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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Sorry, I think this only went to Leonard…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As Good As It Gets<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Word Count: 734<span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Robbie Braun dipped the brim of his Stetson as if scanning notes on his pad. However, behind mirrored lenses, his alert green eyes tracked the new reporter’s back side as she retreated from the accident scene. Claudia’s choice of footwear, those strange clog things, hinted at her being a hippie or flower child, probably one of those women libbers. He groaned. She hailed from Colorado, he knew, so perhaps she’d prove rugged. She looked confident enough wielding a camera, Robbie thought, but could she carry a hunting rifle? Well anyway, the country would test her mettle.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At least the reporter wasn’t another city slicker like Veronica, the other new looker in town, a high-fashion corporate type hired to handle publicity at the furniture factory. Robbie had to admit though that new women offered a nice change in scenery. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A country boy, he couldn’t imagine either of the new women in town giving a small town cop the time of day, yet he fantasized about perfume and lipstick on his collar. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Officer Braun had already kissed all the local girls. One by one, he’d dated them all either during high school or after returning from the service in Korea. At least, he didn’t have to worry about kissing cousins in the small town – he was the only son of Dutch immigrants stolen by yellow fever. Orphaned before family roots were planted, Robbie was thrust into manhood at age 16.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Things were sure changing fast around town, he mused. Used to be he could name all the locals. Now, since the new highway had shortened the travel time from Grand Rapids, strangers flocked to the lakeside village like it was a trendy resort. Sure, the influx of customers with disposable income was welcome by the local merchants, but Officer Braun was bothered by the increasing number of noise complaints and beer cans littering the beaches, not to mention strangers crashing their cars into trees.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Recalling the paperwork he’d have to file on the Drunk driver, the cop returned to his cruiser and ignited the V8. Deftly, he cranked the wheel and radial tires hit the asphalt. Robbie thought about the way life used to be, when things were predictable. Most days he’d be off shift and home in time for an early supper. Home was his favorite eatery. He’d pile his dinner plate with wild game he himself had bagged and butchered, garden fresh vegetables, and eggs collected daily from his flock of noisy chickens. Weekends, he fished, hunted, or toiled to restore his two-story cedar shingle home, perched on a western hillside overlooking the valley. Future dreams called for a fish pond, a three-bay garage, a tractor, and perhaps a loving woman - if he could find one he could tolerate for more than a week. Now that would be about as good as it gets.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph>***<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Veronica plucked her eyebrows and considered what to wear to the Harvest Barn Dance. She’d heard about the new reporter and couldn’t wait to meet her. Finally, another young woman who wasn’t a local. Local ladies were nice enough, she thought. They just didn’t talk about anything but making pies, high school football, babies, and canning pickle. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Veronica was starved for friendship. She’d planted herself in this dead-end town to spite her mother, but her mother was cruising the seas south of France with her latest lover and couldn’t be bothered wondering what her daughter was doing in nowheresville USA. Soon enough, in six months when her inheritance was entrusted to her at age 26, Veronica would no longer live only to appease her mother. She’d be free to snub her nose at the parade of step-fathers, half-siblings, and freeloaders who cow-towed to her TV star mom. Meanwhile, she was hiding in a town where no one knew her famous mother, or the story of her daughter’s lonely childhood.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>These days, Veronica wasn’t lonely. She had a stable of men to keep her warm. She’d love to jump the rugged bones of the good-looking local cop’s, but she had a policy. No dating locals. It was safer to engage with out-of-town sales reps, dealers, architects, and designers who wouldn’t kiss and tell, especially if they were married. Even better. Married men didn’t talk to their wives or each other about trysts while on business trips. Married men fancied Veronica for her discretion as much as she appreciated theirs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal># # #<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> Group1 [<a href="mailto:group1-bounces@bluegrasspals.com">mailto:group1-bounces@bluegrasspals.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Leonard Tuchyner via Group1<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 21, 2021 1:12 PM<br><b>To:</b> Marcia Wick <<a href="mailto:marciajwick@gmail.com">marciajwick@gmail.com</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> Critique Group 1 <<a href="mailto:group1@bluegrasspals.com">group1@bluegrasspals.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> [Critique Group 1] Fwd: reminder pieces are due today<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Sorry, This was meant to go to group1 <br><br>Leonard<br><br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: <a href="mailto:tuchyner5@aol.com">tuchyner5@aol.com</a><br>To: <a href="mailto:group3@bluegrasspals.com">group3@bluegrasspals.com</a> <<a href="mailto:group3@bluegrasspals.com">group3@bluegrasspals.com</a>><br>Sent: Wed, Jul 21, 2021 11:21 am<br>Subject: reminder pieces are due today<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Hi,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Just a reminder. July piecews are due today. Plus my piece is below<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>1,376: word count<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Last Battle<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>There was a knock at Dr. Franks’ door. It must be someone wanting to see if he needed any of his trees trimmed. If not, it would be someone who wanted to convince him that his driveway needed resurfacing. It couldn’t have anything to do with his being a medical doctor. He’d been retired way too long for that. He opened the door but was not prepared to see what was there. It was a man dressed as though he was on his way to a golf course.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Excuse me, but can you tell me the way to Route 29?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>There was a lost look in his eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“It’s just two blocks away.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Which direction?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Dr. Frank pointed out the direction. He had seen that look before. Many times. This man had Alzheimer’s disease. “Are you new to the area?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“No, just got turned around. Silly of me, I know.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Why don’t you stay a few minutes and get your bearings? If you give me your telephone number, I’ll call your wife,” he offered.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“No! I’m fine.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Do you mind if I look at your driver’s license?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I assure you I am fine. But here.” He retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and handed it to Franks. The doctor took the wallet and found his telephone number, committed it to memory. Then he handed it back.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Thanks for your help. Please don’t tell my wife about this. Goodbye,” Then he left in a hurry.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Doctor Franks was disturbed concerning his strange visitor’s safety. He immediately went to his landline and called the number he had memorized.