Ginger Snap

I don't think I am in the early stages of Alzheimer's. I don't remember anybody in my family as having had it, but of course I wouldn't if I had it. I do often have a hard time remembering words though. Simple every day words, and more often, words that occasionally come up in conversation escape me. See, like right there. I froze when I came to the word 'escape'. I had to stop typing and just sit there with my mind whirring away until I remembered what word I meant to put in there.

Friday evening Mark and I were watching Hard Ball with Chris Matthews. Chris Matthews was interviewing a nice looking young guy with red hair, or ginger as they refer to it in the U.K.. Suddenly I lost interest in what they were saying because the young man with ginger hair reminded me of somebody else, somebody specific that I could conjure up in my mind but not put a name to.
    "Mark, that guy reminds me of a singer from the 1980's"
    "Hmmm.... "
    "You know who I mean. Come on and help me."
    "That's all you're going to give me? A singer from the 1980's?"
    "Red hair, wore a suit in his video... " At this point I started to dance in my chair trying to mimic the dance the guy did in the video. Mark just stared at me as if I were having...  (Again I have forgotten a word that I want to use here. Please wait while I try to think of it. Oh yes, now I remember.) convulsions.
    "Come on Mark, help me out. Red hair, suit, video, anything?"
    "Do you mean Rick Astley?"
    "Bingo! And he sang that song... you know, that song?"
    "Never gonna give you up was the song, and he didn't wear a suit in that video. He wore a trench coat."
Nearly seventeen years together now, and it's finally paying off. I can now give Mark the most vague of hints, the least amount of information, and he knows what I'm trying to say. That's kind of scary, because how will I know if I have Alzheimer's if all I have to do is look to Mark for what I'm thinking.