Father-Son Dinner at "The Home"
03-14-06, 2:13 PM

What lead me here? Driving home from work and fretting the prospects of cooking, a free meal, even though it would be a �nursing home� prepared meal, still seemed appealing especially due to its price � free to me but $3.00 to dad�s account. Mom said they had a four star chef on duty with crystal, fine-dining service. This dining alternative seemed better than my Caesar salad and soup leftovers. Let's consider the benefits: a free meal along with father-son bonding time would go a long way this week to fulfill my caring, grown son brownie points.

Imagine cutting one of your oldest, brown leather shoe tongue�s then placing it on a French roll accompanied with two tablespoons of a jus and cold french fries that is served as your meal. Today, pieces are still noticeabley caught in my esophagus but, yesterday, I exclaimed to my father who sat across from me in the nursing home�s 'fine dining restaurant', �This sure beats some of mom�s home cooking!�

�Yea, I never ate so well! I gained four pounds in my week and half here. I weigh 194 pounds now.� Dad drops a shrimp off his fork onto his chest. I watch the shrimp gather speed rolling over his protruding belly and past his pants that no longer button together and to its final resting place � the sea bed of shrimp encircling his motorized scooter. I don�t seem to mind so much anymore because the residents and staff become accustomed to this miscalculation of hand-eye coordination.

Meanwhile, I rise and stumble over to the beverage cart to re-fill my ice tea glass to wash down the beef jerky lodged in my throat. Never would I tell him how terrible the food is because we want him to stay. The charade continues. �Wow! This is better then the clubhouse food at the Country Club!� Cough. Cough.

Yesterday - Tomorrow