It is about 2 AM and I hear noises downstairs………

So I head down and find Pawpaw looking in the closet in the dining.

He exclaims, “When do YOU get here?”

He was soaked in sweat and continuing to sweat profusely. He is dressed in his jeans complete with his belt buckled and muscle-type tee shirt, shoes and his leg brace on.

I answered, “I have been here for two weeks Pawpaw.”

***************** these asteriks show moments /minutes of silence breaking each train of thought, each series of words, usually minutes pass between each comment.

“Well this is the most messed up affair around here!” he says.

I don’t comment and silence follows.

I make my way into the living room and sit down and he does the same.

********************

After a few moments, Pawpaw asks, “Where’s Janet?”

I reply, “She’s in Chicago.”

“What in the hell is she doing in Chicago?”

“She lives there Pawpaw and has for many, many years.”

********************

Pawpaw asks, “Say this is Janet’s house?”

I reply, “No, this is your house Pawpaw.”

“How many houses does she have?”

“Who?”

********************

“Wilma was all tuned up about that thing we used in town……. A lot of stuff……..”

“When did Wilma get this house?”

I reply, “You and Wilma have both lived here for 29 years.”

“Well, I will be dad gum.”

********************

“Did I still work for the railroad?”

******************** “

Daddy opened a piece of … and it was a …. And it was gona be…. And he said we would let somebody else have it……… I said I don’t know it’s yours ballgame.”

********************

I worked on those ….. those two young women were working on the work that was breaking that loose, the pieces there you know, have a salt and bullcats….. I can’t talk plain anymore… I just didn’t know what to do

********************

When I got up this morning on and starting making little things and straightening up stuff and this ‘n that…… Those where two of his boys, two sons, hah hah hah well……..

********************

“You recogn you should go tell Janet that I am here?”

I reply, knowing my mom is upstairs and not Janet, “She needs to sleep.”

“Oh!”

********************

“What are you working on?”

“Ancestory.com”

********************

“I will bet Janet is about to go up the wall, isn’t she?”

I asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, she kind of took over some of the things that go and some people do……..”

********************

Pawpaw starts making sounds, “Cluck, cluck, cluck” with his tongue.

********************

“How long you been doing this stuff?”

“What stuff?” I asked.

“This stuff we are doing.”

WE  weren’t doing anything but i reply, “Not long, online ancestry.com I just started.”

********************

“How many things do we own?”

“Two houses this one and a very little one in FL for winter.”

********************

“What does that 256 mean?” he is reading the numbers on the digital clock on the TV cable box in front of us.

“2:56 AM and everyone should be asleep”

********************

I think about it for a minute and decide mom forgot to give him anything to help him sleep. I looked but I could not find any Nyquil.

********************

Pawpaw talks again, “When I was sitting out there this morning holding the kids, they said something about making a call. They were taking over the … don’t know what you call it……. And lost track of that… they said I was in control……. Didn’t know what the heck they were talking about…..”

********************

“I am just siting here about about half naked with you…..” He is completely dressed minus his main shirt. He has his tee shirt on.

********************

“Do you think they will come back in and say let’s go or let’s go back to bed????”

“Who?”

“Dad I guess. I don’t know……..”

********************

“What all are they going to do????? Wondered what they are going to do? Seemed like they … the thing kind of took off and blew up or something……. wondered what they would do for………..”

********************

“What’s wrong?” pawpaw asked me. I replied,

“I don’t know what your asking me.”

He answers back, “Well, we get along pretty good so I don’t worry about it.”

********************

“How long has it been since I saw Janet?”

Pawpaw starts again after a long silence. He answers his own question, “I think about two days.”

He continues, “She doesn’t worry about it and I don’t either.”

Pawpaw has not seen Janet in a couple of years at least.

********************

Out of the blue comes another question that makes no sense, “You ever get a whack at those things we were fumbling with?????????”

“I think……. We used it for……… kind of…….. I don’t know……. A symbol I guess……”

********************

“Burp…”

“Cut that out you old dude,” hitting himself on stomach.

********************

“SeemS like I can hear somebody talking………”

“There’s nobody talking ………” I assure him. “There isn’t??????”

“No not unless it is in your head……… Do you think you are hearing somebody inside your head?????”

He replies, “I don’t know.”

********************

He starts another topic in the long string of various topics, “Should we put up these things there?????”

“What things?”

“The food we didn’t eat……..”

“We already did that after supper. There are no dishes out in the kitchen. It is all cleaned up.”

********************

Out of the blue again, “I was afraid to do something…….. it seems like everytime I do anything I foul up someway…”

********************

“3:19”

********************

“3:20, hummmmm” *

*******************

“Last night somebody was lecturing her about the………… hummm oh well….”

“Lecturing her about what?”

“What the boy was doing……. You know he’s……….”

 “Wilma will be surprised to see me. I was supposed to be doing something else…”

**********************

“Do you hear somebody talking??????” “No, nobody’s talking……..”

**********************

“Does everybody get along together?” “Who ?” “All of us guys that ……..”

**********************

I have a hot flash and start fanning a little.

Pawpaw asks, “You hot?????”

“Yes, burning up.”

“Not me… “

I see that the sweating is slowing down and his hair is beginning to dry now.

**********************

“3:28 huh!!”

**********************

“What do they have to do take off in the morning to get that stuff circulating?????”

“What stuff????”

“That huh………..”

********************

Laughing……

“They must be out getting drunk!”

I ask, “Who?” but get no reply.

Just Laughing….

Nothing said just quiet……

**********************

“3:31” Note: Pawpa is reading the clock time each time I write the hour.

**********************

“Hump…….. remember this afternoon when the kids were winding up and……. stores and things they had…….. they were proud as heck weren’t they………”

**********************

Hump……….

**********************

“Do we have a garage for that piece of junk we got?”

**********************

Out of the blue another thought, this one tied to reality, or at least the comment is about me the person sitting here in his physical presence.

Pawpaw says, “It is a pleasure just sitting here talking to you.”

“It is?” I asked.

“Yes.”

**********************

“What’s his name?”

**********************

“Where did all the cotton pickers go?”

**********************

“20 minutes after 4” (he reads the time wrong)

**********************

“fourrr sixteen, I be dog gone.”

This time the correct time is really 4:16.

**********************

“Well are you about ready?”

I asked, “Ready for what?

He replies, “To hit the sack?”

I am so glad he is ready and reply quietly, “Yes, if you are.”

*********************

It is nearly 5:00 AM.

It is after 5 before he is undressed and back in bed and then I go back to bed too. Mom has slept the whole time and thankfully got a good night’s sleep.