The last couple of weeks haven’t been easy. With my decision made to head back to South Africa at the end of this month, my mind was going in the direction of sorting, discarding, packing and getting on the road.
Mardelle and I had decided that, with Jim seeming to recover from his stroke two months prior, we would do a little mini-vacation on the Olympic Peninsula. A world away from the house, but still close enough if needed.
And unfortunately, we were needed!
I knew that Mardelle was anxious about leaving Jim, we discussed it but she felt that he would be ok, as neighbors were planning to drop by and Jane, his daughter was planning to come over, bringing dinner. So we got on the the road just after mid-day. Rain was in the forecast, but just being out felt good. A minor glitch when the car oil light came on but we fixed that! (That’s a whole other story!) Our Airbnb was out in the country with horses and chickens and the sound of the Elwha River just a short distance away.
Our host gave us the code to our accommodation atop the barn and we dropped out bags and headed in to Port Angeles for dinner. But…Mondays and Covid don’t mix and just about everywhere we tried was closed or had an hour wait for take-out! We opted for the grocery store, ready-made stuff and chocolate, and headed back to our digs.
It started to rain as we climbed the many stairs to our place, trying to remember our key code, and as we tried to enter it with no success, Mardelle’s phone rang with the bad news Jim had suffered another stroke and was in Emergency at the hospital in Port Townsend. I ran to the hosts house for the code (no trying to remember it now) and told him the sad news that we had to leave immediately.
What wonderful people - he simply said (after giving us the code) “Go, don’t worry about anything.” By now it was absolutely bucketing down. We grabbed our - fortunately - unpacked bags; I said “I’m driving” and we headed home. I was grateful the rain stopped and it was not dark yet. The two hour drive back were very long and we consumed a lot of chocolate!
I drove straight to the hospital and I called Susan, who came and picked me up so I could leave the car with Mardelle.
Jim was administered the “clot buster” medication and transported by ambulance to Seattle and was in ICU there for 2 days. And once again “f**ck covid and all those people refusing the vaccine” as Mardelle couldn’t go with him or even see him in the hospital. He was able to come home after two nights but still needs constant vigilance. This second (or perhaps third) stroke has definitely hit him hard.
So this has left me feeling rather ambivalent about leaving, as Jim can’t be left alone and that leaves Mardelle stuck. I know there are social services and groups who can help out. And Mardelle is working on getting some sort of care sorted out.
But I know I have to get on with my life and my heading back to South Africa has always been a known fact. But that doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty/bad/sad/helpless.
It is also a reminder that life can kick you down at any moment! It means, at least to me, that I must keep on keeping on, get back in shape and continue to adventure. No matter how small the adventure is, it means never stopping exploring, learning, experimenting and enjoying life. (I write this as I look at all the stuff strewn around that I am attempting to sort through, discard or save!)
I leave Port Townsend on Thursday for the three day road trip south, which isn’t as fun any more! Been there, done that, too many times this visit. I’ll see Betsy, Georgia and other friends and of course, Ryan, before the long flight back to South Africa, leaving on 25th arriving 27th.