Pants-wearer brought to tears

“Dare I ask?” I rolled down the window of my car as I was leaving nearby Boughton (“BOW-tin;” as in “wow”) Park yesterday after walking my dog.
A mother was loading her minivan with kids, dogs, and a wood-sided Radio Flyer wagon.
The mother had been hauling a child and a dog around the park.
Suppose I’m guessing wrong? Embarrassing as Hell.
“Looks like one of your kids is Down Syndrome,” I said.
“That would be Hope,” she said smiling.
“I had a kid brother with Down Syndrome; born in ’54.
Classiest thing my parents ever did, was to NOT institutionalize him. and that was back in the ‘50s.”
“When they used to put Down Syndrome kids in institutions,” she said.
“They brought him home,” I said, starting to tear up.
“Oh, look at you,” she exclaimed.
Skirts love it.
A pants-wearer brought to tears.
“Yeah, but what you’re also seeing is a slight stroke-effect,” I thought. “It’s called lability; poor emotional control. It’s manifested by increased tendency to laugh or cry, in my case crying.”
It was much worse after my stroke, but I now more-or-less have it under control.
I considered mentioning it, but didn’t because it usually crashes in flames.
Just recently I tried to explain lability to my doggy-daycare ladies, and they were utterly buffaloed.
Weepiness was more appealing.
My guess is most overly labile stroke-survivors end up in nursing-homes — I didn’t — so lability is unknown.
This wasn’t the first time.
Years ago my wife was in a Rochester hospital recovering from a cancerous encounter with death. —She died eventually.
I went to visit, and there she was in bed, legs still ballooned from constricted circulation.
She was extremely depressing to encounter. I started crying.
A young nurse walked in, so I said “I’m sorry.”
“Oh that’s okay,” she cooed. As if to say “Boy-oh-boy, I sure wish my husband cared about me as much as this guy cares about his wife.”
Yeah, I care about my wife — best friend I ever had — but weepiness is also a stroke-effect.
So here I am tearing up about my Down Syndrome brother, who used to look people in the eye and say “I’m retarded; nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!”
I’m very emotional about him, but weepiness is also a stroke-effect.

• I had a stroke October 26th, 1993, from which I pretty much recovered. Just tiny detriments; I can pass for never having had a stroke.
• My wife of over 44 years died of cancer April 17th, 2012. I miss her immensely. Best friend I ever had, and after my childhood I sure needed one. She actually liked me.