Monday, August 29, 2005
Oh What a Night.
This is one of the titles of the many posts I've been meaning to write since my last. This one refers to Thursday night, the night before an informally scheduled monthly blood draw. It was unusually warm and humid so I slept on my bedroom floor in front of an open (but screened) Arcadia door. Unlike my usual sleeping area, I was exposed to all movement and flickering light in the hall as I slept. Although it is not unusual for my mother to make a bathroom trip in the middle of the night, I swear, Thursday night it was as though her kidneys were on amphetamines. I counted four separate trips to the bathroom alone. I say "alone" because her night shuffling including a mysterious trip down the hall into either the dinette or living room, I wasn't sure which. I was too tired to care, knowing that if she stumbled and fell I'd hear it and be up in a flash. I went back to sleep as I watched her retreating figure. A half hour later (I looked at the clock), I noticed her shuffling back up the hall to her bedroom.
I awoke with my alarm at 0630 Friday morning. When I peaked in on Mom I decided, nah, we'll wait until Monday to have her blood drawn. She was sprawled on her bed as though she'd was recovering from a night of heavy partying. I let her sleep in until I felt those nervous "is she sleeping too long" twinges at 1300. As it turns out she was arising on her own, thank goodness. She complained about how tired she was.
"Well, it's no wonder," I replied. "I counted four separate bathroom trips plus a half hour excursion in either the dinette or living room."
She was astonished. "You must have been dreaming," she said. "I slept like a log all night."
"Yeah, a log rolling downhill in old Seattle from the forest to the sea!"
"I don't remember any of that." Her tone was just this side of accusatory.
"If it was just bathroom visits I wouldn't be surprised, Mom. I've been known to make bathroom runs in the middle of the night half asleep. But you amused yourself in either the dinette or the livingroom for about half an hour last night. Do you mean to tell me you have no idea what you were doing?"
Although I could tell she was a little disturbed by this memory lapse, she chose to play coy. "Maybe I don't want to tell you."
"Well, my guess is that you went into the dinette because none of your magazines or crossword puzzle books were in the livingroom by your rocker when I awoke this morning. It didn't look like you'd eaten anything, either."
"Maybe I was entertaining a secret caller."
"Well thank the gods you guys were quiet enough not to disturb me!"
I awoke with my alarm at 0630 Friday morning. When I peaked in on Mom I decided, nah, we'll wait until Monday to have her blood drawn. She was sprawled on her bed as though she'd was recovering from a night of heavy partying. I let her sleep in until I felt those nervous "is she sleeping too long" twinges at 1300. As it turns out she was arising on her own, thank goodness. She complained about how tired she was.
"Well, it's no wonder," I replied. "I counted four separate bathroom trips plus a half hour excursion in either the dinette or living room."
She was astonished. "You must have been dreaming," she said. "I slept like a log all night."
"Yeah, a log rolling downhill in old Seattle from the forest to the sea!"
"I don't remember any of that." Her tone was just this side of accusatory.
"If it was just bathroom visits I wouldn't be surprised, Mom. I've been known to make bathroom runs in the middle of the night half asleep. But you amused yourself in either the dinette or the livingroom for about half an hour last night. Do you mean to tell me you have no idea what you were doing?"
Although I could tell she was a little disturbed by this memory lapse, she chose to play coy. "Maybe I don't want to tell you."
"Well, my guess is that you went into the dinette because none of your magazines or crossword puzzle books were in the livingroom by your rocker when I awoke this morning. It didn't look like you'd eaten anything, either."
"Maybe I was entertaining a secret caller."
"Well thank the gods you guys were quiet enough not to disturb me!"
