MAKING PROGRESS… of sorts (Part 172dd)
Once Martha was on her way
I got change for the pay phone (remember them?) to call Elle’s mother. I
dreaded that call. She was very suspicious of all doctors having a
theory that they “manufactured” illnesses just to make money. It didn’t
matter that she’d been cured of a condition that had plagued her for
years by a doctor who was a specialist. I developed a little narrative
to tell her what had happened knowing that she’d not fully believe it. I
also knew she’d want to come and see Elle right away. My real job was
in convincing her that Elle was OK and that it would be best if she
waited until the afternoon to visit. When I got off the phone I knew she
was on her way.
Elle was moved to a semi-private room just after
1pm. Her mother arrived within minutes of her being wheeled into the
room. We were told we’d have to wait to see her until they got all the
monitoring devices connected and checked. What really surprised me was
that the woman was more upset that she wasn’t going to have another
grandchild than she was about Elle’s health. All Elle wanted to do was
to sleep. She did acknowledge our presence but asked us to let her
sleep. I was able to convince her mother to leave by telling her that I
needed a ride to get home to the kids. On the trip home I listened to a
steady stream of blame being laid out upon the doctor. By the time we
arrived it was around 4pm and the sign I was working on was waiting for
me just as I’d left it. The girls were next door with Mattie and Martha
so I went over to thank them for their help. When the girls saw me they
came running over to me looking for reinforcement that their mother was
going to be OK. It was obvious that Mattie had done a good job of
allaying their fears. As soon as I walked in the kitchen Mattie told me I
was eating supper with them. However, my mind was on the sign. I tried
explaining it to her but she finally got through to me reminding me I
hadn’t eaten anything since very early in the morning. I also had to
call my parents with the news… and Cliffy to tell him I wouldn’t be at
the shop later. I wasn’t looking forward to either call. The reaction
from my mother was as I expected, concerned about Elle and her condition
with no mention of the lost baby. Beth, Cliffy’s wife answered the
phone at the garage. Naturally, I told her about the miscarriage and her
reaction was instantaneous… wanting to know what she could do for me
and the kids while Elle was in the hospital. I didn’t really know her
that well so it was unexpected. As far as Cliffy was concerned she told
me she’d “take care of him” when it came to my not showing up at the
garage.
As it turned out it was spaghetti for supper, one of my
favorite meals. Martha was Italian and the sauce was one of her mother’s
recipes. As hospitable as they both were I was still focused on the
sign. When we’d finished eating it was close to 7pm. My best guess was
that it’d take me at least six if not seven hours to complete the job
and I still had to go back to see Elle. I’d dreaded the call to Elle’s
mother but the thought of calling the Trustee was daunting. He was
powerful man in the area but didn’t flaunt it. He was like a puppeteer,
pulling strings in the background. The expression on his face never
seemed to change. It is hard to describe but calling it the start of a
smile is the best I can do. It just never changed… and it was somewhat
scary.
Mattie and Martha agreed to watch the kids while I made my
visit to the hospital. But, before leaving I went home and dialed up
the Trustee. His wife answered and said he was at a meeting but if it
was important I could call him at his business office. Nothing like
adding another layer of difficulty to a situation I’d wanted no part of.
I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed by the interruption or not but tried
to explain the situation as quickly as possible. Basically, I got no
reaction from him. I did 90% of the talking and the call ended with a
sound like a “harrumph”. I didn’t know what he wanted me to do but I
knew I had to be at work the next morning and the sign would have to
wait… if he even wanted me to continue with it.
Nothing
definitive had been decided as to what to do with the kids the next day
but I knew Elle’s mother would want them. Mattie and Martha had
volunteered as well. I was contemplating this as I was driving to the
hospital. It suddenly came to me that I hadn’t thought of or called
Ginger who was probably Elle’s closet friend. As I thought of her I
tried thinking of others who should be told. Before I knew it I was
turning into the hospital parking lot. It had originally been the home
of a prosperous merchant Marriner from the turn of the century. As the
area changed from being dependent on the high seas to that of
agriculture it had been abandoned. During the depression years someone
got the idea for making it into a hospital. Since the end of WWII the
population of the area had grown and the hospital couldn’t meet the
area’s needs. After a lot of work enough money was raised to add onto
the existing building and to bring in modern equipment. For the most
part it was considered adequate. At least I felt comfortable with Elle
being there.
Elle looked much better than the last time I’d seen
her. She had color in her cheeks and her eyes, although not sparkling,
showed life. Naturally, her questions were about the kids. I assured her
that they were safe with Mattie and Martha. She wanted to know if they
were staying over at her mother’s and I told her that I wanted them to
sleep in their own beds that night and she agreed. She told she’d talked
with the doctor that afternoon and that she wouldn’t tell her how long
she’d have to stay in the hospital. Elle gave me a list of people to
call, some of whom I didn’t know.I remember looking at the piece of
paper wondering how I could describe Elle’s situation to someone I
didn’t know. It was hard enough telling Beth. It was Elle who told me to
go. I can remember her saying that she was “fading”. I reminded her
that the next day at work was the beginning of the ‘busy period’ and
that I wouldn’t get to the hospital until approximately the same time as
I’d arrived that night. As I gave her a kiss she told me to wake her up
if she were asleep.
I knew better but couldn’t resist stopping
by the garage to see how the engine was progressing. Cliffy and Dick
were torquing the heads to the engine block and vowed that when they all
left it would be ready to start. There was no way that was possible
that night regardless of how late they stayed because if they did
Cliffy’s father would kick them and the race car out. Not unexpectedly,
no one mentioned Elle’s miscarriage or asked how she was doing. I was
home a little after 9pm and rounded up my girls to head for home. At the
door Martha stopped me to mention how well behaved and polite all three
of them were. She added that Jean was like a “mother hen” to the other
two. It was then that I told her that Elle’s mother would have the kids
the next day. I saw a slight reaction which I took as her being
disappointed but she recovered quickly by telling me not to be shy if I
needed any help with them. I really appreciated that. It was nice to
know that we had such nice neighbors even if it was only going to be for
the Summer.
To be continued…
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