her life.”
“She always told me that she never wanted any of it. I would have let her!” Walter defended himself.
“I know you would have but you always talk about waste, resources and money. She would have felt as if she was betraying you and your principles if she spent money on luxuries. You know what a sensitive and considerate person she was.”
“Is!” Walter insisted. “Always is! She is still the same woman.”
“Of course!” agreed Hanna, even though she was not convinced. Her love was the same but to pretend that Biddy had not changed was just pure ignorance. She was benign and kind but all the qualities that required thinking and planning were fading. What was going to go next? There had been temporary character changes in the past and they would come again, Hanna was certain of it. The family had been extremely lucky, so far, that Biddy remained so remarkably positive and happy throughout her disease – at le ast as far as could be expected - but she could easily and permanently turn angry and aggressive. Whenever there was a hint of aggression it was the disease talking, not her mother. It was one of the most difficult things to watch and see these new and unpleasant sides to her character. The stability her father saw was another one of his illusions.
If it got worse, would they have to give up and lock Biddy up in an institution? Finally getting involved in the care of her mother Hanna was facing a difficult decision. While she would rather take a break from her job and stay home with her mother, she’d then have to start again from the bottom at the airline, and new entrants’ salaries were so low she wondered who could afford to work for wages like that?
After their short conversation Walter r ushed to join Biddy in the bathroom to make sure she did not fall asleep and drown. Hanna was mortified when he reminded her of this fact. She had not considered the dangers of leaving her mother in the bath tub, and for once had to agree that he was right in worrying. Maybe she and her father with their differences made a good team together.
Hanna went back to her room for a little down time. Karim had seen her all dressed up in the ambulance in a way that was not really her. She had to wear something much more casual so he would not get the impression that she was only into appearances, or that she was trying to impress him. The brand new nails might already seem too much. This dinner was a distraction for her, not a date: she just needed to speak to someone outside her family and outside the airline. It would do her good to have a change of scenery, but she mustn’t lead this nice man on.
She had never seen Karim in civilian clothes and could not second guess what to expect from him in terms of attire. Would he wear a suit and a tie, or a polo shirt and Bermuda shorts? Probably best just to choose whatever she felt like wearing herself anyway. Casually dressed with a minimum of make-up and ha ir products Hanna went downstairs.
When her parents came down stairs and settled in the kitchen Biddy seemed genuinely pleased to be with Walter again and didn’t make any fuss when Hanna left.
Chapter 9: Dinner
On her way into town she saw another ambulance passing. Her ride in one of those with Biddy yesterday seemed now somewhat surreal. How could she have jumped the gun so quickly when it turned out to be nothing? What did the paramedic really think of that spectacle? Her amusement, however, vanished when she remembered the emergency rooms and all the medical and life saving equipment she had seen. Yesterday it had not bothered her but today the images were severely frightening. It made her stomach clench and brought back a vision of the scene on the plane. She found it difficult to focus her mind on anything else.
She parked her car in a particularly tight spot, which took a long time and required an awful lot of manoeuvring. In her head she could hear Henrik’s instructions on parking during
“She always told me that she never wanted any of it. I would have let her!” Walter defended himself.
“I know you would have but you always talk about waste, resources and money. She would have felt as if she was betraying you and your principles if she spent money on luxuries. You know what a sensitive and considerate person she was.”
“Is!” Walter insisted. “Always is! She is still the same woman.”
“Of course!” agreed Hanna, even though she was not convinced. Her love was the same but to pretend that Biddy had not changed was just pure ignorance. She was benign and kind but all the qualities that required thinking and planning were fading. What was going to go next? There had been temporary character changes in the past and they would come again, Hanna was certain of it. The family had been extremely lucky, so far, that Biddy remained so remarkably positive and happy throughout her disease – at le ast as far as could be expected - but she could easily and permanently turn angry and aggressive. Whenever there was a hint of aggression it was the disease talking, not her mother. It was one of the most difficult things to watch and see these new and unpleasant sides to her character. The stability her father saw was another one of his illusions.
If it got worse, would they have to give up and lock Biddy up in an institution? Finally getting involved in the care of her mother Hanna was facing a difficult decision. While she would rather take a break from her job and stay home with her mother, she’d then have to start again from the bottom at the airline, and new entrants’ salaries were so low she wondered who could afford to work for wages like that?
After their short conversation Walter r ushed to join Biddy in the bathroom to make sure she did not fall asleep and drown. Hanna was mortified when he reminded her of this fact. She had not considered the dangers of leaving her mother in the bath tub, and for once had to agree that he was right in worrying. Maybe she and her father with their differences made a good team together.
Hanna went back to her room for a little down time. Karim had seen her all dressed up in the ambulance in a way that was not really her. She had to wear something much more casual so he would not get the impression that she was only into appearances, or that she was trying to impress him. The brand new nails might already seem too much. This dinner was a distraction for her, not a date: she just needed to speak to someone outside her family and outside the airline. It would do her good to have a change of scenery, but she mustn’t lead this nice man on.
She had never seen Karim in civilian clothes and could not second guess what to expect from him in terms of attire. Would he wear a suit and a tie, or a polo shirt and Bermuda shorts? Probably best just to choose whatever she felt like wearing herself anyway. Casually dressed with a minimum of make-up and ha ir products Hanna went downstairs.
When her parents came down stairs and settled in the kitchen Biddy seemed genuinely pleased to be with Walter again and didn’t make any fuss when Hanna left.
Chapter 9: Dinner
On her way into town she saw another ambulance passing. Her ride in one of those with Biddy yesterday seemed now somewhat surreal. How could she have jumped the gun so quickly when it turned out to be nothing? What did the paramedic really think of that spectacle? Her amusement, however, vanished when she remembered the emergency rooms and all the medical and life saving equipment she had seen. Yesterday it had not bothered her but today the images were severely frightening. It made her stomach clench and brought back a vision of the scene on the plane. She found it difficult to focus her mind on anything else.
She parked her car in a particularly tight spot, which took a long time and required an awful lot of manoeuvring. In her head she could hear Henrik’s instructions on parking during
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