My Last Outing With The Colonel, Part Two

Cash in hand, Ralph requested that I go to RiteAid and look for the needed incontinence supplies. I did, leaving him in the car. He went into a coughing fit and I had to run back into the store and get bottled water for him. Disaster averted, we were soon on our way.

 "Don't you need to go to the grocery store?" Ralph asked. "Yes - I thought I'd take you home and then go shopping."

"I want to go."

"You want to go... to the store? Do you feel strong enough?"

"Yes. I'll sit in the car and listen to the radio. It's as comfortable as being at home and I'm not ready to go home yet."

Hmmmm. I thought about the long list I'd been given and how long it would take and how impatient the Colonel is.

We pulled into the parking spot in the Safeway garage, and I thought about it some more. It sounded like a really bad idea to leave this man in the car, unsupervised, when he could go into a coughing and choking fit* any time, or worse. So I said "Hey. How would you like to try an electric cart, and come in with me?"

Surprise! He said "OK!"

*In the weeks leading up to Ralph's death, he would often fall into a choking fit which would end in violent retching. It was horrible. I carried the monitor with me at all times, when not in the same room as Ralph