Do You Know Who I Am?

I enter Romeo's room, once again not knowing what to expect. Again I pull a chair to his beside, make myself comfortable. He smiles, says hello.

I ask the burning question, the inevitable question. "Romeo, do you know who I am?"

He is amused. He chuckles. "You silly goose. Of course I do!" He laughs again.

I have to hear him say my name...just in case he thinks I'm someone else. I have to know for certain that he really, really, really knows who I am. Besides, I love the way he says my name. "Romeo, would you please say my name? You know how I love to hear you say my name."

He takes my hand in his, searches my eyes to make our connection deeper, and says, "Juliet, my beloved wife, the love of my lifetimes, I love you."

He continues. "Juliet, in our next lifetime, we must promise each other that we'll be together all our adult lives."

"Yes, and that we'll be healthy, no dementia."

"No dementia."

We remain still and silent for quite some time, each of us lost in our private thoughts of a life together, sans dementia.