White Tablecloths, Sighs and El Vez
I remember having lunch with my mother one day when I wasaround 17. She was working as alegal secretary for my father and occasionally during the summer I would meether for lunch. At the time hermother was quite ill in Maine and she was worried about her. I, on the other hand, really wanted togo to some concert at the Chicago Amphitheatre. I can’t remember who it was now. She had said no but I just kept bringing it up over andover. And I have this vivid memoryof her sighing at lunch and saying, “do we have to go through this again?” We were at a more expensive restaurantthan usual and there was a white tablecloth. I remember it clearly.
I don’t remember whether I ended up going to the concert ornot. I did periodically go seeshows at the amphitheater though. I look back and am amazed that my parents let their sweet (SWEET) 17year old drive to 43rd and Halsted but I did and have some good,albeit slightly blurry memories….
Last night I went to the nursing home and my mother was muchmore herself. She apologized forupsetting me the night before, said she’d been sick in the night and that waswhy she hadn’t been responsive. She’d been to the doctor’s office about her kidneys that afternoon (Iwon’t even go into the last minute notice about that). I was so pleased she was better and westarted talking and then suddenly she switched over to telling me why sheshould be able to go home and why she hated it there and that my sister and I were the only ones that wanted to keep her there and on and on and on…..andall I could think of was that lunch with the white tablecloth and my mothersighing and saying, “do have to go through that again?”
Now I’m certainly not comparing a concert at theamphitheater with going home from a nursing home----obviously the level ofimportance is QUITE a bit different….but for some reason that lunch has justbeen stuck in my head.
I’ve set upa meeting with the nursing home discharge planner and the therapist fortomorrow so we can all talk about where we are.
It’s not fun being in the enemy camp.
After that Ernie and I tried to do some Christmas shoppingand I was totally discombobulated and unorganized. I imagine it will get done eventually.
This video does cheer me up immensely I must admit....