Feliz Nevermind Pt2

7/31/2019 Feliz Nevermind Pt2

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Feliz Nevermind Pt. 2

The next morning I awoke early to drive Charles home before startingmy busy day. After several hours of laundry, frantic housework andfrenzied grocery shopping, I barely had time to shower before running

off to the airport.

Though still miffed at my Dad, I was determined to make the best ofthis. Any time with Ian was a treat, I kept reminding myself. I was sofocused on that thought that I was completely blindsided when I wasbear-hugged by a skinny young man who was a couple of inches tallerthan me.

Merry Christmas, Bets! rumbled a voice a couple of octaves lower thanI remembered. Could this really be my little Weenie? How long had itbeen?

Hi my sister breathed as she hugged me. Sorry about the mix-up.Ellen thought I had called you, and I thought she had called you, and

Nice try, but I told her repeatedly that nobodyhad called me.

Oh well. It doesnt matter now she chirped as we headed off tobaggage claim. While we waited, I noticed she kept grabbing her cheekand wincing.

Something wrong?

Oh, no. I just have a bad tooth that has to come out.

By the looks of it she had several, and given my sisters affinity forsharing her misery, this did not bode well. My fears were confirmedwhen, a couple of hours later, she sat on my sofa whimpering andmoaning every few minutes. Missy, I hissed if youre in that muchpain, you need to be seen. Let me call my dentist and see if he cansqueeze you in.

No, dont bother. Ill just deal with it.

Apparently dealing with it meant moaning even louder and moreoften, until I finally snapped. Over her modest protestations, I called mydentist and was told he would squeeze her in at some point the nextday. I returned to our festive dinner of brats and beans. Missy got up offthe sofa to rummage through the fridge.

Wait. You dont have any potato salad.


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Sorry. It didnt occur to me.

We cant have brats without potato salad!

Yuck. I hate potato salad. Ian chimed in. Yeah, Im not a big fan of iteither, Missy. Besides, Im in the middle of cooking and cant just run tothe store

No problem. Give me your keys and Ill go.

The reasons I did not want to do this were legion. She didnt have adrivers license. The roads were icy and she hadnt driven in winterconditions in over 20 years. Her night vision was poor. And mostly, Isimply didnt trust her as far as I could throw her. But just as with herincessant moaning, she hammered away at me until I gave her the keys

just to shut her up.

About twenty minutes later she came back with a small bag and agrimace on her face. Um I had a teensy accident

Define teensy.

No big deal, really. Im sure you can easily get it fixed. I just cut thecorner going into the garage a little close, and kinda took off thepassenger side mirror.

That no big deal turned out to be a twelve hundred dollar repair that Iwas never able to afford. It was hard to eat with my teeth clenched sotight.

Neither Ian nor I touched the potato salad.

* * *

And so it was that the first full day of my visit with Ian was spent in adentists waiting room. Dr. Bruckner was finally able to see her in thelate afternoon, for all of five minutes. He came out, shrugged, and told

me that all he could do for her was give her a pain prescription.Anything more would have to be done by her dentist back home.

Wonderful.

When I got back from the pharmacy, a hundred dollars poorer, Missycasually told me that the toilet was plugged. Thats odd I said. Wevelived here for years and never had a problem. I went to borrow a


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plunger from my neighbor, and Ian and I went to work in the bathroomwhile Missy laid on the sofa watching MTV.

Five. More. Days I chanted in my head with each thrust of the plunger.

* * *

The next day I awoke bright and early. We were going to theExperimental Aircraft Association Museum, and I was almost as excitedas Ian. Thinking I would get up first and make breakfast, I found Ianalready showered, dressed, and impatient to get going.

And then a horrible groan came from the sofa: Im SIIIIIIIIICK!

Yes, once again my sister was about to throw a wrench into the daysplans. The past twenty-four hours had sharpened my sister-deafness

skills, however, and I was ready for her.

Well, Im sorry to hear that, Miss, but youve got the remote and thekitchens well stocked. Well be home in time for dinner.

Youre leaving me?

Yep.

But what if I need something?

Do whatever you do when you get sick at home. Living alone, she hadno immediate come back for this. I put a box of Kleenex within her reachand scooted out the door.

The day was pure bliss. I had never seen Ian so happy and excited. Hebounced off the walls, tugging at my arm and making me run just tokeep up with him. By late afternoon I was completely exhausted, but thesparkle in his eye and his tired grin made it all worthwhile. Finally he tooran out of steam, and we started the two hour drive back home.

After several minutes of silence, I assumed he had conked out. He

startled me by asking softly Dad doesnt treat you very good, doeshe?

What makes you say that? I asked, though I could think of a fewhundred examples off the top of my head.

