An Errand

I think Ernie had a semi-frustrating afternoon with the guys Monday.  He called me at work late in the afternoon and said, “can I take you out for an ‘errand’ after work?”  I told him I would LOVE to go on an errand with him so when I got home, we got things settled with the guys and headed out.  We sat down next to another couple of regulars at Fries and Peanuts and said hello.  They looked a bit grim.  We’ve known them just to say hello for a long time but when Ernie started his infusions a year and a half or so we started running into her in the Chemo Room.  So we’ve gotten to know them a bit----they’re lovely people.  We chat about this and that, sometimes cancer, sometimes cookies, sometimes music and sometimes anything else that pops up.

When she got up to go say hello to somebody else her husband leaned over and explained that she’d had a seizure the other day and after getting an MRI, was told they’d discovered tumors throughout her brain.  They stopped the chemo immediately and told her it could be 8-12 weeks.  Or maybe it was 4-12….I don’t know, I just knew I could see tears in Ernie’s eyes and I felt like I had a rock in my stomach.

We talked for a while and gave them our phone numbers if we could shuttle her anywhere now that she can’t drive.  You so want to do something to help but of course you can’t really.  So all we could do was give them phone numbers and then I kissed them each good bye when we left.

We were quiet when we got into the car---Judi's Honda----but then we talked about it a bit.  Part of me feels guilty for my grief and sorrow for them being tied up so tightly with my own fears for the future but the threads of one’s life get pretty twisted so I guess it’s unavoidable. 

Not really the light hearted errand we had planned.