Tommy was not placed in charge of everything.
A professional helped manage finances.
Caroline remained my healthcare proxy.
Tommy became a backup.
He accepted it.
One day he asked, “Do you still not trust me?”
I thought carefully.
“I trust you more than I did. But trusting you does not mean giving you every role.”
He nodded.
That mattered.
Later, I had one confused afternoon when I accused a staff member of stealing the music box.
She had not.
It was in a drawer.
Afterward, I cried.
Tommy sat beside me.
“How do I know now?” I asked.
He understood exactly what I meant.
How could I know whether something was truly missing or whether my memory had changed?
He did not say, “You’re confused.”
He did not say, “Just trust me.”
He said:
“We check.”
That became our rule.
We check.
When I eventually moved into assisted living, I did it by choice.
