My phone rang at 11:30 last night and a call that late is either a wrong number or bad news. It was my former room-mate, Larry, and the news was the worst.
His mom, my friend Louise, had passed away.
I was stunned and not very coherent, but I managed to express my sympathy and thanked him for letting me know – and asked how he was doing. He said it had happened a ½ hour before he called and I realized he was still in shock too. He promised to let me know about arrangements and we ended the call.
I tried to go back to bed, but my mind was racing. All the conversations I’d had with her and all the times I’d spent – was it enough? Could I have done more?
I got up and fired up the video game console – hoping a mindless game would settle my head. And so, I sat in the dark with the sound turned off and guided little lego figures around the screen to collect still more legos.
After a while I got tired and cold and went back to bed – only to see that I had a text message. It was from one of Louise’s grandsons. He told me that she’d been in the hospital and he and his brother got the call to come – but that he couldn’t get there in time.
I knew that the stress of being in New York had taken its toll on her, but I didn’t know how bad it had gotten. The last time I’d talked to her she said she was planning on wrapping things up in New York after the 1st and then moving back to Ohio permanently in February. I figured I’d have more time to see her…
Later today I’ll try to check in with her family and see how they are doing. I may be able to get more details, but the “why” and “how” are less important than the salient fact: She’s gone.