[Previous entry: "Trustworthy?"] [Next entry: "Numbers Game"]

04/21/2004: "Tongues"

My friends are speaking in strange languages. One of them is coming up on two years old, the other is past ninety. He has been good, not getting into too much trouble or wandering off, content to play in the car, beep the horn occasionally, and try on pairs of sunglasses. He has an engaging manner, and with a sincere and confidential manner, will rattle off a stream of nonsense which is highly persuasive-sounding.

She has been in the rehab institute after a stroke. She is doing well, physically, but she can't find any of her words any more. She has been frustrated to the point of tears, trying to express herself when all but a few words are misplaced, and she panics, going through all the drawers where they should be and coming up with nothing but lint and old cough drops. For her, the assurance that there is a system, with rules she knows, has been shattered; for him, there are no rules, only delight in activity.