Monday, July 31, 2006
Death By Stubborn
Speaking of the heat, my grandmother examplifies why a surprising amount of the elderly dropping like flies in heat waves might be, in a manner of speaking, voluntary.
She’s had many air conditioners over the years, using them seldom, usually ostensibly because the unit in question had died. Her most recent one came from me a couple years ago.
At the big “we only get to see my brother’s kids once or twice a year so it’s a fine time to forget the camera” cookout at my grandmother’s Sunday, she stayed in the house per normal, with three or four fans going. Compared to some days, it was pretty comfortable, but still, it was brutal in there.
I almost piped up and asked her why she wasn’t running the air conditioner. I wish I had, because I’d probably have given her heck if the reason was anything other than “it’s dead.”
It’s not. Come to find out later she is flatly refusing to run the AC. Absolutely Will. Not. Do. It. My mother, I am told, is furious. She lives there too, and is also old enough that she should be extra careful. She ought to be furious. It’s moronic to have the AC and refuse to use it!
I’m not sure how much of this is wailing and gnashing over the potential electric bill, like running four fans is going to be any better, and how much of this is imagining she’s still young, healthy, and didn’t need no damn AC back in her day. Someone who shows and describes for me the same picture three times in under two minutes is starting to be in no shape to decide that something like AC is icky modern voodoo she shouldn’t use. Then again, I could see her refusing just to irritate my mother.
Sheesh. I wonder how many homes of the elderly this plays itself out in these conditions around the country.
So if my grandmother dies this week, I’ll be sad - extremely sad, end of an era sad - but it will probably have been a self-inflicted death by stubborn.