Gare

My old boss seems to be on his way out, trying to do the celestial checkout.  He was recently admitted to the hospital and is now in a nursing home.  He's got pneumonia  for the second time in less than a year.  He's also got some dementia as I understand it.  His son says "he's confused" which, from watching my MIL, means dementia.  

I owe a lot to this man.  Oh, I know he's a jerk, (say what you will) but he was one of the first adults who saw my potential and gave me great opportunities.  I had great jobs with him, I had a great lifestyle with that group of people.  I have great memories of those days, even tho sometimes they were hard.  Especially hard when my husband got mad at him and I had to do a balancing act around my job and my boyfriend/husband.  

I talked to him today and he sounded so sick.  He was lucid, but he sounded old and sick.  And this jerk of a man, told me he HAD to see me.  That he loved me.  

I talked to Susan about it.  We both worked for him for many years.  As much as he pissed us off, and was a Svengali type, he is still someone who gave as much as he took from us.  

She offered to buy plane tickets for us to go see him, one last time.  He lives nearly 800 miles from us.  I have to pay her back, but can pay in installments.  So we are going.  May 15th.  From Los Angeles.  

I know it's going to be a heartbreaking trip.  I haven't seen him in close to 10 years.  He's got COPD and he's in his 70's now.  I think he was close to 40ish when I met him.   That he is elderly is amazing to me.  I still think of him as he was when I last saw him and I know that won't be the case.  

I need to say my hellos and goodbyes.  I owe him.