April 2nd 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease I am alone, abandoned, anonymous. What the hell am I doing sitting alone on this plane? Why can’t I remember? Am I crazy? Where is Abby? Where has she gone? Who is that lovely lady who brought me here and who the hell is sitting in Abby’s seat next to me. And why am I strapped in like a prisoner. I have to get out of here but I don’t know how to get rid of this damn leash that’s holding me down. Holy Good God … . what is that roaring noise? And why are we moving so fast? We’re going much too fast. I struggled to get up but the dam leash has me locked in place. Someone, help me please. The lady sitting in Abby’s seat reached over to me and placed her hand over mine. “Shh, shh, shh, … “it’s okay,” she said. “It’s the plane taking off. We’re going to be fine. Just try and relax and we’ll be safely in the air in just a few minutes.” She stroked my hand and arm and smiled at me as she whispered comforting words. I was happy to have her next to me but I had no idea who she was. She was very pretty, with shocking white hair that framed her kind, wrinkled face. She had a sweet smell of lilacs about her that reminded me vaguely of someone I knew a long time ago. Her piercing blue eyes held such deep sadness that it unnerved me a bit more and it was difficult to hold her gaze. She continued to caress my hand and I could feel the anxiety slowly drifting away and I was able to relax. I put my head back against the head rest and fell into a welcomed sleep. I awakened to the Captain’s strong voice telling us we were fifteen minutes from our destination, Denver, Colorado. He told us the temperature on the ground was a mellow 70 degrees and it was a beautiful day. He thanked us for flying Delta and wished us a good day. I opened my eyes and stretched my cramped arms and legs. Abby turned tentatively to me and said, “Hello there … how are you feeling?” “Just fine,” I answered. “It was a very smooth flight, wasn’t it?” She nodded her head and asked me if I remembered feeling confused before we took off. I replied, “Of course not. … why do you ask.?” She smiled quietly and gently reminded me that sometimes the Alzheimer’s Disease plays funny tricks on my mind. She took my hand and said “Okay, love, let’s go on home.”