My birthday was coming up. Parkinson’s Dementia had been robbing my stepfather of his vitality for three years. At his last hospitalization, the doctor sent him home on hospice. Everyone knows what those words mean: months or weeks left. He slept most of the day, not eating, not really drinking. In the morning on my birthday, my mother texted “Happy Birthday.” Texting instead of calling … strange. Several hours later, her special ringtone. “Hello.” I heard her crying. I knew he was gonna die on my birthday. I fell to the family room floor, fifty-four years old, fetal position, sobbing.
Tanya Kelley has been a criminal defense attorney for twenty-five years. She has work published in Defunkt Magazine and is currently writing her memoir. Find Tanya at focusedenergylifecoach.com and on Instagram at @tanyaterrykelley and @tanya_focusedenergy.