Strange Late Night Call

For a change I was in bed shortly after midnight last night. As it normally happens once you fall to sleep you usually are gone into a deep sleep. With about 20 minutes of sleep under my belt the phone startled me awake. On the other end was Sandra's sister Kay who we hadn't spoken to in the last seven years or so. Even the last time was very little spoken words as it was at their mother's funeral.

First off, Kay wanted to make sure she had the right family she had called asking if this was Dale the hubby of Sandra, etc. Once I confirmed she 'knew' us, she informed us that she was going in for some surgery today for cancer of her jaw. From speaking to her, it sounds like this is the third time she was having this surgery and she was not liking her chances of recovery.

While I was speaking, Sandra woke up and so I handed the phone to her so she could speak to Kay. Of course both parties got a little choked up. Eventually the phone was handed back to me. We said our goodbyes' with me wishing Kay the best and hoping for a positive outcome. I then disconnected the phone and got my head back onto my pillow.

As I was laying there mulling over what I just heard and trying to digest the information, I reflected on how sad the break up of the family was. These things happen though and there is not much you can do about them. For our part, we have never unlisted our phone number or tried to keep our location a secret from anyone in the family. Of course with Kay, she had made the move to BC quite some time ago with no one really knowing where she resided (her wishes). But she could always manage to find us, whether it was in North Battleford, Regina or now in Hanley as she usually gave us a call every five years or so for some reason or another. Mostly to let us know that she was still alive in the world. Never was there a phone number or an address to converse back and forth to her. She usually didn't have a phone of her own and was normally 'in between' living arrangements so didn't have an address to give us. At least she knew where to (or could) find us if she wanted to.

If the ultimate happens as Kay felt and said and she doesn't make it through the surgery, we may find out about the fact sometime in the future, but there are no guarantees on that one. That would be a choice of the other part of the family. We can't make them call us with any information. So if they do, they do and if they don't they don't.

I can only reflect on Kay's words and both Sandra and I both wish her the best and hope that she does come through the surgery okay. As always, she knows how to get a hold of us and can call anytime.