“And you believed him?”
“He showed me his medical records, Mom! His doctors diagnosed him with early-stage Alzheimer’s.”
I remained silent.
“He calls me Catherine.”
Janine continued explaining how she’d started helping him. She left reminder notes on his desk, organized his appointments, and sometimes stayed late when he seemed particularly confused.
“Sometimes he still calls me Catherine,” she admitted. “At first, I corrected him. But one evening, he started crying. He said he was terrified he’d eventually forget everyone he’d ever loved.”
Her voice trembled.
“I do love him.”
“After that, I couldn’t bring myself to correct him anymore.”
I gently squeezed her hand.
“Sweetheart, feeling sorry for someone isn’t the same as loving them.”
“I know. But it changed. I really do love him.”
She wiped her cheeks.
“He’s scared.”
“I know I’m not Catherine, Mom. But when he looks at me, sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who makes him happy.”
“Then why rush into marriage?”
“Because he’s scared,” she whispered. “He wants to marry me before he forgets who I am.”
I picked up Richard’s diary pages again and carefully reread them.
“Janine, is Richard seeing a doctor regularly?”
I couldn’t move.
“Of course, Mom. He even showed me his diagnosis.”
She pulled out her phone and found a photograph of a medical certificate.
“Here. See?”
I took the phone.
The hospital’s name appeared at the top of the document. It was the hospital where I worked.
“What’s wrong?”
For a moment, I couldn’t move.
I examined the certificate more closely, then glanced at the date.
“Mom? What’s wrong?”
I forced myself to look up. “Nothing, sweetheart. I’m just worried about you.”
I handed her phone back.
“Did his doctor suggest postponing the wedding?”
“People can function normally.”
Janine shook her head. “Richard doesn’t want to waste whatever time he has left.”
“But doesn’t it seem strange that he sometimes can’t recognize you, yet he still manages an entire company?”
“Mom, Alzheimer’s doesn’t work the same way for everyone. Some people can function normally for years.”
“You’re right,” I said quietly.
I wasn’t going to argue about a disease I’d seen affect so many patients.
“I need you to do one thing.”
Janine slipped her phone into her pocket. “Will you please try to understand?”
I looked at the diary again. There was something I desperately wanted to tell her.
But first, I needed her to see it for herself.
The next morning, I found Janine in the kitchen, making coffee.
“Sweetheart, can we talk?”
“Will you try?”
She sighed. “Mom, if you’re going to tell me I’m making a mistake again—”
“I’m not. And I promise I won’t accuse you of marrying Richard for his money anymore.”
She looked surprised.
“But I need you to do one thing before the wedding.”
“What?”
“Make absolutely sure he’s telling you the truth.”
“What are you suggesting?”
Her expression hardened. “Mom, you want me to test a man who’s losing his memory?”
“I want you to make sure he’s telling you the truth.”
“He’s shown me everything!”
I took her hand. “Remember what I always told you? An honest man won’t mind if you check.”
Janine looked away.
“He’s telling you the truth.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“What if Richard looks at you on your wedding day and thinks he’s marrying Catherine?”
She fell silent.
“If he really confuses people that often, shouldn’t we know whether he understands what’s happening?”
“How?”
“That would humiliate him!”
I hesitated. “We could have someone else walk down the aisle wearing your wedding dress. Someone who looks like you.”
Janine stared at me.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m serious. We’ll stop everything before the vows. Nobody will actually get married.”
“Mom, that would humiliate him!”
“We’ll apologize.”
“Not if we handle it carefully. But if something isn’t right, wouldn’t you rather know before becoming his wife?”
She paced around the kitchen. For several minutes, she said nothing.
Finally, she looked at me. “And if he really is sick?”
“Then we’ll apologize and make sure he gets the support he needs.”
Janine swallowed. “Okay, Mom. One test. But that’s all.”
“If he really is sick?”
