ELIZABETHTOWN — Essex Center resident Terry Dupuis had no idea he and fellow resident Pam Dadlow would be writing enjoyable short stories when he came to the skilled-nursing facility.
Dupuis said ideas for stories have been flowing into his mind at the Essex Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Elizabethtown.
“We’re having fun,” Dupuis told the Press-Republican. “Pam and I write short stories and we give them to people around here. We can write anything.”
Dadlow, 71, is from Albany, while Dupuis, 69, hails from Fort Covington. He’s been there about a year, and Dadlow, two years.
WORK OFF EACH OTHER
Together, they bounce ideas off each other and Dadlow writes the stories out longhand, since Dupuis has Parkinson’s Disease and can’t write very well.
Their themes range from mysteries to romance to horror, and they keep the stories in three-ring binders.
“We write a little bit of everything,” Dupuis said. “Our best story is ‘Twelve O’Clock,’ because it leaves your mind to wonder. We try to write stories that would interest other people of our age group.”
“Twelve O’Clock” starts with a man shoveling snow from his driveway, then going inside.
“Everything changed when his wife died from cancer and his kids moved away,” the story reads. “He took his tea cup from the table and made his evening tea.
“He watched the wind blow the snow around in the yard.
“He said, ‘Honey, I miss you and I wish you were here.’ He became very tired and put his head on the table as the clock struck twelve.”
They take inspiration from their lives or events and people at the center, Dupuis said.
“We write in the afternoon, when it’s quiet and peaceful here. Sometimes I wake up at 4 a.m. and I have an idea.”
A BOOK OF THOUGHTS
In 2020, Dupuis fell at home and hit his head.
“While I recovered, I wrote a book of my thoughts,” he said.
Essex Center Recreation Director Beth McLaughlin said the head injury may have triggered something.
“He could never write and the writing ability came into his life,” she said. “Now, two or three stories can pop into his head.”
Dupuis and Dadlow have so far written 26 short stories together.
“They passed them around to the staff and they wanted more,” McLaughlin explained.
Dadlow said Dupuis will sometimes run off track while dictating the stories.
“I’ll pull him in if he goes too far,” she said. “I’m his editor. Our next story is about going to the moon.”
WRITING TEAM
He and Dadlow really are a writing team, Dupuis said.
“Pam makes a template for us to use for each story,” he said. “She keeps me anchored. I was so fortunate to find her. and Beth reads all our stories and encourages us.”
They plan to submit one of their stories, “St. Nicholas,” to a state writing competition.
“It was a vivid, colorful description,” Dupuis said. “It’s a very heartwarming story, short and to the point. It makes you sit down and enjoy life.”
NO TIME TO WASTE
The pair normally write three or four stories a week.
“We try to write something different all the time,” Dupuis said. “We want to leave something before our day is done.”
Dadlow, who has heart issues, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, and insomnia, said she got a good report from her recent test results.
“It’s all good,” she said. “My life is stalled and that’s good. I’m not going anywhere. I love writing with Terry.”
Dupuis said he realizes Parkinson’s is a progressive disorder.
“Eventually, I will forget words,” Dupuis said. “I’m not afraid with Pam. I’ve had Parkinson’s for 10 years and I may have it for another 10. We don’t have time to waste.”