Three Phone Calls

These were rare enough these days, but all the more so for coming within 30 hours.

First came the call from my daughter. She's pretty busy these days doing graduate school online. She told me that calling me has been on her "to do list" for a long time. She decided to move it to her "do it now" list. Lotsa news. Yes, everybody is fine, staying in the house, working online. Her husband Ben just got a promotion. I hadn't talked to her since the news was losing their Canadian housemates. One lost his job and the two of them had to return to Canada. So his job hunting was now happening online, and once he scored another job in his field in Minneapolis, applied for another visa. He returned first, and she stayed a bit longer to tie up loose ends including quarantining the dog again for another border crossing. Everybody's doing fine back together again.

A bit hesitantly she informed me that she'd just shaved her head back to about 1/4", part of an event for cancer support for girls. It was getting scraggly after going over a year without cutting due to covid, and she's looking forward to seeing it look fuller and having some curl returning. We discussed family stuff, vacation plans, and our commitment to get together face-to-face at least 3 or 4 times when we're back north for the summer. Altogether we spent about an hour and a quarter on the phone, ending because I had to take Steve someplace.

The next afternoon I was interrupted from spray painting the car (hiding those work decals which absolutely refused to come off) when my son Paul called. This is the guy who never calls, doesn't check his voicemail or his email. He proved it by the reason for his call: I'd ordered dog food to be delivered up there for our dog. Special offer, no actual out-of-pocket, no obligation beyond recycling further mailings, and easier than hauling the extra in the car or looking for it once there. I'd sent him emails letting him know it was to arrive and when. True to form, he was very surprised by the box at his door when he got home from work. Since I'd addressed it to me in care of him, he knew whom to call. 

In 20 minutes we established everything and everybody is fine, when to expect our arrival which he hadn't bothered to read about, our new dog news (ditto), and our official marriage last April (again ditto!). Seriously: !!!!!!  I actually decided it was best to warn him that if our plans changed, when we might let him know, with a strong suggestion that he begin (!) checking his emails around that time for updated ETA.

I'm waiting to see how much of a surprise he claims our actual arrival date is. Not to mention whether or not he's cleaned the bathroom. Ah, the bachelor life.

Early that evening came the third phone call. It had become rare hearing from Joan since her daughter, a retired RN, arrived to help her with all things medical and household after her recent hospitalization. Expecting to stay with her mom for a week, she's well into her third now with no definite departure date. It's making a huge difference, including for me. I'd gotten worried enough about Joan  for months that we'd agreed on a nightly phone call. It was partly a wellness check, partly companionship. A friend since '83, or as long ago as Steve was, we always could easily last an hour or so in conversation on the phone. 

The calls had stopped with her daughter there, combined with Joan's increased time spent sleeping. While I missed the calls, updates are regularly emailed out to a group of people by her daughter, so I knew she has been in good hands. I not only responded to the daughter's emails, we two even spent about an hour on the phone one evening, partly bringing me up to speed, partly venting as any caregiver needs in order to reboot, no serious complaints, just taking a few breaths.

The day before, just after my daughter called, I'd taken Steve to an eye doctor appointment to confirm a cataract. While sitting in the car (no visitors in the doc's waiting room because covid)  listening to the radio, they announced a new shipment of Moderna vaccines had arrived in the county, and were in pharmacies. This is where Joan had gotten her first back in early January, but been unable to find her second dose. I emailed what I'd heard, and the call from Joan was a thank-you. She's now got her appointment from the original pharmacy for Monday. I was delighted for her, as well as for her sounding like her old self. We managed to keep the call this time to about 10 minutes, but in every sense it was just as wonderful as the other two.