Watching someone you love slowly deteriorate into a mass of humanity wrapped with pain was not the experience I expected with my mother during her last weeks on earth. I thought the morphine and opioids would wrap here in silence as her body slowly shut down. There wasn’t any conversation the last few weeks. She couldn’t focus on one subject long enough to really discuss it. I’d ask a question and she’d answer, and answer again and then again. Or she’d ask me a question and then ask again and again, not being able to focus on the answer, her mind still stuck on the question. I realized the days of our “conversations” were over.
Starting last summer, we had talked about just everything I could think to ask her. I knew one day we wouldn’t be able to share any more. She wanted to know what I was going to do with the money she was leaving me. I told her I was going to get a winter-worthy vehicle. The minivan I have is not safe on slippery streets and was not 4 Wheel Drive. She thought that would be a good way to take care of me. We talked about maybe buying a few personal items, but nothing major. We really didn’t need anything else.
That’s when the Murphy Gods stepped in and put us at the front end of a three-car accident in Lancaster, California 3 weeks ago and just a week after she died. Minding our own business and heading to the China Restaurant for supper, a 16-year-old boy drove his “new to him” car into the Dodge Ram Pickup next to us and he rammed (no pun intended) into us. The insurance companies will spend time arguing with each other as to whom will pay and I expect we’re going to end up on our own to repair it as his car wasn’t registered, it wasn’t insured and he had no driver’s license. Sigh!!
With only 2 weeks before we leave for the first show of the year, we’re in no position to be looking for a truck to replace ours, and we can’t put it in the shop until after we return. In addition, if the insurance companies decide we get to pay our $500 deductible and they give us a check for the balance of the $3,000 repair estimate should we really make the repairs or should we take that money and get a “new to us” truck. In addition, should we spend the $3,000 the truck needs to tighten the front end and the steering? So many options.
We went to the Tree Nursery in Kanarraville Thursday and found the perfect tree for the flower box. A lovely weeping spruce, so we went back today to get it. At the end of one street was the brightest red Tahoe XL you’ve ever seen. 2001, 134,000 miles on it. Original owner. Lived in the garage it’s whole life. It was calling my name. We stopped and looked at it on the way home and decided maybe it wasn’t the right fit. A couple of hours later we were back talking about what we’re going to do with vehicles. Tracy calls the owners and we go buy “Big Red”. Mom would approve – of both the new tree and the Tahoe.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!!