Posted 12:35 am Sunday, August 12, 2012
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Did I hear you correctly?
Something funny happened last week at my 30th high school reunion.
But first I have to set this up. My grandmother passed away recently. During the days following her passing we gathered several times as a family and enjoyed many delightful stories about her life and wit.
One of the better stories was relayed by uncle Thomas who recalled a time when he tried to persuade “Patsy” (as we all called my grandmother) to get a hearing aid. He had pleaded and cajoled her for what must have been months to consider getting a hearing aid. Finally, believing he had closed the deal Thomas scheduled an appointment to take Patsy for a fitting.
Upon notifying her of the impending appointment, she turned to him and said, “I will be happy to go with you to get you a hearing aid but I don’t care to have one myself.” Case closed.
Fast forward to my reunion last week in the bar area of Willow Brook Country Club, which was extremely noisy. I was astonished to see my old school chum Candace walking across the room. She didn’t go to Robert E. Lee so I wasn’t expecting to see her.
The room was very loud and once we both got done with the commensurate screaming (Oh my gosh I didn’t know you would be here!) she said something very fast that caught me off guard. I thought she said, “I’m here with my fiancée Tracey (another girl we went to school with).”
I didn’t respond. Did I hear her right? Between one of them being a preacher’s kid and the other being a resident of Austin, it seemed to add up.
There are no surprises left in this life so I continued trying to listen.
She launched into another pontification about a member of her family going through a health trial and then into a speech of reflection talking about a new life, new beginnings, new everything.
I threw my hands up and said “Stop. What are we talking about here?”
She replied immediately, “My dad.”
I was getting more confused.
“So …where is Patrick? (her husband).
“Oh, he didn’t make the trip.”
Upon notifying her of the impending appointment, she turned to him and said, “I will be happy to go with you to get you a hearing aid but I don’t care to have one myself.” Case closed.
Fast forward to my reunion last week in the bar area of Willow Brook Country Club, which was extremely noisy. I was astonished to see my old school chum Candace walking across the room. She didn’t go to Robert E. Lee so I wasn’t expecting to see her.
The room was very loud and once we both got done with the commensurate screaming (Oh my gosh I didn’t know you would be here!) she said something very fast that caught me off guard. I thought she said, “I’m here with my fiancée Tracey (another girl we went to school with).”
I didn’t respond. Did I hear her right? Between one of them being a preacher’s kid and the other being a resident of Austin, it seemed to add up.
There are no surprises left in this life so I continued trying to listen.
She launched into another pontification about a member of her family going through a health trial and then into a speech of reflection talking about a new life, new beginnings, new everything.
I threw my hands up and said “Stop. What are we talking about here?”
She replied immediately, “My dad.”
I was getting more confused.
“So …where is Patrick? (her husband).
“Oh, he didn’t make the trip.”
Now things were beginning to make sense. Before I knew it she left the room.
I was processing all of this when her little sister walked in. After a good visit I discovered they had been in town for a wedding and decided to come see some old friends at the reunion.
I shared with little sis my brief moment thinking her older sibling was trying to tell me she was entering an alternative lifestyle.
We laughed and laughed.
My reunion was a lot more fun than I could have expected and seeing coach (Mark) Gilbert was certainly a highlight along with Nace Heard and several other old friends who I had not seen for too long. Several of us agreed we should not let so much time pass between visits.
We even had a good visit with our neighbors Stan and Suzanne who share a fence with but rarely have time for a proper visit.
The next morning I shared the story of what I thought I had heard from my old friend with several of my children and let them know unequivocally at its conclusion I would not be getting a hearing aid.
I was processing all of this when her little sister walked in. After a good visit I discovered they had been in town for a wedding and decided to come see some old friends at the reunion.
I shared with little sis my brief moment thinking her older sibling was trying to tell me she was entering an alternative lifestyle.
We laughed and laughed.
My reunion was a lot more fun than I could have expected and seeing coach (Mark) Gilbert was certainly a highlight along with Nace Heard and several other old friends who I had not seen for too long. Several of us agreed we should not let so much time pass between visits.
We even had a good visit with our neighbors Stan and Suzanne who share a fence with but rarely have time for a proper visit.
The next morning I shared the story of what I thought I had heard from my old friend with several of my children and let them know unequivocally at its conclusion I would not be getting a hearing aid.