I know you were mad about our coming. You know, that he didnt tellyou. He does stuff like that to me all the time.


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I swallowed hard, but saw an opening, so I went for it.

How are things at home for you these days? I tried to sound casual.

Awful he sighed. Most of the time I dont even know why theyadopted me.

I glanced at him. The sun was low, and the way it was hitting himsomehow made him look like that sweet baby boy that I missed sofiercely. I tried to frame what I wanted to say very carefully.

Ian, you know that you are the single greatest thing that everhappened to our family, right?

He shrugged. I took a shaky breath and continued.

Having you for a little brother makes me happier than I can say, butthats selfish. When I think about your home life and what life is like foryou, well, I wish for your sake that you had gotten a better family.

He seemed surprised by this, and straightened up a bit, but didnt seemupset. He launched into a laundry list of his problems at home, while Ignashed my teeth and tried to contain my rage.

Do you have somebody that you can talk to? I asked when he hadfinished. Somebody whos just there for you?

He shrugged again. Sometimes Dad takes me to see his doctor, buthes an idiot.

You dont mean Shiroffsky, do you? I blanched. Several years earlier,after I finally confronted Dad about many of my issues with him, heinsisted that I have a few sessions with Dr. I-know-whose-paying-my-bill Shiroffsky. The good doctor would spend the hours praising Dad likea saint, and telling me that I was just making trouble. I was notimpressed.

Ian nodded. Oh my God I groaned. Ive seen him, too, and youreright. Hes a complete jackass. Ian giggled.

We talked some more, and I offered to go to bat for Ian in terms ofhaving his own doctor. I guess you could try he ventured, but Daddoesnt listen to you anymore than he does me.

I chuckled. The kid was astute beyond his years.


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* * *The moment we walked in the door, the pleasantness of the dayevaporated. My sister lay amongst a cloud of dirty tissues, moaning thatshe was soooooo sick and she couldnt breathe. Oh, and the toilets

plugged up again. You should really get that fixed.

I bit my tongue and went to borrow the plunger again. Forty-fiveminutes later I gave up and called the landlord. After nearly four years ofliving there, I was about to meet him for the very first time. Thank Godhe was a plumber.

As we waited for him, I started dinner. Ignoring my sisters demands thatI drive across town to get her fresh matzo ball soup, I started a simplesupper. After several minutes of her berating me, she realized she wasnot going to get her soup, and tried another tactic.

I cant breeeeeathe she moaned.

Do you need me to go get you some cold medicine, Missy?

No. I need a doctor. Take me to the doctor.

Well, we have to wait for Pat to come. Then Ill take you to urgent care.But youll need to get up.

No! I cant get up.

Missy, youll have to. I cant carry you down three flights of stairs. Sheoutweighed me by a good thirty pounds. Thats the only way for you tosee a doctor. Unless you want me to call 9-1-1, and I dont think

YES! Call 9-1-1!

Missy. Seriously? You have the flu. That seems awfully extreme.

Call 9-1-1! I cant breeeeathe!

I started worrying that maybe, just maybe she was having an adversereaction to the pain medicine. Are you reallysure thats necessary?

YES!! CALL!

Deciding to err on the side of caution, I gave in and called. About tenminutes later the fire truck pulled up outside, lights blazing and sirensblasting. Ian, excited and wanting so desperately to be helpful, bounded


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down the stairs to let them in. A male and female paramedic gave mysister a cursory examination.

What the hell? the man shouted at me. Shes got the flu! Why thehell did you call us?

Im sorry I stammered. I really didnt want to, but she insisted shecouldnt breathe and couldnt get up. I didnt know what else to do.

You did the right thing the woman soothed, then gave her partner anasty look. The fuck she did! he growled. Weve got real sick peopleto take care of. I felt like I should stand in the corner.

Hello? Anybody home? Pat. Wonderful.

Um, hi Pat. Please excuse the well hell He chuckled. Its okay.

Ive got family too. He headed off to the bathroom while theparamedics worked on my sister. Ian tended to dinner, and I felt like thatFar Side cartoon where, after twenty uneventful years, the caretaker ofthe reptile house finally succumbs to a cumulative attack of the willies.

When the husband came home hours later, the toilet was flowing againand my sister had mercifully fallen asleep. We stepped out on thebalcony and I filled him in on my fun-filled day. He wasuncharacteristically silent, with only an occasional Wow or JesusChrist! thrown in. Suddenly there was a soft tap on the glass behind us.

Hey Rob Ian said softly. Ian suddenly hugged me. Hard.

Thanks he mumbled against my coat. I had fun today.

It was the last visit I would ever have with him.

I had fun too, Weenie.

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Feliz Nevermind Pt2