treefroggirl

posted by Thomas on Nov 28

I was incredibly grumpy yesterday. The night before hadn’t been a home run and the plan was that I was going to cook a mini Thanksgiving meal for Stuart and I. (Basically just a chicken and some potatoes.) I really wasn’t in the mood and was mentally planning on heating up a pizza.

Luckily Stuart without my asking made a booking at Bodean’s so while I didn’t have a traditional meal, it was close enough that I was happyish.

After, we played a few rounds of hangman on his iPhone at the pub. I left around 9:30 so I could call grand’rents and ‘rents.

Yesterday was my maternal grandparents 66th wedding anniversary, which is really an amazing thing. More amazing when you consider my Grandfather turned 93 a couple of weeks ago.

They live in a small little town in Nevada about an hour and half from Reno. They moved there when they retired in the 70’s.

Whenever I call I talk to Coco’s first, (I call them Coco’s and Papa) and we’ll make small talk then she’ll hand me to Papa. I have a window of 30 to 90 seconds with him, as he really doesn’t like the phone. I think it is partly his age and that he refuses to wear a hearing aid and also he just hates the phone. I think when he was 50 he might have been the same way.

Cocos used to be really chatty, talking with you for about 15 minutes to a half hour but the last few years she’ll get off the phone with me after a couple of minutes.

I wouldn’t know why if I didn’t speak to my mother, but I do know why. I just don’t push it. Yesterday was the first real indication of what she is trying to hide.

“Hi Coco’s! Happy Thanksgiving and Anniversary!”

“Oh hello! What a nice surprise. Guess who is in the room with me?”

“Papa?”

“Yes. Seen him all day.”

“I would hope so.”

We laugh.

She continues, “Yep, saw him at breakfast and at church.”

“Well that was nice of him.”

We laugh some more.

“Let me give you to him, she says.”

I hear the phone being handed to someone, and then a male voice says, “Hello?”

“Hi Papa! It’s Nicole! Happy Thanksgiving and anniversary!”

“What?”

Hi Papa!! It’s Nicole!! Happy Thanksgiving and anniversary!!”

“I’m sorry, I’m—“

I realise immediately I am not speaking to Papa.”

“–their neighbour. Your Grandmother thought you were my daughter. Let me give you to your Grandfather.”

In my 90 seconds with my 93 year old grandfather we wish each other a happy Thanksgiving and make jokes about some jail sentences being less than his 66 years of marriage, tell each other we love each other and he hands the phone back to Coco’s.

I can tell she’s embarrassed by her mistake. “You know I’m old. I can get confused.”

“I know Coco’s. Don’t worry.”

“Well, I love you and we love that husband of yours. It would be nice if you could get over to this country with him and come visit.”

“I wanted to ask you that actually. I’m coming to LA in April. My drivers licence has expired so I’ll have to figure out how to get to you from Reno, but could I come to visit for a couple of days?”

“Sure. Sure.”

“Great! We’ll talk more about it after the New Year and a bit closer to the time.”

“Sure. And we may not be alive.”

I feign annoyance at her saying such a thing. I tell her to knock on some wood and we laugh, but I have no idea if we are laughing at the same thing.

This summer when my Mom went to see them, Papa hugged her and whispered, “You may never see me again.”

I’m more than a little worried that I won’t.