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Hello,” a woman’s voice said on the other end “Who is this?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“It’s about Tom. Is he your husband?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Cara felt a deep dread at hearing that someone was calling her about Tom.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Who is this?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I’m a doctor.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>At that pronouncement, her fear intensified.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Does he have Alzheimer’s?” Franks asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Yes, What’s wrong? Is he okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I’m a retired doctor, but I thought I recognized the symptoms. Your husband just came to my door asking for instructions to Route 29. He wouldn’t tell me his telephone number, but was willing to give me his wallet, which had the information in it. He just left here in a hurry. He wouldn’t stay. I called you as soon as he left.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Oh, God. Thank you. I’ve got to go.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Then she hung up and started for her car to find Tom, but stopped herself. Going after him was a crazy idea. She could easily miss him. Instead, she called the Sherriff’s office.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“This is the Sheriff’s office. Is this an emergency?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Yes. My name is Cara Dooley, my husband is driving around lost. He has Alzheimer’s, and I just got a phone call from a doctor saying he came looking for directions to get to Route 29. We’ve lived here for over a decade. I didn’t know he was this bad. I’m afraid of what will happen to him. Can you send out a warning to catch him before he gets himself in real trouble?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Is he at the doctor’s office?” the woman who answered the phone asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“No. No. He just happened to knock on the doctor’s door. It’s a retired doctor, but he managed to get his driver’s license and my number before he left in a panic.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Let me connect you with Sheriff Tinsley. Please hold the phone.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Very quickly, Sheriff Tinsley got on the phone. “Hello, Mrs. Dooley. Let me get the essential information out to the men in the field so they can be looking for him. What is his name?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Tom Dooley.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Describe the vehicle.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“It’s a white Ford pickup. It’s just family sized. Its license is 24601. Please hurry.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Yes, Mrs. Dooley. I’m discharging the information now. I’m also sending two officers to your home to get a detailed report and information. They should get there within 15 minutes.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Thank you. He was going downhill, but I didn’t know he was deteriorated as far as he appears to be.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Are you prepared to keep him from driving, Mrs. Dooley?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Definitely.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Do you need us to help you legally to do that?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“No. I’ll be able to handle it. I want to protect his dignity. If I can’t, I’ll certainly ask for help.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Don’t wait for too long. We don’t want him getting in trouble.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I’m not even sure if we can legally keep him out of trouble. It is hard to tell how bad he is unless you know him.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I’m sorry. I just have to ask that. My men will ask you some of the same questions.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Thank you. Thank you so much. I’ll wait for the officers to get here.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Thank you for your vigilance. All the best. Can I hang up now?” Sheriff Tinsley asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>A squad car arrived quickly after that. Two officers out of Mayberry came knocking on the door. Cara let them in and proceeded to repeat much of the information already given. They took notes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“You say he is worse than he ever has been?” Officer Jones asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“The doctor was very concerned. He has lapses. But he never got lost before. He doesn’t accept that there is any problem with his mind. His mother had Alzheimer’s. We went through hell with her. He said if he ever got as bad as her, he would kill himself. I’m afraid he would do that. I would rather control him until he gets worse.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Do you really think you can keep him from driving?” the second officer asked her, his voice sounding cynical.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I think I can keep the keys from him. He can’t hold a thought long. I’ll call for help if I can’t.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>The officers looked at her skeptically, but there was not much they could do to restrict him without Cara’s cooperation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>At that point, Tom drove into his own driveway. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“That’s him now. Thank God. Can you make an excuse for your being here? “<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Yes ma’am,” Officer Jones said, “We understand.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Tom walked in, very curious as to why the police were at his home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Hello, sir. We were just leaving. “<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“What’s the problem, officers?” Tom asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“We were just checking out a complaint that one of your neighbors had about mailbox tampering. You hear anything about that?” Jones asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“No. None that I know of.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“It’s probably just an isolated incident. Thank you, Mrs. Dooley.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“Thank you,” Cara said warmly. She was thankful that Tom came off so normal. However, she knew her life would be different from this point forward. Her mother-in-law had gone through a process that she could see Tom was moving through. He had passed the time that he could be trusted to drive himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Cara took his keys when he wasn’t looking. When he said he couldn’t find them, which is something that had often happened in the past, she told him she couldn’t find them, either. Then, with his waning power to keep a thought in mind, he simply forgot the incident. That would happen continually for a while. Until things got really bad.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Cara knew that she was in for one of the worst problems of her life, and the stress nearly killed her. She wondered why she had to go through this twice in her life. But she survived and eventually thrived. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Some of the details of this account are not true, but the story is basically correct. It is a situation that too many people are facing every day. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>I had a close friend who had dementia. Strangely enough, the quality of his poetry endured long into the illness, until he died. I don’t know if he had Alzheimer’s disease, but the dementia was growing and he was well aware of it. He had an episode similar to Tom’s. He was driving and suddenly didn’t know where he was. He kept driving until he picked up enough landmarks where he could re-orient himself and get home safely. It was one of the most frightening episodes in his life, including his experiences in the Korean war. He had the presence of mind to throw away his license. This man never lost is dignity. May we all be so lucky.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=yiv1639530033msonormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>