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Sunday 16 November 2008

When people forget

When I was at University, I had a friend confined to a wheelchair after a car accident years before. One Friday night, we were trying to decide what to do to entertain ourselves. I looked in the newspaper and found a movie that looked as if it might fit the bill. It was on at the cinema just up the road. I passed the paper to Helen, but she shook her head.

“No, we can’t go to that one.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because there’s a couple of steps at the front of that cinema.”

I looked at her blankly. In reply, she looked at her wheelchair. At last the penny dropped.

“Oh!” I said, “I’d forgotten about the chair.” And I honestly had. But Helen’s face lit up with delight.

The other day I realised just how she felt at that moment. I’d taken Sausage to the ophthalmologist for her regular check-up. One of her eyes tends to look in a different direction from the other, especially when she’s tired. It doesn’t affect her eyesight, except that she has no binocular vision. So, in the doctor’s words, she’ll never be an A-grade cricketer. I was telling all this to someone at work, a lady who knows Sausage well. “But I don’t have binocular vision either,” I said, “and it’s never been a great problem.”

“So it’s probably genetic?” she said.

I looked at her and waited for the silliness of what she’d just said to hit her. Then we both burst into laughter. But it really did make my day. For that moment, someone forgot the ‘adopted’ thing and Sausage became as truly my daughter as she feels to me. It was a really good feeling.

6 comments:

C.R. Evers said...

OMG! This post gave me glazy-tear-eyes and goose bumps all at the same time.

Sometimes it is nice to forget, isn't it? Forget the things that may seem out of-the-norm in mainstream life, and somehow, sometime, but we don't know when, they morph from something that may have been so obvious at first, but it becomes natural and unnoticed to others.

I have my own "forget" story, but it's a bit too depressing to be blog-worthy, but I do know; sometimes forgetting can be a good thing.

happy ((((hugs))))) :0)

This is a post that will probably be etched in my mind for the remainder of my days. Thanks! :0)


Christy

Rena Jones said...

Great post, Kate. We go through our lives constantly being reminded of things that are obvious. Sometimes life throws us a fast one when the obvious is easily forgotten. That is nice once and awhile. :)

Angela Ackerman said...

Awesome post. Genuine forgetfulness is sometimes the kindest thing you can do!

Kate said...

Christy, sorry, didn't mean to make you teary, but I'm glad I got the feeling across ;)

Rena, yes it is nice. Usually people forget the things we'd like them to remember!

Thanks, Angela. Ironic isn't it?

Kimbra Kasch said...

Oh, speaking of forgetfulness, my husband and I share the same birthday and somehow he manages to forget my birthday...duh! Maybe as I get older, I'll be grateful ;-)

Kate said...

lol, Kim! My husband's is five days after mine, but it's more than his life's worth to forget mine! No, actually, I read a book when we first got married that said a woman should only be angry at her husband for forgetting something if she's given him the information in plain words that can't be misinterpreted. So I always say 'it's my birthday on...' and he's pretty good then!