Relationships and Going Places

My oldest brother, Ben had moved back to our hometown by then, and he became the person with whom she could talk things over. They enjoyed planning for and preparing holiday meals and lunched together most days of the work week. Ben kept his weekend activities separate, except when family members were in town. Mom wisely ignored what she must have suspected about his sometimes rowdy behavior with his fourth wife, a local girl younger than his own daughter whom he’d recently married, and their motorcycle-riding friends. more »

"A classic tale of two women school teachers in the early days of the rough and remote Klamath River country of northwestern California. Hired by the Indian Service to teach for the Karuk tribe in 1908, on arrival they found themselves to be the only white women in sixty miles." more »

Then came the paragraph in which he apologized with abject humility. I understood the reference he was making. He pleaded with his young wife not to be too upset at the prospect. He admitted it was perhaps sooner than they would have liked, but he suggested they might together find satisfaction in what was to come. more »

Such incidents increased, becoming more and more bizarre, until one of them precipitated Muriel’s admission to the dementia unit of an assisted living facility. There she lost her freedom but found her new love, another resident. Unfortunately, she can’t remember his name. She refers to him as “The fellow I go with” or “You know — the man I’m in love with.” She also usually forgets that he has a wife — apparently a very understanding woman who visits her husband, and Muriel, frequently and also invites Muriel to family holiday get-togethers at her home. more »