What do you do when a singer on TV hits a bad note?
Put your hands over your ears and yell, “Oh dear God, she’s so flat!”
This was a daily occurence in our house. An unsuspecting visitor might have thought Mom was commenting on someone’s bosom, but we knew she was lamenting about a pitchy singer. Remember, my mother was a soprano with perfect pitch. Listening to off-key singing was a form of torture for her.
Several years back when Mom was in the Alzheimer’s unit, my daughter, Allie, and I went to visit. Mom was drifting in and out of sleep, and all the nurses suggested I sing an old Sinatra song to fully awaken her. Inspired, I belted out “Fly Me to the Moon” for her (and everyone else) to hear.
Her response was not exactly what I was going for: Mom puckered her face as if she just tasted a horribly sour lemon.
Those nurses totally set me up.
Shocked and a bit hurt, I handed the solo over to Allie. Within 10 seconds, Mom breathed a heavy sigh of relief, broke into a beautiful smile and opened her eyes to see a sweet 12-year old singing one her favorite songs – in perfect pitch.
Even though the connections in her brain were completely malfunctioning, her musical ear was as sharp as ever
. We all had a good laugh at the faces she made, including Mom, who was still cognizant enough to enjoy the joke.
At the expense of yours truly, of course.
"What Do You Do In A Case Like This?" 