Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Morning call! Someone's dead!


 Snorzzz, snorzzz, snort, snort, snorzzz, snort, fart, snorzzz  -.-  snnnor RING!!! RING!!! O.O The phone is ringing!

 Jump out of bed, find light switch! What's wrong? Must be mom, maybe heart attack! Maybe my sister's partner, maybe something happened to my sister! Maybe a fire somewhere, someone needs help! Must get to phone, must get to phone! HELLO.. HELLO???

 What? What? I'm numb from what I hear! Numb from the white hot rage that builds in me when I realize that not only is it a telemarketer at this time of the morning, it's an automated telemarketer at that! What the hhhheck!

 I'm hoping this isn't going to become a trend, the phones here are close to sixty years old, there is no way to unplug them or turn them off, they are wired directly to the lines. I would have to call in the phone techs and that would be expen$ive.

 I can't believe the nerve of those companies, yet it must work or they wouldn't do that. I haven't had any calls for weeks now. About a month ago I received the call again from the psychic department of Montreal. I should have spoken to them to find out what it's about but unless they produce some winning lottery numbers for me, I'm not interested.

Speaking of people dying, I bumped into a young woman the other day, her mother was in the original home with my mother, her mom has a genetic disease that kills off parts of the brain, many in her family had it. I asked the daughter how was her mom, she said not well, that she was rapidly losing weight. She then said, "I wish it would be over soon, I know people think I'm horrible for saying that but I hate seeing her like that". I told her people can never understand that feeling until they are in the same situation. They don't know what it's like to watch a loved one suffer, they have no clue what it takes to reach the point, where you realize that the person is better off dead... and that wanting to keep them alive becomes selfish at that point. They have no right to judge because many of those thoughtless idiots would be sobbing messes if it was happening to them.

 She sighed a sigh of relief, she knew I understood, actually I could see it on her face that she was relieved that someone understood her. I was thinking she is not even thirty years old yet and already having to deal with so much... because to add to her tragedy, when they found out about her mother, her father was fighting cancer and died of a heart attack.

 Yesterday I heard that the mother died, at least she is not suffering but I can be sad over the fact that this woman was not even sixty yet. I'm sad for the daughter and I hope she doesn't feel any guilt over what she said to me. I actually feel a little envious because now she can fully grieve and then move on with life, whereas my sister and I are still trapped in the longest goodbye as they say.

 That's why I was thinking about the phone call this morning, maybe some day that could happen, maybe I would hear, "we're sorry to tell you Steven but your mother passed away last night". It would be conflicting because it would be sad... not sad.

20 comments:

Deedles said...

Sweetie, I know this is your blog and you can do whatever you want with it, but, stop it with the heart attack inducing titles! My mind went directly to Lurkster for some unknown reason! It's weird, because I picture him as Orson Welles or Laird Cregar with a robust deep voice, which has nothing to do with anything. I just thought I'd put it out there. I've had folks dropping like tea diving flies with greater frequency as I grow older. I know, duh! Most of them had been suffering from one thing or another, sometimes for years. It is a relief when they finally go to sleep. You love them, and you miss them but you are happy that the suffering is over.
Now, your phone doesn't have a little doohickey on it that turns the ringer off? That came in so handy when the kids were little and I needed naps. At least I think my phone had that. I may have just unplugged the sucker from the wall. Once again, I will leave it to somebody else to say something profound and moving. It is never me :)

Old Lurker said...

Maybe it is time to go back to the 1990s, visit a thrift store, and pick up one of those answering machines with the cute little audio cassettes. Then you can set it to screen your calls in the mornings by picking up after 0 rings.

If you are snoring that badly maybe you have sleep apnea and should see a breathing specialist. It might explain why you are so irritable all the time.

Here's the one serious thing I have to say: we do not discuss end of life issues rationally in this society, and it really makes me mad. It causes us so much suffering.

Deedles: that is sweet of you, but that blog title is not here yet. My voice is neither robust nor deep, though.

RJ said...

I don't answer my land line as I mostly use my cell. I need the land line for the alarm system. I check messages every few weeks,

Dave R said...

In case you didn't know, phone companies have the technology to eliminate telemarketers, however to do that would entail eliminating a small portion of their revenue. If you have a landline... well, sorry there's nothing you can do. If you've gotten rid of you landline and only use a cell phone, there are apps which eliminate the nuisance of telemarketers.

