While mom was settling into therapy with a couple sessions
under her belt my thoughts turned inward.
I was thinking that with her ‘team’ in place (doctors for
the body, brain and mind) I could start to put together a life for myself
outside of Miss Cathy and caregiving.
So, a couple of weeks ago I ‘planned’ to be ‘spontaneous’
for a change and go into the city to see a new friend and hang out.
When the day arrived I was ready by late afternoon so I went
into Miss Cathy’s room to tell her that I was leaving. It’s not the norm for me
to ‘report’ my comings and goings but I usually like to give her an idea of
what I’m doing if I’m out of the condo for more than four hours…especially at
night.
I told her that I’d probably be late getting back or may
even stay overnight in the city so she shouldn’t wait up for me (as she is want
to do as if I’m a teenager but…hey, ‘whatareugonnado’).
Knowing that she would be anxious as soon as it grew dark outside
I suggested that she arm the security system after I left and I would turn it
off when I came back.
I set out for my evening feeling very grown up and almost
like the unattached and carefree bachelor that I used to be, responsible for
nothing more than my own path and pleasure.
Somewhere in the midst of my car ride away from the
burdensome-burbs to urban-unencumbered, with the music cranked up while I sang
along to my favorite pop tunes my phone rings and I decide not to answer (not
because it’s against the law in the state where I live) but because I don’t
recognize the number.
Arriving at my destination, relaxed and ready for my night
on the town (which at my age was probably going to be nothing more than dinner
and a show, but still…it was a far cry from spending the evening listening to
Miss Cathy’s TV through the walls as I tried to watch my own, write or read a
book).
I take a moment before I get out of the car to satisfy my curiosity
and listen to the voicemail. Turns out the call was from Phillips Lifeline telling me that Miss Cathy had pressed her
medic-alert button.
The Lifeline operator said that she called in a panic
because she’d messed up settings on the alarm and was afraid it was going to
start screeching at any moment if she touched it again.
The operator finished by informing me that she would move on to the next person on the
contacts list since I did not answer
the call (was it my imagination or did I hear disapproval in her voice because
I’d not picked up, or was I just calling into question my choice as first on
the list in case of emergency).
“That’s gotta be a land record”, I thought to myself. I’d
barely begun to taste freedom when it seems my parole was being revoked.
Looks like it was time for ‘little Sheba’ to come back.
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