The Whimsical Red Head

This story is not about FATE but it is about FUN. It is about being young at heart and being the life of the party and living every moment - embracing life with a whimsical outlook!

My mom and dad moved to a retirement community about 6 years ago. It is a beautiful place with many dining rooms and lots of activities. Some of the residents are not as ambulatory and well-spirited as my mom but they all get along and greet each other with smiles. They all know my mom because of her red hair and charming personality.

While my dad was alive, my parents would go to one of the dining rooms for dinner about 3 nights a week. My dad had trouble sitting in a straight chair for more than 10 minutes so mom would carry a little basket with their room keys, a vile of Advil (to get him through dinner) and a vile for his vitamins that he had to take with dinner. She also put some Hershey kisses in there for after dinner treats.

After a few weeks, the residents started asking, "What is in your little basket?" Sometimes she would give them a Hershey kiss and other times she would just tell them they were dad's vitamins. It got so that every night they went down to dinner, someone would ask what was in the basket.

Finally, mom was tired of people asking her what was in her basket so one night she held up a vile in each hand and replied: "This is his Viagra and these are my birth control pills!"

Most of them laughed with her but a few actually took her seriously and never spoke about it again. Occasionally she has a gentleman who teases and asks her for some Viagra.

Dad has been gone for 3 years now but mom continues to carry her little basket with the 2 viles and has become the "candy lady with Viagra." Wherever she goes, the whimsical red head carries with her, the spirit of her beloved husband and an amazing zest for life.

"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance." (Anonymous)