What Did I Say?

Sometimes I don't shut up and other times I bide my time before I speak my mind. It depends on the company and the subject.  I figure lots of people are just like me.  Sometimes I just rabbit on because the other person isn't adding to the conversation.  It's like that with Merv.  Before he became ill he would talk almost non-stop.  He talked about everything and nothing, no one could talk more than him.  I wonder now if he knew what was about to happen to him and he was making up for lost time in the future.  Immediately he became ill he stopped conversing.  He could still talk but holding a conversation as we know it was limited and usually consisted of a one sentence statement or question. 
From one extreme to another.  Merv never liked the phone but tolerated it, making a few calls when necessary and answering the phone when no one else was home.  After he became ill he would not answer the phone no matter how long it rang for.   I now make all his calls on his behalf.
I encourage conversation with him by dusting off our many old photo albums.  We have thousands of photos from everyone's birth to now!  So many memories, each one with a story to tell.  I will spend hours looking at people's photos while their other guests are yawning or already snoozing!
I miss our conversations from long ago.  The plans we discussed and put in place together, our hopes and sharing of memories.  I can only move forward reminiscing about the past and finding hope in the future.