Della

Della lives next door to me. Age has deformed her. He legs are bowlegged to the point where it is difficult for her to walk. Her head is bent forward and it is a fair amount of effort for her to lift it up to speak to you, but she always makes the effort. Her voice, like herself, is tiny.

For all of this, she is a gamer.

One sunny day, we loaded the 20 passenger bus about two-thirds full and headed off to an event. When we got there, it was clear that there was no room for us--even able-bodied people weren't getting in. Back we went. When we arrived, Della's little voice came out from the front seat "Well, it was fun to get out."

"Getting out" is very important for most of these people. It doesn't matter so much what we do, as long as we do it. A drive to see a sunset can be the highlight of the week.

Della needed my help one evening. Della can't sleep because of various problems, so she gets up two or three times a night, has an Ensure and then she can sleep for an hour or two. She needed me to open the Ensure.

For a product largely aimed at old people, Ensure comes in a box like Forrt Knox. After that, it is wrapped in ten nil plastic and finally, you have to break the safety seal--th operative word here being 'break'. Della was thrilled how I heroically tore through the triple packaging (I think she fully expected me to fly out threw the window ala Superman).

There was a picture in her entry hall. It was obviously old. A little girl of about two was shown and sitting beside her was a small stuffd toy monkey. It would melt your heart so that it would seep out of your toes. It was Della when she was two: "I would cry if I didn't have an animal with me or at the very least a stuffed toy. My parents brought the monkey to the studio."

Inside the living room was another framed picture. At first, I thought it was a painting. It was from the late Sixties. A couple were standing against the front panel of some muscle car of that era. The couple were both wearing sunglasses and standing very erect. The man was tall and handsome. The woman was wearing six inch weggies, those cork high heeled things that women favored when they had a tall husband or boyfriend. Della told me that it was a picture that she had someone blow up and frame. In the expansion of the photo, it took on the pantina of a painting. It was beautiful. I asked Della if it had been taken at Daytona. She was delighted that I knew it was Daytona: "How did you know?" Well, most beaches don't let cars on the sand and that looks like a pretty hot car.

It was her and her husband. She must have been something in her prime and this was a photo from her prime.

It must be nice to have had a great time with someone.