Irregular Behavior from a Friday Night Regular

When the doctor’s office called Nyel at 10:00 Friday morning and said ‘they’ wanted him at the hospital in Portland by 2:00 we said, “We’ll do the best we can.”  Panic!  Kitchen to clean up.  Carpet to vacuum!  Bathroom to tidy!

It’s not that we have some sort of anal problem about leaving a “lived-in” look behind.  We had other things on our minds.  Two, in particular, were looming in our immediate future –  our usual ‘Friday Night’ gathering and our very unusual Sunday “Celebration of Poetry” – an event of some importance happening at our house involving three poets of note, an audience of thirty, a potluck supper and… Damn!  Not only were we going to miss both of these events – we were not going to have time to prepare so that someone else could play host and hostess.

Friday Night Gathering – Photo by Tucker

I scurried and prioritized.  Pack a bag for an indefinite stay.  Help Nyel get up and get dressed. Deal with the chickens.  Load the dishwasher.  Call Carol and Tucker.  Put extra leaves in the dining room table.  Show Carol what needs to be done for Sunday.  Ask Tucker to help Charlie Talbott to schlep chairs and move furniture tomorrow.  Load the car.  Out of the village by 10:40. Whew!

A call from the doctor’s office a half hour from home – no hurry.  We have a bed secured for you. Damn!  Mental apologies to Carol and Tucker.  We could have taken longer and left things in better shape!  I might have had time to grab my earrings.  Naked ears are the least of our worries…What else did we forget?  So sorry to leave in such a rush.  So disappointed not to meet the Poet Laureate of Washington – I had so many questions to ask him…

Cruise control to Emanuel Hospital.  One stop on the way to get sandwiches at Safeway.  One other pee stop in Longview.  (Damn diuretics said Nyel.)  Arrival to find everyone expecting Nyel – nurses we know, doctors we know, a menu all too familiar.  Ditto the all too familiar cot for me.

Thank goodness for the best neighbors EVER!  Tucker even sent photos of the Friday Night gathering.  All we can say is… any dignity and decorum that was ever in Oysterville is now the center of all sorts of attention here in Room 5301.  I hope they get him back on his feet before Oysterville really tips over an edge!