Well, Charlie had his hip replacement. A week ago, today. Get this: we had to be at the hospital in Bangor at 5:45 am. I know! Had to get up before 4:00, which actually was a relief because neither one of us was doing much sleeping.
I says to Charlie, “I can’t believe we’re getting up this early, driving to Bangor, and not getting on a plane to somewhere nice.”
He just grunted in response.
We arrived at 5:30. “French early,” is what we call that. Unlike some people, we really do think the party will start without us. So we arrived at 5:30 in the morning, and you know what? Charlie walked out of the hospital at 5:00 that afternoon under his own steam, just using a cane! Unbelievable.
I was exhausted. He was the Energizer Bunny. Those steroids they gave Charlie during surgery turned him into a regular Chatty Cathy. They wheel him into his recovery room about 10:30, and he’s talking a mile a minute to the nurses, laughing. And he did not stop. I thought I was in for a quiet day, you know? Reading my book, maybe napping a little in the chair beside his bed. Charlie had other ideas. They get him settled, take his vitals, and he was off and running.
“Have you thought about when you want to retire?” he asks.
“Huh?”
“Maybe we could get an RV and travel around the country for awhile. You know, see the Grand Canyon.”
Suddenly, he switches gear. “Scamp’s eleven now, and he’s doing pretty good, but how about when he goes? Are we going to get another dog?
“Charlie,” I says, “do you want to take a nap, read the paper, or something?”
“No, this is nice, talking like this.”
I’m thinking, what the heck did they do with the real Charlie?
There’s a pause, then out of the blue he says, “The guys have been great out in the woods, waiting up for me. I was getting to be such a slow poke.”
“Not for long, mister. Wait until you recover from this operation. You’re going to be good as new.”
He continues, “I’m thinking about taking up woodworking. You know, when I retire.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Wonder how the Sox are going to do this year.”
Meantime, I’m just trying to keep up.
“How long has it been since my dad died. Boy, we had some good times fishing.”
Finally, about 2:30, the OT and PT folks arrive, and they get Charlie up and walking, first with a walker, then a cane. Then, they take him to a PT room with a set of stairs and show him how to walk up and down them. Up with the good leg and down with the bad. No problem. Then poof, they’re gone. He’s good to go home, if the doctor okays it.
Once Chatty Cathy and me get back to Mahoosuc Mills, I stop at Corsetti’s and pick up some Italians, chips, and whoopie pies for supper. I hadn’t planned anything. I thought we’d be eating in the hospital.
That night, we’re in our cozy little kitchen eating dinner, feeling pretty relieved. This big operation we’d been thinking about for months went great, and just like winter, it’s behind us. Spring is in the air, crocuses are coming up, forsythia starting to bloom, and every day Charlie’s going to keep getting better and better.
“You know what, Ida? This was a good day. It was nice to really talk to one another.”
“Yes, sweetheart. It was a great day!”
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
Hear Ida Tell It: Chatty Cathy
Summer Preview
June 2: Ida Comic Relief and MC for National Cancer Survivor Day, Living Well Center, 2:00pm, York, ME
July 12: Makin’ Whoopie, Deertrees Theatre, 7:30pm, Harrison, ME
July 25: Book Reading, North Gorham Library, 7:00pm, Gorham, ME
August 22: The Best of Ida, ACT ONE Summer Festival, 2:00 & 7:30pm, Portsmouth, NH
August 24: The Best of Ida, Celebration Barn Theatre, 7:30pm, South Paris, ME
August 29: The Best of Ida, ACT ONE Summer Festival, 2:00 & 7:30pm, Portsmouth, NH
Check out my full schedule here.
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