Thursday, April 04, 2019

MAKING PROGRESS... of sorts (Part 172dd)

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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