Crow

Adolf was getting frustrated. As he drove the car in circles around the parking lot, he began to spew abuse. His wife, sitting in the passenger seat, remained silent and unresponsive. He continued to rant. His grandson, sitting in the back seat, asked, "What's wrong?" Adolf snapped at his grandson as if he had been set on fire. The grandson's expression darkened, and he froze. His wife in the passenger seat had no reaction. It was as if she were dead. Mary, sitting behind her, watched Adolf. His face was a deep crimson, like a maple leaf, and he was agitated. "Adolf, I'll get out and find an empty spot," she said brightly. "Ha! You think I can't park?!" He lost control of the steering wheel, and the car swerved left, then right. "It's your fault!"

Mary pushed Adolf's wheelchair as they took a walk outside. They reached the lake. He could only make onomatopoeic sounds now. But Mary talked to him anyway. He no longer wore his hearing aid, as he had torn off the rubber part and swallowed it a few days ago. When she spoke to him, when she smiled at him, he would beam back. Mirroring.

Had any of his family members ever smiled at him before? Everyone in the family had treated him with caution, trying not to step on his landmines. He was unstable. And whenever they were kind to him, they ended up getting hurt. In the end, no one reacted to him at all.

Mary parked Adolf's wheelchair next to a bench. Then, she sat on the bench. They bathed in the warm sun. He was an interesting man. At his core, he was a good person.

"I am a human being, too. I think of you like a father, so when you scream abuse at me, I get really hurt. I felt sad and was depressed for a long time." "People around me tell me not to let it bother me, but I do let it bother me, I get hurt, and I feel sad." She had said this over the phone. After that, he never screamed abuse at Mary again.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer's-type dementia, he lost his ability to speak. He could only make onomatopoeic sounds. But he began to smile often.

"Krähe.." he said. Her breath hitched! Mary followed his gaze. A crow was flying over the lake. Mary turned her surprise into a smile and echoed him. "Krähe!" "Krähe!"