Bob said...

My mother died from lung cancer.
She'd done two rounds of chemo and decided that was enough.
She passed in her own home, with her family all around.
That's the way it should be.
We hurt from our loss, but they are feeling no more pain.

Michael said...

I got rid of my landline last year and I don't miss it at all. It is good that you could offer support to the woman. This kind of stuff is hard and no one can really understand it unless they live it.

Sooo-this-is-me said...

Deedles, okay no more jelly/salami sandwiches for you! How the heck would I know if Lurker kicked the bucket??? Anyway, you should realize by now if I say "ARMAGEDDON" then usually it's going to be silly. If it's going to be sad, I always ease you into it. That's just my style, I can't be anyone but me... hahaha!
Nope there is no thing to turn the sound off. The phones were made during a time when people were responsible and wouldn't call you early in the morning unless something was wrong.

Sooo-this-is-me said...

Lurker, this house is trapped in a time warp, I have an answering machine and I usually let it pick up. However I am not expecting a telemarketer to call between 5&6 in the morning.
We can't talk about death rationally because everyone starts lighting magic candles and spreading sacred water to scare it away when it comes.

Anyway Deedles is on to our secret sweetie and next time I will be more careful not to wake you up when I jump out of our bed.

Sooo-this-is-me said...

Richard, same here but I wasn't expecting a telemarketer at that time of the morning. Actually I'm surprised now when the phone actually rings.

Sooo-this-is-me said...

Dave, my phone is a 1960s phone wired into the wall and is still on a party line, the phone company doesn't have techs that even know what that is, I love calling to hear the silence when they look up my account. Asking them to block telemarketers on my line is like going back to 1950 and asking them where can you plug in your internet connection. Lol!!!

Sooo-this-is-me said...

Bob, my dad died of cancer and we had him at home. I had been part of a layoff and was able to take care of him. Ironically I was away the day he died. With mom I could no longer look after her and we don't have a timeline, she could live like this another ten years. When I came home the day dad died, the first thing I thought of was that at least he is not suffering anymore.

Sooo-this-is-me said...

Michael, if I lived in an area where my cell was reliable, I probably would drop the landline as well. Here in the country however the landline has proven itself to be valuable over and over.

Old Lurker said...

Yes, please be respectful for my beauty sleep. Lord knows I need it. But how do we convince Deedles that nothing is going on? Thank goodness Maddie is away for a month.

Deedles said...

First of all, Lurkster, ew. I don't need that mental picture. I know what Steven looks like (the little cutie) and you're Orson Welles in my head, so I can get a mental picture of the two of you f...uh, frolicking! Second of all, eewwww! I don't do facebook and Instagram and all that other stuff, so I don't know who knows who or reads what. I am blissful in my ignorance. If I come here and find you two and Maddie in a threesome (I can't spell the French term) I'm going to have to lay down for a week at least! Oh dear, that mental picture is going to involve tight rainbow colored undies and a feather boa or two. Where did I put those smelling salts?

Old Fat Lurker said...

Old fat Orson Welles, I presume?

Sooo-this-is-me said...

Anyone who.. who... sniff sniff :(... makes fun of my fluffy poo Lurky bunny... is making fun of me too! We love each other and that's all that matters!!! Plus he's really good in bed, I mean I learn something every night.. well actually two or three times a night, poor man is making up for lost years! ;)
Hahaha!

Old Lurker said...

Steven, dear, all of us make fun of you multiple times a day.

Also: "fluffy poo"? What do you think is in my diet? I am not an owl!

Deedles said...

Did I say "old fat Orson Welles? Did I?! No I did not! As a matter of fact Lurkster ol' bean, I never thought of the actor as fat. I found him to be incredibly sexy, old or young. He was a big man, though. I think of you as big, with a big voice. I don't know why, but I do. That doesn't mean that I want to think of you and Steven, with or without Maddie, frolicking. Boy has this post circling the drain! Steven, honey, I wasn't making fun of your "fluffy poo".

Sooo-this-is-me said...

How did we arrive here? Boy the comment section really went astray this time. I swear I'm going to have to do a Deedles/Lurky post one day to keep you guys busy.

Old Lurker said...

I don't know how we arrived here but I do know it is 1:07am and you should be asleep, young man!