I remember coming home from school to find my mother sound asleep on the pull out bed. It was unusual to find her asleep. Alicia approached me first to say that she was hungry and had not been fed all day. I asked mom if she wanted me to fix dinner but she just yelled, "Go away!" I was much to young to understand truly what was wrong. I cooked dinner--corn, pork and beans, and mac & cheese. I fixed everyone a plate including mom and dad (he typically didn't come home until late because he was too busy wasting his money on crap we never needed). I waited for dad to come home to tell him something was wrong with mom. She didn't eat but kept asking for water. I kept getting her cup after cup of water. He showed up about midnight, threw a fit that dinner was crap, then when I told him there was something wrong with mom he asked her, "Some thing wrong with you?" She answered back, "No!" He yelled that I should be in bed instead of up waiting on him. I went to bed but I didn't sleep.
He woke up early for work and left before the sun. I got up and got dressed for school but mom was still in bed. Erickia and Colleen got dressed as well and we waited for the time to get on the bus. Alicia looked at me and asked, "If you go to school who will feed me?" I stood thinking a moment when mom asked for another cup of water. I got her a cup of water but unlike the day before she lacked the ability to set up. I had to help her up so she could get a drink. It was very clear that Alicia and Amanda who have to fend for themselves if I went to school. I sent Erickia and Colleen out to get on the bus and I stayed home. I knew I needed clothes to wear and Alicia and Amanda needed clothes so I hauled a load out to the well house where the washer was to wash them. I loaded the soap (it was powder) like mom showed me and let it agitate a bit before placing the clothes in. I was all most done loading when Alicia came running into the well house to tell me mom fell down. I raced into the house to see mom on the floor unable to pull her legs underneath herself. I tried to help her but she slapped me hard in the face screaming, "Leave me alone!" Mom acted like she was blind--she felt her way around but never seemed to look directly at things. I kept bringing her cups of water as she called. When the laundry was done I put it in a basket and took Alicia and Amanda outside to hang it on the line. They would hand me the clothes and I would pin it up on the line. We went back inside to get another load when we walk in to see mom yet again lying in the floor. She was having trouble getting her head up off the floor but this time she managed to get up on her knees. I tried to help her up but she slapped me so hard I fell into the foot of the pull out couch. She asked me where I was because she needed another cup of water. I got her another cup and helped her back into bed when we made the discovery that she had pooped herself. Alicia found a roll of toilet paper to get a majority of what was in the bed then I took a wash cloth and cleaned her up. I found her another pair of underwear then me and Alicia striped down the bed. It was a bit difficult to get the sheet pulled from under her but we managed. We got her another blanket then hauled out the bedding to make a second load. I got her cup after cup of water until Erickia and Colleen got home from school then I made it their job. I cooked dinner and waited yet another night for dad to come home. The last time I remember on the clock before I fell asleep was 1:32 am.
I remember hearing the car start. I raced out of bed to try to catch dad before he left but he never stopped. I feed them all breakfast, got them ready for school, and started my day taking care of mom. She was up to her third cup of the morning when I heard a knock at the door. We all got quiet and I carefully crept to the door and answered it just to get surprised by Papa (Mom's Dad). I started crying and told him that there was something wrong with mom. He came in and sat down beside her on the bed. He tried to talk to her but she kept sleeping. Alicia told him that she kept falling down. Papa thought she just needed sleep. Him and Granny didn't stay long but they left us with a sack of apples. Mom was bundled up in the blanket but kept complaining she was hot. I got a fan and set it up beside her and turned it on. She seemed to be comfortable but then all the power in the house went off. Mom had showed me what to do when this happened. You just simply lifted a lever in the electrical box outside. I went out to the box and discovered I was too short to reach it. I could see a milk crate inside dad's shop so I went to grab it only to be greeted by the six foot black snake that called the shop home. I screamed and cried and went to tell mom but when I got in the house Alicia was crying and holding the side of her head. Mom had asked for water and when Alicia went to get the glass mom hit her. I told her it would be okay then I got Mom a cup of water. She complained she was getting hot again so I had to think fast. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a chair then took it outside to the box. I stood up tall enough to reach it. The box was hard to open so I pulled hard. No one ever said it had a wasp nest in it. I was a bit freaked out but I grabbed the lever and pulled down. I went in the house to find no lights on so I went outside and pushed it up. Sparks flew out of the box catching the grass on fire and my shirt. I slapped my shirt to put it out then noticed the drying patches of grass lighting up. I moved the chair--didn't want it to burn up--then raced to the well house to get the hose. The hose was a tangled up mess. I pulled it outside then turned the water on to find the end. Once found I grabbed it and took off running. Midway I hit a snag--a tangle developed and I was jerked to the ground. I still had laundry on the line and the grass that was on fire was not to far away. I worked with the tangle until I freed enough hose to reach the fire. I put it out then shut off the water leaving the hose out on the ground. When I came back into the house mom had fallen onto Amanda's play pen bending the side. Amanda took the opportunity to escape while I helped mom back up. She had messed herself again so I got her back into bed and cleaned her up. Erickia and Colleen came home in the middle of it. I decided to heat up the pizzas that were in the freezer when my Aunt Debbie showed up. Her kids were hungry so I heated an extra pizza to feed them. Mom was asleep when dad showed up (I was amazed he came home). Everyone went outside since it was hot in the house. I tried to tell dad about mom but he told me to shut up when adults were talking. I guess mom heard us outside and she managed to wonder out into the yard in her tee shirt and underwear. Dad called her name a couple of times but she didn't answer. He managed to catch her when she collapsed. He looked at me and asked how long had she been like this way and I told him a few days. He yells, "A few days why didn't you tell me!" I tried to say I tried but he kept yelling so I stayed quiet. He loaded her into the car and we left with Aunt Debbie.
She was in a diabetic coma and they didn't know if she would wake up. The sad part was I tried to get someone to listen to me but who would ever listen to a child? For three days I had to be an adult when the other adult in the house wouldn't listen. Mom never remembered those three days and none of my siblings ever spoke of what happened. I remember I guess that's what counts.
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