Episode

My dad’s late night perambulations concerned me. I was glad I was around. He eventually wandered downstairs, into the ‘TV’ room, where I joined him and for a while we watched Charlie Rose interview Bill Gates. I then went back to the still smoldering fire and he headed back upstairs, to his bedroom. I heard him gasping for air before he finished the climb. His struggles for breath woke my mother, who called out and must have turned on the light that suddenly shown under their door as I reached the upper floor. At that point I made my presence known and entered their room.

I found my dad sitting on the edge of his bed, hunched over, heaving. It took several minutes for his breathing to ease. When he finally caught his breath, he looked at my mother and rasped “Tomorrow we have to buy some oxygen.” My mother turned away so that my father could not see her expression. As much as I know he will hate it, he will have to move downstairs soon.