Last night, I had a call from my little sister. She went to see my dad in the hospital; he’s been there for about four months. And he has been the most awful person for the doctors, nurses, and therapists, I don’t know how they can still be talking to him. And even the Social Worker there said that it is very rare that they have such a crotchety man, she told my sister that he is a challenge at all times. He won’t cooperate with anything, except eating of course. They wanted him to go to Senior Citizen place, since he is very sick and needs oxygen and a lot of care. But of course, that was his choice to make. He was in rehab over there, he needed to learn to walk again, and get stronger. But he hasn’t wanted to go to the sessions, or do much of anything.
He called my sister on Saturday morning, so that she could come and get him. He had tried to run away the night before but of course, all the doors were locked. He told her that they were crazy over there. My sister has been a saint with him; she has been doing his groceries for a couple of years, since he wasn’t able to do it himself. She also took care of all his business, making sure the bills are paid, and going to his house often when something was wrong. When he got sick, she went to his place, called up the ambulance and stayed with him all afternoon and she also missed a lot of work so she could be there. But I guess she blew up at him this time and I cannot blame her.
This is the man who has made our youth a kind of a hell, scaring us and keeping us at home. I was able to run away at 21 years old, but it’s no wonder that I am such a scaridy cat, I find it so hard to assert myself. I have the ‘disease to please’ and sometimes, will do anything so nobody gets mad at me. I am trying to be braver but it’s tough. And I admire my sister’s courage to be able to assert herself. Bravo! Nobody has ever done that, we were too scared of him to try to talk to him like normal people. So we spent a lot of time in our rooms so we wouldn’t be the one that he would get mad at. He was an alcoholic if that would explain it, and he would rant and rant at us. Even my mother didn’t dare say anything.
So, now this afternoon they are going to have a meeting with my brothers, my sister won’t be there this time and I am away also. My father has decided that he is going home again, no matter what and they cannot force him to stay. So they are going to have this meeting so that they can organize how things are going to be when he gets home. He cannot even walk up the steps to his home, it is very scary to know that he is doing this against all advice. He cannot walk very well, as he has a lot of pain in his legs. I have mixed feelings about this, as he is an old man now, but he is still as stubborn, or more, than before. He poo-poos the doctors, insults them so I bet they will be happy to see him going home. But they are such professionals, I always admire the way they try to deal with him.
There is, of course, a lot more to it than this, but that is all for now. But my sister is the first one to try and reason with him, and I still say Bravo. I don’t even know if I would be able to do it myself.