The CarolAnn I Know So Well

April 11, 2010
Saturday, 7:55 P.M.
CarolAnn's house

To watch my friend holding court in her bedroom today, was a sight to behold! After two weeks of barely being able to speak, she propped herself up against the pillows and animatedly chatted and laughed (yes, I said LAUGHED!) with no less than five guests at a time for four hours straight. The number of people who decided to visit on this fine spring Saturday afternoon was staggering. As one or two would leave, one or two others rang the doorbell to replace them. CarolAnn seemed to become more animated and sociable with each new face. She even had a craving for a spaghetti dinner (with extra sauce, no meatballs) and actually got a few forkfuls down. It is evening now and the only people here are the hospice nurse, CarolAnn and myself, but there is a little brighter atmosphere this evening than there has been for a while. Don't misunderstand. I know this doesn't indicate that everything is great and next week she and I will take a trip to the jazz clubs in the city, but it sure was a lovely way to spend this Saturday afternoon. For a brief time, I saw the CarolAnn I know so well and it was a pleasure.