Dad & Me Revisited Part 2

.. But before I spoke to the county the next day...

I called my Uncle (Dad's brother) and Auntie that night to tell them the news. Although they had accepted The Wife and did their best to play nice, Dad still managed to fall out of their lives several years prior. After a big loan, as a matter of fact. Yes, he hurt us all in different ways but time and forgiveness had healed those wounds. We still held hope we would see him again and prayed he was ok.

Sadly, I found out his life had not stopped spiralling out of control.

Remember the little girl I mentioned in my previous post? The Wife's young daughter she had from a previous relationship that I felt sorry for? I've gotta say, as the story unfolded that sympathy went out like the wash. The poor little girl Dad raised as his own had turned into a She Devil.

No joke.

So, why was the county trying to track down someone who knew Dad? Come to find out, a year before he had suffered a stroke that rendered him paralyzed on one side and wheelchair bound. She Devil and her husband (who had moved into Dad's house with their kids before the stroke) took him from the hospital when he was released directly to the nursing home. They literally dumped him there like yesterday's trash never to be heard from again.

She Devil is an understatement.

The facility had his medical records but needed, you know, the incidentals .. like information for PAYMENT. Dad had been there for must over a year and they were unable to contact her (she couldn't seem to find time to return phone calls) and his unpaid tab at the nursing home was $40,000 and climbing. They were desperate. They needed information about his social security and pension and tap into it pronto or the county would become his power of attorney and liquidate.

Did I mention she and her family continued living in his home rent free the entire time?

Dad couldn't speak but was able to write with his bad hand. When the county asked him for names of family or friends to contact that he thought may assist him I have no doubt the list was very short. He scratched out my name. Last he heard I had moved to CO (but that was 1990).

And he waited.

My heart broke when I heard his story. My head spun. No matter what he had pulled in the past he didn't deserve that. He went from being a pompous, prideful man to one who couldn't even form words. All alone. I tried to look on the bright side. At least things couldn't get any worse, right?

Boy, was I wrong...