It's okay for the story to be poignant some of the time but it's not a sad story. He can't have dementia or anything, he's not deluded about being a young astronaut, okay. And it's not a commentary on the "decline of empire" after the space race, that's important.
All she wants to do is bring you scrambled eggs in bed, tell you that you're the greatest writer in the world, and never to be reminded of her occasional black bouts of memory-obliterating rage! You can do this!
