VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Victory!!!! Victory!!!! Victory!!!!!!

Dear Son is a saint.

I am an awesome, all-powerful Oyomesan.!!!!!!!!!!

Care Section of Toyohira Ward Office in Sapporo is stupendous!!!!!

A young woman came this morning and spent an hour or more at the house, talking to Okaasan and Dear Son. She interviewed Okaasan with a 74 question survey.

"What season is it now?"

"Spring?"

"Does Sapporo have snow in winter?"

"No, Sapporo doesn't get much snow..."

...and other winners...  :-)))

The next stage, apparently is that she decides what level of care/service Okaasan needs and gets back in contact - after reading the doctor's report. And then, maybe in December we get a choice of suitable day service centers that would love to stimulate Okaasan's mind and body.

And Okaasan???

She seemed to go along with all of this. The fact that the roads are bad in winter and this will be her way of exercising.
To make sure of that I printed out 3 photographs of our street in winter, piled high with snow...and gave them to Dear Son to use as evidence.

Towards the end of the interview, Okaasan told Dear Son to leave the room and leave her alone with the city office woman! Either embarrassment, or could it be (hopefully) a taking control of the situation for herself? My health. My discussion? That would be good.

Or????? "I hate these people, please find me an air ticket back to Saitama, I must escape them....specially that British woman who interferes in everything.."

That would be good too.

So. The day has come. I really have wanted this day for SO long. Can't tell you how happy I am.
In fact, when I sat with my Dad's body in the funeral home in England 3 years ago, I told Dad "don't worry, we will get Yujiro's mother into day care or something, don't worry about me, it will be ok..." and then I cried a whole lot more. Sitting there with my Dad's body, clutching his favorite chocolate biscuits.
How's that for drama?
I know my Dad and step-mum worried a lot about me and this situation - the stress it was putting me under etc Yujiro's attitude to outside help.
Now, wherever they are - they can rest on this subject.

Maybe.
Of course, we haven't got Okaasan into the bus and into the doors of the day service center yet.
But we are another step nearer.

I didn't leave anything to chance though.
This morning I printed out my friend's translated letter. The one I gave to the doctor. Then I stuffed it in an envelope and rushed to the city office on my way to work at 9.15 am.
Bugger whether the city office care manager thinks I am an over-micro managing Oyomesan. Bugger that. THIS is important to me. I am a big part of the decisions and care of Okaasan, and I want my voice to be heard.
So I delivered it to the care managing desk - actually into the hands of the poor woman who was heading out to see her first client of the day.
She was a worriedly young-looking woman. Kind of social services/librarian type. Would Okaasan walk all over her. Would Okaasan be fooled by her youth into letting her guard down?
I wondered. And wondered. All the way to work.
Shit. Would she show Okaasan the letter, by mistake or on purpose?
In fact, I rushed back into her office to make sure: this letter is for you to read now, NOT for my Okaasan - despite the fact her name is on the envelope.
I was that nervous about it.

No worries. Maybe. She DID talk about the letter to Dear Son in the entrance hall of our house...surprising him a bit (but he is used to his micro-managing woman after all these years...). So, we hope Okaasan didn't hear that conversation!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So Happy.

I did it.