Breakfast with Roger

I spent a lot of time with Roger a couple weeks ago. I took him for a heart cath and kinda took care of him for a few days after that. We went out to eat a few times, and I really enjoyed that. I was trying to keep him from driving, and it worked.

Once he decided to drive again, I didn't have as much contact with him. It seems like we naturally drift apart from people until there is a special need. I don't like that, especially with Roger, but it happens and I feel responsible for it. Once I get home at the end of my day I am usually tired and don't feel like checking on him, or when I'm leaving for the day, I am usually eager to get where I am going, not taking the time to stop in. Of course having to write everything to him makes communication even less convenient.

The last few days I had tried to catch Roger to see how he was doing. I was not successful. He was either out somewhere or sound asleep. Sunday night I decided to drop in. I found him, and he wasn't in very good shape. He had not shaved for a while, didn't feel well, and was depressed. I told him that I would take him to breakfast on Tuesday, which is today. I picked him up this morning, and he seemed eager to go. He had shaved.

He wanted to go to Arby's, which was good, because that's where I was hoping we'd go! I kinda had a yearning for the breakfast platter (eggs over easy, bacon, wheat toast). When we took the tray over to get napkins and straws, Roger said, "hot sauce, gotta have hot sauce." For his biscuits and gravy. He found it. Then he reached into the basket holding the sugar and grabbed a huge handful. I gave him a what-are-you-doing look. He smiled and said, "I need some sugar at home." I shook my head, and he laughed.

When we sat down, Roger took a long time get his biscuits and gravy ready to eat. He first covered them in pepper, the white gravy become black. Then he added the hot sauce. By this time I was about half finished eating. He said, "I take a half hour getting my food ready." To which I replied in writing, "I eat too fast." He laughed and said that too many people do. "Inhale their food!" He then told me about a cousin of his who heaps up his plate and then leans over the top of it to scoop the food in. Roger demonstrated it for me. Pretty funny!

He then returned to the subject of "stocking up" with sugar and other supplies. He told me that he likes to stop at Speedway and get a handful of Splenda every once in a while. It could be worse though. He told me of some women who go into Wendy's on a regular basis and grab hands full of forks, spoons, knives, and napkins. He shook his head and laughed.

Roger told some other things that he thought were really funny, but I simply could not hear what he was saying. My loss!