A Grand Adventure

Evelyn, a gentle, kindhearted woman wandered the corridors of the assisted living facility, receiving few visitors. Her once adventurous, sharp mind now clouded by the haze of dementia.

She often spoke with Walter, who also had few visitors. He was a resilient man with occasional physical issues, though he still maintained a mischievous attitude.

One crisp autumn evening, as Evelyn meandered down a hallway, Walter approached with a glint in his eye. "Ever been on a grand adventure, Evelyn?" he asked.

Her eyes sparkled as she shook her head. "Don’t know that I have, Walter. But it's never too late to try one."

“Wait here a moment,” said Walter. Minutes later he returned carrying both her coat and his. With a grin, Walter led Evelyn to a window where the maintenance people had left a small ladder leaning against the facility's outer wall. Carefully they climbed down the ladder, Evelyn giggling the whole time.

Walter led the way to a nearby used car lot. With skills borne of a misspent youth he hot wired an old convertible and they sped off into the night, the wind whipping through their hair.

“Where are we going?” asked Evelyn.

“A little trip back in time.”

After a while, they entered a parking lot and Walter stopped the car. He escorted Evelyn slowly along a path to a large lighted gazebo. Momentarily, she looked quizzically around. Then, in a blink, the memories came flooding back, and she gasped.

“This is where I met Thomas, and where we spent so many wonderful evenings.”

“I know. You talk about him often.” He paused. “You know, there’ll be hell to pay when we get back.”

She hugged Walter and said, “Grand adventures are never free, but they’re always worth the price. Would you like to dance, Walter?”