Super Heroes Continued...

My mom could not think straight. I am still amazed that as frazzled as she was, she was still able to figure out how to operate the telephone. So Bonnie had to make the flight arrangements for my mom. Bonnie wasn’t going to fly with her so my mom was going to go by herself. Since she was going by herself, I asked if she needed me to go. Her only answer that she would give me was “if you want.” This went on for a few minutes. I was becoming frustrated. She would not give me a straight answer. I had never been in a situation like this, so I did not know what was expected of me. When she finally called me back with the airfare prices, I told her I would go.

It was three o’clock. The flight was scheduled to leave around five. I rushed home. I was so lost in thought and confusion that by the time I made it home I realized that I did not even remember the drive. But I didn’t have to worry about that because I needed to pack. I grabbed whatever I could find in my closet and didn’t think twice about what it looked like. That was not the best decision, as I would soon find out.

Even though my mom had been getting ready before me, I finished packing before her. In the meantime, I went outside to talk my mom’s friends. My mom had been with Becky and Bonnie for the past two days for a girl’s trip up in Park City. My mom had just arrived home when she received the phone call from my dad’s friend to tell her what had happened. Bonnie’s husband was on the same trip as my dad when he had his stroke. Bonnie’s husband called her and told her what had happened. As soon as she found out she went straight to my house and informed Becky of the situation.

When I walked out into the garage to go outside I noticed thick and heavy grey clouds in the sky. There was a slight breeze, and I should have been wearing a jacket, but at that point I did not care. I don’t how the conservation began, but Becky and Bonnie explained to me how relieved they were that I was going with my mom to Denver. She believed that my mom was too stressed to go on her own.

My other superhero was strong--until now. I have rarely seen her cry. The only time I have seen her cry is when a family member passed away. Even then she has always managed to be discrete about her feelings. She is the one who stays together and I am the emotional one. Now, she was the emotional one and I wasn’t. Anytime I watch the news and hear a sad story I begin to well up with tears. But now when something has happened to me, m eyes remain bone dry.

I had decided in the back of my mind that there was a reason for this. My body was preparing itself. Things could get worse really fast, and my body did not want to exhaust itself yet. I kept telling myself the future was going to be the most difficult part. I didn’t know what hurdles I was going to have to jump, so I needed to stay calm. Plus, what good would that do for my mom?

Super Heroes

I walked into the customer care department and went straight for Natasha’s phone. My mom explained to me that my dad had a stroke. She continued to say that due to weather, my dad and his friends could not get out of the canyon they were in. As a result, they were going to life flight him to Grand Junction. The plan was that my brother and I would stay put. My mom’s friend Bonnie was going to drive her to Grand Junction. I don’t think anyone trusted my mom to drive four and half hours by herself.

Once I got off the phone I felt my legs shaking. My manager looked over at me and asked if I was OK. I told her that I thought so. She told me if I needed to go home I could. But what good would that do? My dad and mom, from two different directions, were both on their way to Grand Junction. I couldn’t imagine sitting at home thinking the worst. My mom didn’t want me and my brother to go with her, so that idea was out the window. Plus, the information had not sunk in, so I had yet to understand the severity of the situation. I decided it was best to stay at work and keep myself busy.

About forty-five minutes later I received another phone call. I saw my mom’s number appear on the caller ID of my cell phone. I could feel my heart beat quicken, and my hands fumbled as I went to answer the phone. I listened to my mom’s calm voice. A sense of relief came over me. They were going to send my dad to Salt Lake. It was going to be a little past five when they would expect him to arrive. This bit of information made everything seem so much easier. I get off work at five so I had planned to go to the University of Utah Hospital right after. I was unsure of how to get there, but I figured that would be my last concern.

Right when I thought things were going to get easier I was wrong. It was my mom again. The weather was too bad, so they were not going to send my dad to Salt Lake. Instead, they were going to transport him to Denver. My family had never been to Denver, and I never imagined my first time there would be under these circumstances.