Bored & Crazy

The other day I went to visit my grandfather in the nursing home where he spends most of the day dozing or wondering what he should really be doing, as he tells me. He does get out of bed into his wheelchair for meals, which he promptly forgets he ate as soon as the tray is removed.

Usually he talks about nothing much, or tells me little stories about his dogs and how he met my grandmother.

This time, however, he expounded upon the idea that he knew there was something else he should be doing, but he couldn't figure out what it was. I said, "That's because you're not supposed to be doing anything! You're retired!"

"That's why I kill old ladies," he said.

I laughed. There were certainly enough of them around in the nursing home, but there's no way he could have done such a thing even if he wanted to.

"Grandpa, you must be really bored!"

"What, to think up stuff like this?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's no worse than some of the people who come to visit me. Some of them are just crazy!"

"Like me?"

"Yeah."

"What's so crazy about me?"

"You came here!"