It was an ordinary Sunday night. The Missus and I had settled down to watch the History Channel special on the War of 1812. We had just reached the Battle for Fort McHenry, when the phone rang. It wasn't very late, just after 10:00, but the Missus and I are officially old people now, and old people don't get calls that late unless somthing's up.
It was. My wife answered the phone. It was my stepmother calling. My father is in the hospital, and he's had a heart attack. They didn't think it was very serious as heart attacks go, but still....
At that point my mind sort of snapped. There isn't anything I can do really, he's up in Seattle, I'm down here in San Diego. I let my mother know what was going on, she lives down here too. She was already asleep, and never quite grasped the situation. I'm almost certain that she'll call me sometime tomorrow morning, wondering if I did really call her or not. Beyond that, I sort of sat and wondered what to do. I called my boss, told her I wouldn' t be in tomorrow. The missus did the same. We just wait now, my stepmother is meeting the doctor later on tonight. She promised to call back with more information.
The sad thing is, Dad and Step-mom were coming down this week. See, the wife and I are having our long-delayed wedding reception this weekend. They were driving down, my grandmother is flying in on Friday. We're going on a short honeymoon next week. Now all that seems up in the air. Should we cancel? Can we? I don't know.
I got up to write this, just to do somthing. I got the first line out, then just sort of sat here. I wandered around my blogroll. I think I even commented once or twice, but I can't remember.
Update The step-mom called back. Dad had what is considered a mild heart attack. He'll be okay, but he does have some lifestyle changes to make. I think the reception will go ahead, but it won't be the same. The wife and I are planning to vist, maybe right after the honeymoon.
I still don't know if I'll sleep tonight.
Posted by Frinklin at September 12, 2004 11:45 PMI sympathize entirely. My mother died suddenly in 1999, and I worried constantly about my dad, who was living alone. He broke his hip in early 2001 and never really recovered, finally dying in late 2002. My life seemed in constant disarray for more than three years... It's that time in our lives.
Posted by: Wally Conger at September 13, 2004 11:02 AMBest wishes for your dad, Frinklin. I got that same call from my mom while driving down to CA for Christmas one year. Very frustrating when you can't do anything. But, life does go on, and it sounds like he'll be part of it. It's kind of a reminder about how precious life is, and that waiting for "some day" isn't always the best. In a not-so-coincidental occurrence, my first child was born about 9 1/2 months after I got that call!
BTW - I live in Seattle, so please let me know if you ever need some help up here for him.
Posted by: Rich Fried at September 13, 2004 12:34 PMMy prayers are with you and your father, Frinklin. I wish him the best.
Posted by: Mediocre Fred at September 13, 2004 07:48 PMMy very best wishes for a complete and speedy recovery! Hospitals suck.
Posted by: RP at September 14, 2004 01:53 PM