Ageless Laughing

Wheeled in from the cold, wearing layers of winter clothes, her aging daughter brings her to a table close to the door. The years on her face are apparent by the loose skin drooping from her cheekbones, eyes sinking into her face as her eyelids spill over into her line of sight. The sparce wisps of white hair on the sides of her head stick out a little like that of a clown, the top of her head more or less bald. She reaches for the coffee her daughter brought to the table, and holds the mug with both hands, bringing it slowly to her lips. At first glance, her obvious vulnerability brought tears to my eyes.... But then something made her laugh, and the smile on her face was all I could see now. I didn't see old age anymore, I didn't see vulnerability, I only saw a mom and her daughter drinking coffee and laughing about something I would never know. I turned back to my own coffee and smiled as I raised the cup to my lips.