02/12/2015
I didn’t pay too much attention to what the ingredients were in the food I ordered last night at the restaurant, but halfway in, I noticed that I shouldn’t be eating it.
Long story short, 4 hours of ambulance and hospital ended up great, and I didn’t get a reaction.
While waiting between doctors, I noticed an adorable dog right next to me, which of course made we walk right up to it. Playing with a dog usually leads to meeting the owner. She was around 50 years old and just looked like she was ready to share something with me – my favorite kind of person. Didn’t take too long till I heard this:
“I'm here with my husband. We come here almost once a week.”
Looks away for a few seconds, looks back at me.
“You see, he needs a new liver but his score isn't good enough so it looks like we're going to have to move.”
“Why would you move?”
“It’s really hard to get one in California, and he’s sort of leaking right now, which is only bringing his score lower somehow, so there’s an even smaller chance of him getting one here.
I think we’re going to move to Texas.”
Up to this point, our conversation was merely a byproduct of us petting the dog.
“Even though I grew up around here when everything was scary, my family managed to raise me really well. I barely left the house; all my friends were completely normal, and straight at life just like I was, and am! I still am extremely straight at everything.”
The dog was no longer relevant.
“I wouldn't date anyone with longer hair than mine, which was a struggle back in the 60’s. So I was so happy to have met him. Finally, a guy who was as normal as I am. But 10 years ago, we discovered he has hepatitis.
When he was 14, he got in touch with his peace and happiness and love side of life and hung out a bit with some cool kids. He was rebelling and decided to experiment and he tried heroin… Once… And look what that did to us now…”
Her blank stare started fading as she saw how wide open my eyes were.
“The other day I asked him why the bathroom was locked if there was no one in it, and he says it’s because the birds are in there!”
She stares at the ceiling.
“You see, when your liver doesn't work you really stop thinking the same way… The other day it was snakes, and then there were dogs, and I'm not waiting on an elephant here!”
We laughed vigorously, almost forgetting the seriousness of the moment.
“Ya, so… Texas. We’re probably going to have to wait there till May or June, when all the craziness starts to happen and people start dying because of accidents.”
She looks at me and smiles.
“I hate him but I love him”
My doctor comes in and calls me, I get up.
“Tell any of your friends who are tempted, to call me, and I’ll make sure they won’t do it.”
