Who's Who?

Mum says, 'Who's Hugh?'

Who's who.

She asks all the time. Who's who?

I tell her, 'Hugh is my brother in law'.

Oh, she says.

She considers this for a moment.

'Is he married?'

Yes, I tell her. I told her yesterday. And the day before.

'Does he have children?'.

Yes I tell her. I told her yesterday. And the day before.

'He has four', I say.

I try hard to be patient. I don't say, 'Mum, I told you yesterday - he has four ...'.  I try to sound as if this is not a conversation we have had a dozen times in three days.

An hour later.

'Who's Hugh?'.

He's my brother in law.

'I don't think I've heard you talk about him before, have I?', Mum asks,  looking just a trifle doubtful.

No, I say, I don't think so.

This is the hardest part of living with a parent with a failing, fading memory: there is no continuum to our conversations.

She does not remember who the key protagonists are in any of my stories.