Difficult Questions

Muddear and I were having a long conversation about me and how she is related to me. I have discovered that she often forgets who I am and I always have to remind her. Our usual conversation begins something like...

"What's your name again?"

After responding the follow-up question is something like...

"That's right, I remember now. Do I have two relatives named Nikki?"

To wit I respond, "No, I am your only granddaughter named Nikki." Then Muddear will stop and pause as though she is mulling that response over. And then the next question is asked...

"Is Pat your mother?"

After responding in the affirmative. Muddear gets on her "soapbox" and laments about how my father never treated me right. How she told him year after year that he should be more of a father to me and then Muddear reaches out to take my hand. Looking me straight in the eye she says..."I never would have thought my own grandbaby would be takin' care of me. You deserved to be treated better."

Usually the questions on this topic end at this point. However during our most recent conversation on this topic, Muddear asked the next and most difficult question...

"Do you love your father?"

I did not know how to respond. I was adopted and raised by my stepfather and could not ascertain how much Muddear actually remembered. I did not want to hurt her feelings.