Friends

Sharing Stories

September 25, 2022 at 6:38 p.m.

Happy Halloween from the queen of orange and black!

...by Patricia Sweazey

Friends
This is not a day to write about friends. I am alone and the house is silent. I turned on the radio—King FM—for sound, but it is gloomy. I have exhausted my phoners. It is too early to call Joe in the nursing home. Joe was my student at West Seattle High School in 1946. I am the only person who calls him. His roommate is speechless and senseless. Poor Joe. He says the food is terrible. One day, he said lunch was Greaseball Soup in Thirty-Weight Oil.

It’s just that today was a blue-gray day. Don’t misunderstand me. I do have friends. Up to 2002, my sisters were my lifetime friends. Dorothy gave me flute lessons and kept me in knitted sweaters until a year before she died. Frances was my counselor and mentor until Alzheimer’s took away all but the moment. My daughters have been staunch friends. My neighbors are supportive and friendly.

I shouldn’t forget my kitty, Jellybean. She is a great friend. In her mind, I am a somewhat faulty person, here to do service for Jellybean. She sweetly forgives me for my shortcomings and daily gives me some quality time, with hugs and kisses. She rises to the occasion when I need help. She makes a great fuss and tries to do something when I fall down. She has one people word, “Grandma.” Believe me she does, but won’t let anyone else hear her. She stands between me and unappealing strangers. She is a true friend according to her lights.

I think friendship is a sometimes thing, a treasure when it happens, and…I should write this again tomorrow!

Pat Sweazey was a Seattle art teacher and professional artist whose art and writing have appeared in several publications. This piece was done for Ariele's Thursday group (now a ZOOM one).

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).
SHARING STORIES is featured on www.northwestprimetime.com, the website
for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type "sharing stories" or a writer’s name into the search function above.