Camouflage

On By granonineIn Friday Fictioneers
PHOTO PROMPT © Ceayr

Old Patrick kept the house in shipshape order. The blue shutters and railings reminded him of the sea, and the flowers cheered him on a rainy day.

People stopped to admire his place, even taking pictures with their cell phones. Never occurred to them to get his permission.

Neat and orderly, a place for everything. Until one day he lost his jacket. Not in the appropriate closet, not anywhere.

To his utter dismay, he found it when he went down the front steps, hanging on the railing post. Right where he’d left it.

But he couldn’t remember leaving it there.

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67 thoughts on “Camouflage”

  1. He could start making notes of things he needs to remember. But then he’d have to remember where he keeps his notebook. And, more importantly, which things he needs to write down. So much of remembering is deciding what to forget

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  4. A good story, Linda, and well written. That happens with so many of the elderly. My memory isn’t what it was but my mother had Alzheimer’s so I know mine is just natural aging. I hope Patrick doesn’t have to move from the home he loves. Perhaps a younger relative can come to check on him. —- Suzanne

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  14. Ah, Linda, I think most of us can identify with poor old Patrick.

    As an aside, generally speaking, no permission is required to take photos from a public location, with obvious caveats about commercial use and individual privacy.

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  17. Ahhhh … those senior moments do creep up slowly.
    I felt a ping in my heart for him. I forget things at times.
    I’d rather call it – lack of paying attention – then, the heart
    doesn’t ping. I love his sense of order; a plus as I’m the same way.
    Linda, a lovely tale.
    Isadora 😎

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      4. Best thing to do is keep them moving. Type, play piano, deliberately stretch and wiggle now and then. I’m thankful mine is just osteo arthritis and not rheumatoid, which is much more painful and crippling.

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    1. My husband is constantly looking for his glasses and his wallet. I’ve begun checking on them at night, and putting them together in plain sight on the dining room table. I don’t think he knows it’s me. I think he’s just figured he came up with a good plan. Gives me grins and giggles 🙂

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  25. Time to start writing yourself notes, Patrick. I see from the comments that lots of us can relate to his predicament. I’m not admitting to any such failing. (I hope I can remember I said that.) Good story.

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    1. There were two or three others who also used the jacket. Not easy to see unless you’re looking for something hidden 🙂 Poor Patrick. He won’t like it a bit if someone has to stay with him. He’s a very independent sort 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Dale. If it was lack of attention, it still is a sort of “pay attention” kind of incident. I work with some older folks, helping them find ways to keep track of themselves when they feel they’re losing their memories. People are often more willing to talk with someone like me rather than a family member, because they aren’t afraid I’m going to push them into a nursing home 🙂

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  28. gahlearner

    Oh poor Patrick. Recent memories go but the old ones come back, which is… interesting. I hope he has someone to look after him. Well spotted, I hadn’t seen the Jacket either.

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    1. Alzheimer’s literally destroys the brain, leaving only a lining inside the skull. The oldest memories are the last to go. It’s enlightening to see an autopsy picture of an Alzheimer’s brain. Not everyone would like to see that, but in my work, it’s important for me to understand what happens. It is a hideous, sneak-thief disease.

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