After my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I brought her to live with me and my family so I could care for her.
My children adored her, and even with the illness, she was never difficult to look after.
Then one day, she disappeared.
I was four hours away from home, taking my kids to summer camp, when my husband, Nate — who had been watching her — called to say my mom was gone.
He said he woke up in the middle of the night and realized she wasn’t there.
The search stretched on for three long, agonizing days.
The police joined the search, and our family members and neighbors also spent hours looking for my mother without giving up.
Then, at last, the police knocked on our door and brought my mom home.
She looked frail and confused, but happy to be back.
“Claire-bear,” she said, using my childhood nickname. “I’m here now.”
I felt relieved, but my husband didn’t seem to feel the same. Nate looked uneasy, and his reaction was strange.
At that moment, my mom pointed at Nate and said, “You need to arrest him.”
I froze. My mom sounded clear, and it was obvious this wasn’t the Alzheimer’s speaking.
“Why, Mom?” I asked.
That’s when she told me she had seen Nate in the bedroom with another woman. He tried to convince her she was imagining it, but she was certain about what she saw.
Trying to confuse her, Nate told my mother she didn’t live there anymore, that it was no longer her home, and that she needed to leave.
Nate was the one who allowed her to wander off, even though he knew about her condition.
I looked at Nate, who seemed stunned. He quickly insisted that my mom was talking nonsense and that she wasn’t in her right mind, but I knew she understood exactly what she was saying.
Not only had he cheated on me, but he was also willing to risk my mom’s life to cover it up.
I no longer recognized the man I had loved and shared my life with.
Before long, the Alzheimer’s took hold of my mom again, but at least she had been able to warn me about my husband.
In the days that followed, I packed my belongings and left Nate for good.