One minute

One minute you are on Pinterest searching for meal inspiration to take to a friend who was just released from the hospital and you check your phone periodically because she said she would call you back later. You know it won't be good news. Texts from earlier in the day about an Emergency Room visit put you on guard. 

Meanwhile, you try calling them. Just to check in. You haven't talked with them in about ten days. You want to tell them about StinkBug's soccer goals about Peanut's piano lessons about Einstein's new found love of football. You want to hear their voices. You want to see if they will tell you and what they will tell you.

But the phone keeps ringing and ringing. They are in ever growing minority of people who even own a house phone. A year or so ago one of the kids finally convinced them to get call-waiting. You know they know you are calling. And yet no one switches over. Sometimes they still get confused by it-the switching over. They don't want to accidentally hang up on whoever they are talking to. They know you will call back in a bit. Because that is what you do. 

So you fold some laundry and wipe down the kitchen counters and check your email and FaceBook and you call again. It keeps ringing and ringing. You know they are on the phone since the answering machine never picked up. You wonder if it's worse than you thought. If she's on the phone with your sister or your brother. If he is making the too too frequent dreaded calls to the kids. The ones where he tries to put a positive spin on yet another hospitalization.

You leave the house because you have to and you wait for the news you wish to hell you didn't have to hear.