This year on the 3rd, the Weather Channel began posting weather warnings for our corner of the world. Snow was predicted to begin around 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The meteorologists were expecting a heavy, steady dry snow accumulating fast, making the roads treacherous. All schools were cancelled in advance. The state department told people to prepare for the storm and to stay off the roads. The expected snow amounts varied from 5 to 9 inches...we received 11 inches.
Sunday afternoon we receive an automated phone reminder from the V.A. stating Tommy has a blood draw on Tuesday...no doctor appointment just a blood draw. I asked him to call the V.A. Monday and postpone it until the end of the week or next week. He refused. He left it hanging saying, "I will see what the weather is like Tuesday morning." In Tommy Carter lingo that means, "I am going unless I can't get out of the driveway." I slept very little Monday night. I was worried about the whole situation. I had a bad feeling and I could not shake it. When we got up at 5:30 a.m. there was no snow. Tommy looked at me and said, "I am going." I reminded him the snow wasn't supposed to start until after 6 a.m. He told me I could stay home and he would be back by 8 a.m. I was drinking coffee and thought "I should stay home" all the time I was putting on my shoes. I would be better with him and know what is going on than at home imagining the very worst; besides, it wasn't snowing by now, and it was 6 a.m.
Reluctantly, I get in the car and off we drive to Columbia which is about 40 miles from where we live. The time is 6:06. Tommy turns on the radio and I try to loosen up. We have our thermo mugs with us; so far everything is fine. At 6:16 a.m. it starts snowing...a little; by 6:30 it is snowing a lot! Tommy turns off the bright lights so I can't see how hard the snow if falling. I ask him to turn around again...just in case the weather man is right. He became deaf and drove on. We really need to get his hearing tested...this happens often.
The closer to Columbia we drove, the worse the snow. We finally reach the V.A. and in we go. Not many people were there yet. Tommy was the second man waiting for blood draw. Since Tommy never meets a stranger, he sat down and started talking to the vet about the weather and how worried I had been on our drive to Columbia. The man looked at him and then looked at a lady sitting across the room. He said, "She's mad too". I guess she was, she wouldn't even sit close to him. I laughed. I knew exactly how she felt. The vet was not talkative nor was he in a good mood. Apparently, it was a very long drive for him. He said, "I should have left her at home!". Tommy said, "Mine wouldn't stay...I tried". I am laughing because I know there are wives all over the V.A. this morning, mad as heck and not sitting with their husbands. I wasn't sitting by mine either.
When you love someone, there is no way the two of you will ever agree on everything. I have discovered, the hard way, telling Tommy no or he shouldn't do something is a waste of time. He has to prove that he can do whatever it is that he should not do. Sometimes he can, other times he can't...but he will try regardless.
We made it home without any trouble. Last year on February 4th Tommy survived the horrible ordeal when something went wrong after the heart ablation. The doctors thought he would die, I was afraid he would die but Lisa, and you my friends and family touched God's ear and Tommy made it through. He lived and to this day the doctors do not know why...but I do and thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It has been a year of love, laughter and loss, however Tommy is still here and for that I am very thankful.
No comments:
Post a Comment