My Special Girl

My daughter left a few hours ago to drive back to her home down south. She should arrive home in a couple hours. After I put up this post, I will log off so I can keep my phone line free (yeah...dial-up...ugh) because she said she will call me when she gets home safe and sound.

We stayed up late into the wee hours last night. She ate with me at work earlier while I was at work. While I was waiting for her to arrive at my work, one of her girlfriends happened to be there. She came over to me and told me that her mother was in the emergency room. She had been in there since before I had arrived for work and I didn't know it yet. She said her mother had been sick with a cold or "something" and her medicines were not helping so because of her past history with cancer (in remission) she managed to talk her mom into going to the e.r. She asked about my daughter and I told her that my daughter was in fact due to arrive at the hospital in the next hour to have dinner with me. She was excited about that said she would love to see her. She hadn't seen my daughter since about a year ago when my daughter was at her bachelorette party before she got married. She left to go back to see her mom in the e.r.

About fifteen minutes before my daughter was to arrive, this girl came back up to my desk. She had clearly been crying and looked distraught. She told me that she might not get to see my daughter because her mother was being transferred to another hospital in the next hour. I told her my daughter, A would probably be driving up in the front parking lot in just a few minutes. She told me then that her whole family had just been told by the doctor that her mother's cancer was back and had spread to her lung. Her mother is only about 52 years old. She told me that she was going to go outside for a little while and would probably get to see my daughter if she arrived soon.

I called my parent's house and talked to A and she said she was on her way out the door right then. All I told her was that her girlfriend was outside and could really use a hug. Shortly thereafter my daughter arrived and she was able to talk to her friend for quite a while. Later my daughter and I went to the hospital cafeteria and ate our Thanksgiving meal. They had turkey, prime rib steak and other standard thanksgiving fare. My daughter saw they had apple salad and she said "oh I have to get some of this because it reminds me of when I was a candystriper here and I remember helping to feed this to an old man in Long Term Care." That was about the only thing she ate.

After we went back to my department, her friend was still there in the lobby and they talked with each other for a long time and then her friend had to leave because her mother was being transported to the other hospital.

Last night after I got home after midnight, my daughter and I stayed up late into the early morning. We talked about her friend and other things. She said her friend has a lot on her plate right now. Not only is her mother's cancer back but she is going through a divorce now after only a year of marriage.

We also ended up watching a movie together. I had seen it before but she hadn't seen it. It was About Schmidt with Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates. We finally went to bed about 5 o'clock in the morning. I had turned up the heat because it was so cold in my house. I didn't realize I had turned it up way too high though. I woke up at 9:15 am and was sweating like a pig. My house felt like an oven. I looked at my watch and read it wrong and thought it said it was 3:15 pm! I jumped out of bed and came in the dining room and turned down the thermostat. I had to open up my front door to breathe in some cool air because I was so hot. Then I realized it was much earlier. I just stayed up and turned on the tv.

My daughter got up a few hours later. We watched The View together and then she left to go to town to pick us up a couple tuna subs from Subway. She came home and we ate that and then she called the local chiropractor to see if he could fit her in today before she left on her trip home. She had been complaining of a knot in her back ever since sleeping over at my parent's house a couple nights before. They said she could come in at 4:30 so she decided she was still sleepy and wanted a little nap before her appointment. Apparently when she was in town to get the subs, she had stopped in at the florist and ordered a surprise for me!

While she was napping, my phone rang and it was the florist telling me they had a delivery for me and wanted to make sure I would be home and they would bring it in fifteen minutes. A little while later my daughter got up just as I was receiving this beautiful arrangement of a dozen red roses in a tall glass vase with pretty lavendar colored baby's breath and large red bow. I read the card and it said "I just thought you might like these. Love, A" I was so surprised! They are so pretty and smell so good. I gave her a big hug. I still keep looking over at them and admiring them! Right after I got them she had to go the chiropractor and after she left I looked at the roses and started crying happy tears.

When she got back, she said she felt better in the back. She got her stuff together to drive home. She took Dexter for a walk. He has been clinging to her side ever since she has been here. They came back and she took some pictures of me and the flowers with her camera and I took a few pictures of her and Dexter. Then we hugged and said our goodbyes and she left to go back home. *sigh* I miss my "special girl" already. That is what I always called her when she was growing up.

You know what? There were many times when she was a teenager when I thought I was the most hated mother in the world. She had me convinced more than once that she truly despised me. I knew deep down it was a phase but still it hurt. I remember other mothers who had grown kids, telling me not to worry and "this too shall pass" and I remember one woman told me that there is a "light at the end of the tunnel" when she knew I was going through those dreadful teen years with my daughter. I think I got my grey hairs during that time period. I am so glad that things are calmer now. I just wish we lived closer to each other. Even though I had to work this Thanksgiving, it was a very nice last few days. I was off today but have to work this weekend.

I hope everyone who reads this had a wonderful Thanksgiving too! I better log off now!