My secretly favorite comic writer wrote:
“Thinking
realistically, the nearest fairyland must be lingerie shops.”
When I read this
joke, I was single and was living by myself. I laughed a lot.
After my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
disease and I decided to live with her, I faced a situation that made me
realize that the joke was not funny.
I needed to buy underwear for my mother. All
her underwear was worn and ragged. I didn’t have any female friend who I could
ask to buy lingerie. The only person who could buy underwear for my mother was
me.
I conducted research and concluded that the
best place would be a big shopping center. They also sold underwear for males
and kids on the same floor. I didn’t have any experience of buying lingerie, so
I thought it would take a long time to choose appropriate underwear for my
mother. However, I did not want to spend too much time in the lingerie
department. I hoped the cashier-lady would not be too young.
I finally found an ideal shopping center and a
perfect cashier-lady. On that day, I didn’t even look at the lingerie area. I
just approached the ideal, not young cashier-lady and said to her.
“I am taking care
of my mother. She has Alzheimer’s disease. I need to buy underwear for her.”
The lady
immediately understood my situation and seriously guided me to the department
for female underwear. She quickly showed the recommended underwear. I said:
“Give me ten of
the same kind of underwear.”
This was because I didn’t want to go to the
store again for a while.
Finally, the mission was completed. It was the
longest day in my life.
A week later, our care-manager said to me.
“I recommend you
let her use rehab-pants (diapers for adults).”
I did.
I can buy diapers
in a pharmacy easily.
The ten pairs of
underwear I bought at the risk of my life are in a chest of drawers, unused.
But you may recount the legend of the brave man who went shopping in a
fairyland.
picture by perming
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