Senior Daze

by Katie Bourg

About Katie: Having arrived in time for the Great (?) Depression, WWII, and all other 20th century problems, I am endowed with long and varied memories. Writing classes have long been my home away from home. Other people's stories are fascinating, and sharing is growth at its best. Hope you seniors will join me with your stories. Try it. You'll like it.

Excuse my absence. I haven't been so much absent as displaced, unable to concentrate on what I wanted to say. What started out as a birthday party became an extended stay away from home. Plans were made around me, and I was transported another forty miles from my first destination to the home of another grandson. It was to be a short visit. I planned to be back in time to write another column about the party and the multiple extensions in this 'only child's' life. I sometimes lose count of who all calls me Grandma.

The extended visit took me to Tacoma for a few days. Granddaughter Terry was on crutches and waiting word from her doctor about surgery on her injured left knee. We spent a few pleasant days shopping and working on a bridal veil for an upcoming wedding. The call came and she was scheduled for surgery that would allow her to use her left leg again. I offered to stay as long as there was need--possibly a week.

The night before surgery we made a trip to her pharmacy for pain pills the doctor had ordered. It was about seven o'clock and dark. That was a mistake. This was a super store and parking in front was full. She parked on the side of the building, where there was minimal light. That was the second mistake.

We entered the store and she gave her prescription to the pharmacist. We spent the next forty-five minutes wandering about the store, picking up a few groceries and just looking at things. Then back to the pharmacy, where the prescription was still not ready. Terry stood at the counter, and I sat down towards the back of the area.

Two young men entered. One stood behind Terry and the other sat down at the blood pressure machine, a foot or so in front of me. He sat there for some time before taking his blood pressure. He turned to face his friend about the same time Terry asked me for her backpack. It was in the grocery cart, so I just rolled it up by her.

I was now face to face with the man sitting. I asked him if the machine worked. He said 'sort of' and smiled. We exchanged a few more words about the inaccuracy of the equipment. No more.

The druggist finally finished with Terry. She put the prescription in her backpack, and we headed for the entrance, where we took everything out of the cart and headed for her car. I felt uneasy for some unknown reason, but relaxed as we reached the car. That was the third mistake.

I quickly threw my packages onto the floor of the front seat and climbed in. I had the door shut when I heard Terry scream. She was not in sight through the window. It took me way too long to untangle my feet from the frozen food and get the door open. By the time I got to the back of the car, she was lying in the middle of the pavement, badly bruised, and we found out later her ankle was broken in four places. The two men were in a car and already on their way.

Terry still had her backpack, and they did not get the pills. A wonderful lady heard the screams. She acted faster than I, and reached them in time to hit the mugger in the head with her purse. That's when he gave up and ran. But first he pushed Terry into a moving car--the same one his friend was driving.

The next hour was chaos. Terry and husband Steve were taken to the hospital. I went home with her brother-in-law, to tell my great-grandaughter her mother was hurt but alright, and to go over the whole episode in my mind. Over and over and over. There was a lot to go over. You've heard it before. I'm saying it again.

It could have been worse, but it was bad enough. They were undoubtedly after the drugs Terry had just purchased. We didn't use good judgment. I was lucky, but I didn't escape the stress that followed.

It did reinforce lessons I thought I already knew. They are good sense for anybody. They are especially important for seniors who do not recover from trauma as easily.



#1-Do your shopping in the daylight.

#2-Wait for a parking place where there are lots of cars and people.

#3- And most important--NEVER let your guard down.