was her ability to cook and bake like their mother. Her descriptions led me to believe the food and desserts were similar to those I grew up on. I was offered to try items when her sister sent her home with holiday care packages, but I learned if I didn’t quickly get a slice of cake, it would be gone when I came back because the daughter and I both had a sweet tooth. My beliefs were correct because everything was delicious and so memorable of my grandmother and the items she made sure I took to my patient’s wife.
The daughter and I checked in with each other occasionally after her mother’s passing, but didn’t miss a birthday or Christmas where she looked for her card to include a picture of Michai. It was hard to get in touch with her this past Christmas, but she told me she had been spending time with her sister and brother-in-law. What she couldn’t tell me was that she was having some memory issues…