…even if the rest of the time she expects you to be 7 years old.

Saturday, on my way home from Mr. Hockey’s house, I noticed that I had a missed call. It was my mom. She had called about noon and I didn’t hear it ring. Um, I might have been distracted.

Her message said she was “just calling to check in.” Which isn’t completely unheard of in the annals of our relationship, but unusual enough. So I called her back on my way home….around an hour after she called.

As is usual for conversations with her, she launched into what was on her mind: what was going on in her life and how I can (should) help her out with something.

This time it was a reminder of the fact that she and my sister were leaving Monday morning for Anaheim for the IRS update class and a list of all the people she had given my phone number to “in case of emergencies.” Including my grandmother’s neighbors. And that the day after she gets back she’s having knee replacement surgery to replace the knee that was installed last October. (a total bummer because she should be getting the other knee replaced…)

For those of you keeping score at home, she never asked about my new job, the ending of my old job or even what I was doing…as in driving while she’s giving me things I’m supposed to be writing down. All annoying and all old, old hat with her. At one point in the conversation she asked what the boys were doing that afternoon. When I responded that they were with their dad her exact words were: “Oh darn it! I was hoping I could borrow them for about an hour tomorrow to help me get the flowers off the graves on my way up to [one of her friends] to drop off the dog.” (background: the cemetery where my grandfather and great-grandparents are buried is a couple of miles from my house. Also, the need for a new knee makes walking over uneven lawn is tough. And painful.) So, of course, I offer to meet her there and help her out. So we arrange a time.

I arrive about 3 minutes after the appointed time. She is around 30 minutes late. According to her because of a conspiracy (again, nothing new.) In actuality, because of a bridge collapse that happened over a month ago and already existing freeway closing that was publicized on all the news stations for the last 4 days. But you know, shit happens. And so does road construction and traffic. I cut her off saying something along “yes, it’s a pain in the ass isn’t it? I can’t get anywhere these days as almost everywhere I go used to go over that bridge.”

After I retrieve the plastic pots of plastic flowers off the graves and place them in her trunk, she continues to tell me about the drama over at my grandmothers’ house and how she’s so worried to be leaving town. When all of a sudden she reaches out and grabs a piece of my hair and asks “Do you highlight your hair?” Yeah. I’ve been coloring my hair on and off for most of seven years now. “Well, it’s really pretty in the sunlight. You look really nice today.”

That last part being an echo of what Mr. Hockey said to me Saturday morning.

And then she made some comment that basically said she forgot I had a new job, that my church job had ended and that I no longer had a choir to direct. (which, if you’re new here are fairly HUGE transitions going on right now.)

Not the Hallmark moment exactly, but about as close as I’ll get in this life, I think. So, Yay! (?)
— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…

And now the third… 2007
It was one of those days… 2006
talk about rejection 2006

— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…

And now the third… 2007
It was one of those days… 2006
talk about rejection 2006

— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…

And now the third… 2007
It was one of those days… 2006
talk about rejection 2006

Posted on September 11th, 2007 under family. RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback.