I Got ‘The’ Call Today

Tissue alert.

That dreaded call that no one wants to get. The call that turns your world upside down and changes you in ways you didn’t think possible. That call.

I have a foster puppy in my care right now and he got sick last night. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. This morning I was sure he was going to die. In a panic I reached out to a friend here for help. “Bring him over quick”, she says.

Just as I’m getting my shoes on, I got ‘the’ call.

My younger sister back in Canada calls to tell me mom hasn’t eaten or drank anything in almost 5 days. She won’t last much longer.

I felt dizzy at first. Then I felt like I got punched in the stomach. Then I felt this huge rush of relief wash over me, then guilt.

You see, we’ve been waiting for this day for almost 10 years. It’s not a surprise, but it is. I was sure mom was going to outlive Betty White and Keith Richards.

But she won’t. And for that, I’m thankful.

Mom has been rotting away in a nursing home, in a diaper, in a wheelchair, being spoon fed mush for a long fucking time. Too long in our opinion but it is what it is.

I’ve talked enough shit about my parents and how horribly I was treated growing up. You can go through my stories and read…