I, Gracie - Sharon Sala Page 0,2

by side on the sofa. Their two kids, Caleb and Joanie, were outside with Mamie's husband, Joel, who was hiding eggs for them. James, the eldest and only son, was holding court, and the conversation, as if he were king.

Gracie's older sisters, Daphne, who'd never married, and Mamie, who had chosen to remain childless, were sitting in the two blue recliners, talking in unison and laughing without finishing their sentences, just as they'd done when they were kids.

Gracie had just graduated college in January and was about to move to Denver, Colorado for her new job.

"Are you excited?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, yes," Gracie said. "Getting hired as an event planner for that big hotel will never be dull. The scope of the events will keep everything exciting. And I'm looking forward to mountains and lots of green trees."

James frowned. "We have trees here."

Mamie snorted. "Says the man who moved to flat-ass Houston, where it floods with less than an inch of rain. We have scrub brush and tumbleweeds here," she said, and everyone laughed.

Delia was sitting quietly in the loveseat beside her youngest daughter, seeing herself and her Tommy in all of them. Loving them so much, and at the same time, aware she was in possession of a bomb that was about to explode in all their lives.

Gracie was only slightly aware of her mother's unusual silence, but looking back, she would remember that the expression on her mama's face was something between pride and regret.

And then Delia cleared her voice and reached for Gracie's hand.

"Kids, there is something I need to tell you, and there's no need to keep putting it off. I have been having memory problems for almost a year. Last month, when I was leaving Sweetwater to come home, I forgot where I was going. I forgot about home, and I was halfway to Abilene before I realized what I'd done."

Gracie noted the looks of shock on all her siblings’ faces, but it was the hidden horror in her mother's eyes that touched her most.

Mama was scared, and Gracie's heart hurt for that fear. "Oh, Mama! Oh no! You must have been so scared!" Gracie said, and tightened her grip on her mother's hand.

Delia squeezed it gratefully, then took a quick breath and kept talking.

"I remembered my granny. She'd lost her mind real young, and I knew stuff like that can run in a family, so I went to the doctor. After weeks of testing, they diagnosed me with fronto-temporal dementia, which means, I will not only forget people and things, but I could have a change in personality, too."

All of a sudden, the easy camaraderie they'd been sharing was gone.

Mamie was crying. "Does that mean you're gonna go crazy?"

Gracie frowned. "Oh, for the love of God, Mamie! What a thing to say!"

Daphne kept waiting for James to speak up, but he looked like someone had just poked a stick up his butt, while his wife, Darlene, was blinking back tears.

"I'm so sorry, Mama D., but we're all here, and we'll be there for you when you need help," Darlene said.

"Oh, it's okay," Delia said. "I just needed to get it said, and since we're all here together..."

She let her voice trail off as she kept searching her children's faces for something...anything...and it made Gracie mad.

"No, ma'am. It is not okay," Gracie said. "What can we do? What do you need?"

Tears welled then rolled down Delia's face.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know what I need. I hate this. I hate being a burden. I just wanted you all to know now, that I am okay with being put somewhere. Because when the time comes for it to happen, I might not be in my right mind. I might not be able to say those words."

"I can't stay. I have a job and family in Houston," James said.

"I can't move away and leave Joel in Austin all alone. My duty is to him, first," Mamie said.

Daphne, who was a realtor and lived in Dallas, was still looking at the floor.

Gracie felt them pulling away.

Her dreams and her future were going up in smoke, but she knew she would hate herself for the rest of her life if she didn't do the right thing.

"I'll stay with you, Mama."

The moment she said it, it was as if someone had just opened a window and let in fresh air. Her siblings were suddenly smiling and nodding and making promises to help.

Delia moaned. "Oh, Gracie...honey... your life is