They warned me when you kissed me
your love would ricochet.
Your lips would find another
and your heart would go astray.
Oh, I thought that I could hold you
with all my many charms.
But then one day
you ricocheted
to someone else’s arms.
And Baby…
I don’t want a ricochet romance.
I don’t want a ricochet love.
If your careless with your kisses
find another turtle dove.
I can’t live on ricochet romance
no, no, not me.
If your gonna ricochet baby
I’m going to set you free.
I knew the day I met you
you had a roving eye.
I thought that i could hold you
what a fool I was to try.
Oh, you promised you’d be faithful
and you would never stray.
But, like a rifle bullet
it began to ricochet.
And Baby…
I don’t want a ricochet romance.
I don’t want a ricochet love.
If your careless with your kisses
find another turtle dove.
I can’t live on ricochet romance
no, no, not me.
If your gonna ricochet baby
Im gonna set you free.
When you announced our wedding
you made me mighty proud.
I whispered two was company
but you preferred a crowd.
Oh you buzzed around the other girls
just like a busy bee.
But, when you finished buzzin cousin
you buzzed back right to me.
And Baby…
I don’t want a ricochet romance.
I don’t want a ricochet love.
If your careless with your kisses
find another turtle dove.
I can’t live on ricochet romance
no, no, not me.
If your gonna ricochet baby,
I’m gonna set you free.
If your gonna ricochet baby
Im gonna set you free.
Ricochet by Teresa Brewer 1953
Lately, I have been creating this large playlist of music on You Tube that my Mom can listen to while I am visiting her. The playlist idea started one day as I was talking about how much I loved to watch her dance and sing when I was growing up. We had this massive mediterranean styled stereo cabinet that she moved around the living room re-decorating rather then playing it. She used to play this song called “Cecilia” by Simon and Garfunkel. She would put the album on and beat on the front of the cabinet to the percussion and sing and dance around the living room. I loved watching her when she was in one of these silly moods. She loved to clown around. My brother, Chris, who died in 2005 was just like her in that way. I started to sing this song to her and her eyes lit up and she started singing with me. When I started to sing another song she kept repeating “Cecilia” back to me. As if, she was so happy that she remembered the lyrics. This disease is horrible. It is devastating to watch her face when she is struggling with what I infer is confusion with the way her mind is working right now. She struggles to complete sentences and stares at the photographs on the wall. I have no way of knowing what she is attempting to remember and no way of knowing how to help her.
I started the YouTube playlist that evening. Editing and assembling a mix of 1950s to1970s songs that I knew she loved. When I was in elementary school, my parents gave me a 45 record player for Christmas. At the same time, my Mom gave me her collection of 45 records from the 50’s and early 60’s. I would play her 45’s on my record player and the two of us would sing her favorite songs together. I gravitated to the songs that were quirky or silly. I loved “Ricochet” by Teresa Brewer - her voice made these little hiccups. “She Say Oom Dooby Doom” by The Diamonds made me laugh. She loved everything by the Platters and The Stroll.
Mom looked really pretty today. There is a nurse who loves to groom and braid her hair and really takes the time to dress her. She was wearing a teal lycra jacket that I bought her in San Antonio, a white knit top with a Clooney lace yoke and greenish-teal capri pants. She looked adorable. Today, she had a grilled pastrami reuben and I had a caesar salad. We tried to go back outside again after lunch but it was too cool - so we went back to her room. We watched TV and she had some spice gum drops and orange slices. I usually arrive every day to watch “The Price is Right” with her. Drew Carrey hosts and he really phones in his performance. It is obvious how miserable he is hosting this show. His sarcasm comes through and I can’t stand to watch him. However lately, I have begun to mentally calculate the cost of the cars and trips to myself as I watch and catch myself commenting out loud “too high” or “too low."
I opened the laptop to Mom’s playlist on You Tube. I played The Platters, Nat King Cole, and “Laura’s Theme” from Dr Zhivago. To shake it up - I sang two songs - Ricochet by Teresa Brewer and The Singing Nun song - “Dominique” out loud like I did as a kid. It amused her. She started speaking to me and in the middle of a thought paused to tell me that she loved me. When I asked her if I annoyed her when I sang - she told me that I was adorable. I know she thinks I am loud and she told me that as well - “you are so loud.” I played some Connie Francis and she requested “Mama.” This song depresses me but I played it for her anyway. She started talking about how this song came out the same year that her and her mother were fighting. Shortly thereafter, Mom moved from New York to California. Mom has a hard time talking in full sentences but suddenly she was sharing complete memories about her own mother who died a couple years after she moved to Los Angeles. It was so good to hear her talk normally. I watched her train of thought working. Tears came to her eyes and I knew exactly what she was thinking about and I tried to distract her again with another loud annoying silly version of Ricochet. It seemed to work and shortly thereafter - I put her down for a nap and headed home.
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