"¿Dónde está mi padre?"

Taz's question was only answered with silence. There were moments that she forgot how to speak English, another one of dementia's evil tricks. Up struggled to find the Spanish words, though he knew that they would come to him eventually; forty years of marriage had helped him become a little bilingual.

"¿Su padre?" he asked, still unsure of what his wife wanted to hear.

"¿Dónde está mi padre?" Taz's eyes pleaded with him.

"Taz, que falleció hace años," Up answered.

"¿Qué?"

"Él está muerto desde hace años," he explained, hoping that Taz would remember again.

"My father is dead?" While Up was relieved that she was speaking English again, he wasn't sure if he could get her to remember.

"Yes, Taz. He's been gone for a long time."

"When did he pass away?"

"It was years ago, Taz," Up held her hands, praying that she would remember. "At your quinceañera. Dear… You remember, it's in your brain somewhere."

Taz just looked at him, her brown eyes that once held so much fire were now smoky. There was no response. Up kissed her forehead and helped her stand.

"C'mon, love, lunch is ready."

Taz slowly shuffled into the kitchen, Sprinkles leading the way. Mega-Girl had set the table, lunch was served on the plates, and coffee was brewing.

"Hi Tazzy!" February, despite being 75, was still bubbly. Krayonder's hearing aid squeaked at her high pitched squeal.

"¡Hola!" Taz replied, waving as she sat down.

Up helped Taz take her pills, and put an apron around her. "Y'all could have started eating," he said sheepishly as his friends waited for him to sit down again.

"That wouldn't be polite," February replied. "We were right to wait for the host."

"What do you know?" Taz asked February.

"Not too much!" The blonde answered loudly. "I like your shirt! It looks great on you!"

Taz nodded and looked at her food. She remained silent for most of the meal. Up looked at her plate; she hadn't touched her food.

"Taz, dear. You need to eat."

Another nod. Up stood up and helped Taz eat. This was normal. Because she slept most of the day, she wasn't active, and didn't acquire an appetite. If she didn't eat though, her blood sugar would drop, and she could slip into a coma.

Taz took the fork for herself, and began to eat the potatoes.

"You know, she only likes her potatoes fried anymore," Up explained, sitting back down.

"Up, if I may present an idea," Mega-Girl said, clearing Krayonder's plate from the table. "I could help around the house if you like. It would take stress away from you."

"Mega-Girl, I couldn't let you do that," Up replied.

"And why not, I am perfectly capable of chores, and I do not tire."

Up looked at Taz, who had fallen asleep again, her plate almost empty, her finger in the handle of her mug. "Maybe once a week-"

"Oooooh," February cut in. "That's when we could all meet up!"

"I'll be back soon," Up said as he walked to Taz's chair. "She needs to go for a walk before going to sleep."

"I'll do it," Mega-Girl answered as she gently woke Taz up and helped her to the walker. February broke the silence of the shuffling. "Since Krayonder and I will be living together, it will be easier for us to have these meals."

"February, I never said that you could move in," Krayonder said, "but if you're not going to shut up about it… Fine."

"Yay!" February hugged Krayonder. "It will be like old times, all of us on 15-A2 together."

"Well, almost all of us," Krayonder said quietly, and the three remembered Bug, Tootsie, and Specs. Up couldn't believe how much time had passed since their adventure on Bug Planet. One of his granddaughters showed him that they were in her school textbook. A little paragraph about their daring deeds. There had been book deals, interviews, even a movie about what occurred, but none captured the spirit. They each had their own story of what happened, none being the same. Bug and his temporary transformation; February proved that she wasn't an idiot; Krayonder and Specs hooked up for the first time; Mega-Girl had learned to love; Tootsie, well, he taught Mega-Girl to love, something that no robot had done before; and Up had become his old self. Taz's adventure was a mystery though. Out of the group, she had refused the book deal. Up regretted not getting her to record her story. Now he'd never know what she was thinking.

Mega-Girl came back and they talked of old times. Their sight and hearing wasn't what it once was, but the laughter was the same. They talked of Academy days, the battles, the weddings, the drunken nights, the kids and grandchildren. Up didn't want the afternoon to end. His days were usually silent.

The time came when his friends had to leave. February hugged Up goodbye, and Krayonder shook his hand, while Mega-Girl reminded Up that she would be back within the week to clean. Up waved them goodbye, sat back down in the kitchen, and turned on the radio. The man talking was saying that it was perfectly alright for someone to divorce their spouse if they had Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Up felt his blood curdle, his hands tightening into fists. He turned the radio off in anger, knowing that he would smash it if he listened anymore. The nerve of that man, he would never know the truth. On his wedding day, Up took an oath to Taz. He told her that he would love her for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health; from that day forward until death eventually pulled them apart. He wasn't about to give up on that promise.

Up walked into the living room. Like always, Taz was asleep with Sprinkles by her side. He sat by her side and held her hand. He looked at it, how it was still perfect despite the wrinkles. Minutes passed, and when Up looked at Taz again, her eyes were open and studying him. A smile broke out on her face, and she squeezed his hand.

So what if Taz's mind traveled in a different galaxy on most days? She still had a soul, and her heart still beat a steady tune. They still loved each other, and if this is what their life was meant to be, Up wouldn't change a thing.

Taz, que falleció hace años: Taz, he passed away years ago

Él está muerto desde hace años: He's been dead for years