Friday, February 13, 2004
Erin and I were sitting around my parents' kitchen mostly trying to stay warm. The answering machine had eight messages on it and I was rather curious to see what was on it. I guess that's snooping, but occasionally the answering machine at my parents' house will have some great comedic gems on it.
I asked Erin if she wanted to listen to it and she half joking replied "Only if you there's a message from ***** (her old high school principal) on there." I told her I could virtually guarantee it, I was lying.
I pressed play and listened to a number of inaudible (due to their accents) messages from relatives, there was one good one where my mom's cousin heard my parents' welcoming message (it's an automated one that comes with the machine and it sounds like a documentary narrator) hung up, and then called back ribbed my mom about getting together with another man.
The last message was from Erin's high school principal. We looked at each other and laugh when his voice came on.
We stopped laughing, he was panicked.
He was telling my dad how his youngest son had just been diagnosed with a brain tumour and had just been taken to a specialist in Halifax that day. He sounded scared, frantic, and worried. He just wanted to talk to my dad.
I called my dad in Quebece, unfortunately they don't have a phone there, so I left a message with the polite inn keeper who didn't mind that my french wasn't so hot (non-existent even).
They called me back, surprised that I was home. I told them about the frantic phone call and they repeated the news several times, "xxxxxxx has a tumour" not really a statement, not quite a question.
They told me they weren't sure if they'd be able to get a hold of ***** because of their lack of a phone, so they asked me to call.
I'm a little nervous to call, I don't know what to say. Last time I saw him, was at my brother's wedding and he was convincing me not to be a lawyer, that was an easy conversation. This time I don't know what to say. Do you say sorry? Do you ask what you can do? My parents want me to let him know they're praying for him and they feel bad, the perfect Catholic response.
I don't have that, I don't have any pre-scripted conversation to deliver.
I asked Erin if she wanted to listen to it and she half joking replied "Only if you there's a message from ***** (her old high school principal) on there." I told her I could virtually guarantee it, I was lying.
I pressed play and listened to a number of inaudible (due to their accents) messages from relatives, there was one good one where my mom's cousin heard my parents' welcoming message (it's an automated one that comes with the machine and it sounds like a documentary narrator) hung up, and then called back ribbed my mom about getting together with another man.
The last message was from Erin's high school principal. We looked at each other and laugh when his voice came on.
We stopped laughing, he was panicked.
He was telling my dad how his youngest son had just been diagnosed with a brain tumour and had just been taken to a specialist in Halifax that day. He sounded scared, frantic, and worried. He just wanted to talk to my dad.
I called my dad in Quebece, unfortunately they don't have a phone there, so I left a message with the polite inn keeper who didn't mind that my french wasn't so hot (non-existent even).
They called me back, surprised that I was home. I told them about the frantic phone call and they repeated the news several times, "xxxxxxx has a tumour" not really a statement, not quite a question.
They told me they weren't sure if they'd be able to get a hold of ***** because of their lack of a phone, so they asked me to call.
I'm a little nervous to call, I don't know what to say. Last time I saw him, was at my brother's wedding and he was convincing me not to be a lawyer, that was an easy conversation. This time I don't know what to say. Do you say sorry? Do you ask what you can do? My parents want me to let him know they're praying for him and they feel bad, the perfect Catholic response.
I don't have that, I don't have any pre-scripted conversation to deliver.
# posted by Die Brucke @ 1:24 PM 
