Dance with dodie 

Dodie has dementia 

Today we danced 

In the middle of the cafe 

Her hands were warm 

And her brown eyes a bit cloudy. 

Expression like a baby monkey. Close knit wrinkles. Crows feet and smile lines. Dodie has a loving wife who looks after her. 

She sang Mercedes Benz by Janis Joplin. She knew all the words.

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends

Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends

So, oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

She knows all the words. She eats a sandwich then promptly orders another one… “I’m hungry!” She is 8 years old and fighting with her mother. She set a fire in her hallway. She didn’t get in big trouble though because her aunt was a nun. Her nun aunt shares her name. Delores. She was a rebel. Dodie likes the three stooges and flirting. She interacts with everyone. She is engaging and kind, playful and mischievous. All learned social paralysis had been dismissed and she is free. She needs another coffee. She doesn’t know where she is. She doesn’t remember the way home. 

We danced and her hands were warm and soft. My face was close to hers. I break away. Walk to the back and swallow tears, fan my face, and go behind the counter again.