My dad's girlfriend Dorothy is sick and in the hospital.

She has emphysema and has to walk around her house trailing a long green oxygen hose behind her. I would see her sitting in her chair gasping for air and see my dad standing on her air hose talking to someone, not knowing she needed a breath.

I meet my brother Stan at the hospital and go in to see her. It was awful. She was all bruised from the steroids they pumped into her to breathe. She was so out with painkillers she didn't know where she was. She suffered a heart attack. She doesn't look good.

She might die tonight.

My dad is in such bad shape. He is weak and confused. This will be the second love to die on him.

Everything makes me think about my mom dying from cancer.

I see my brother in his car and walking over my stomach growls. I am so hungry. The thought of death might be telling me I need to survive. Survival means eating. I think I'm wasting away, but I've gained so much weight.

My brother and his wife suggest we go to Braum's.

I follow in my car and think about all the places they've taken me to eat. I am learning about all their favorite hangouts.

Braum's is an ice cream joint that makes hamburgers and stuff. I get there and then I'm told they are getting theirs to go because they realized they have to go pick up all the meat from the slaughtered hogs that has been prepared for them by the Amish.

So I order my cheese burger and sit alone and wait. I get it and it's okay, but there is no cheese, or anything on it. I'm mad. I'm mad because I'm alone. I'm mad because I have no one to talk to and distract myself from me.

The clerk, who is about 16 years old and cute walks over to ask if I like it.

"Well, you owe me 30 Cents because there's no cheese and you charged me for it."

She panics!

It really was no big deal. I shouldn't have said anything.

Moments later as I'm on my last bite she walks over holding a sheet of wax paper and a cold slice of cheese for me.

I'm not kidding!