Not Sure
Well-known member
My Christmas Carol or a Wives Intuition Ignored
Although the story took place in the summer of 2003 this December marks 20yrs with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, in the beginning my form of Cancer was considered incurable with a 5-7 yr survival.
The purpose of my sharing this story is 50% Humor 50% encouragement for those out there who will hear the words “You have Cancer”….disregard the Vacation part.
August 2003, it was a dark Stormy night when we reached the “Camp” somewhere around Lewiston Me
Near my Brothers home
We had postponed our Sunday departure till Tuesday due to my Chemo side effect of 2days without sleep, after a decent night sleep. And convincing a reluctant wife that I needed to get away and not think about being sick , also had paid for a rental. My Mother and Father along with My Niece had arrived on Sunday. I called my Mother to tell her we would be on our way and asked her if the place was OK. She had a pause in her voice “Well…The Toilets not working right “. Ok I’ll take some tools along and deal with it.
My wife was not feeling well and drove 2hrs of the 10 hr ride , I experienced some nausea ,hot , cold sweats and learned that my intestines could do tricks I never imagined. Exhausted and a little unnerved from what happened at a stop in Kittery Me. While headed into a fast food place a group of people surrounded my vehicle after we were about to enter the resteraunt. I paused at the door they all looked at me and then walked away in unison.
All I wanted to do was Sleep…..Having never been to this place before I was skeptical as we walked in . It was a travel trailer that someone built an addition on. The “Toilet” was some plastic thing that had a flap that opened to let the waste out. …..It would only open a sliver, the parts were not going to be found any time soon. You got to be !@#$%….kidding me!. 7 people using this toilet for a week. My Mother being a resourcefull Farm girl was pushing the waste though with a toilet brush.
As I walked into the Bedroom I found no Matress only a box spring with sheets. After 15 min I headed for the living room and a welcoming easy chair. As I started to drift off I heard a squeaking noise. Slowly opened my eyes to see a ceiling fan spinning wildly out of balance dangling by 2 wires and about to fall on my Neice in her sleeping bag. Get up shut off fan and drag Neice from under ,start to drift off again and slowly start sinking into the chair…a bar pressed upon my lower back and it was back to the bedroom floor.
Drifting off I heard loud snoring, rising off the floor and walked to kill the offender , I found my mother blissfully lying on the floor on my Matress , My Father looked at me from the Couch and pointed to my mother. I dragged myself back to the bedroom and my wife and I said to each other “Hotel”
Next day we arrived at a hotel checked in ,Exausted dragged the suitcases up 2 flights opened the door to find the room trashed with beer bottles and various party supplies. Drag everything back down ,
Manager …”I give you wrong room” . Drag everything back up next to other room. My wife looks at me and says “If those partiers come back tonight you’ll kill someone”….Drag everything back down.
Manager ..”They Leave”…..Drag everything back up.
I suggested to my wife she take the kids swimming at a nearby Lake and I would stay and get some rest.
A few hours pass and my wife returns with a limp and a basketball size black and blue mark on her hamstring, She fell off a picnic table lunging for a falling kid. Kid was fine LOL
Next day , uneventful fishing at a nearby pond. Altough my father drove into a concrete medial strip
Next day father pulls into post office and wheel falls off his car ! Sister inlaw worked at a local dealership and sold him a new car.
Still unfolding………
Had to be home for next week’s Chemo round , decided to leave Saturday, Driving back through Me. Traffic was not good . I rolled down my window to pay toll and smelled Anti freeze…Hmmm.
My engine temps ok …must be someone else , yeah ! keeping an eye on my gauges . I reached RT 84 exit off Mass Pike and again paid the toll . This time I was the only one at the booth , The overwhelming Antifreeze smell let me know in no uncertain terms I was the culprit. Pulling off at a Dodge dealer I popped the hood to see my entire engine compartment covered.
I calmly closed the hood walked back and sat in the driver seat looked at my wife and we in unison laughed so hard we started to cry. My kids both thinking mom and dad have lost it .
Apparently all of their rentalcars were gone , An employee of the Dealership volunteered to drive us to Hartford Airport were we rented a car for the rest of the journey, Many thanks again!
Dealer took care of us and had a reasonable bill, Father inlaw and wife drove back a few days later to pick up our vehicle.
Moral of the story , A visit from the Ghost of Vacations gone bad is survivable, Ignoring ones wife is eternal.
I have been Truly Blessed with family and friends, just wished I would have appreciated them more before my Illness .
Cheers ,Happy Holidays
Bob
Although the story took place in the summer of 2003 this December marks 20yrs with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, in the beginning my form of Cancer was considered incurable with a 5-7 yr survival.
The purpose of my sharing this story is 50% Humor 50% encouragement for those out there who will hear the words “You have Cancer”….disregard the Vacation part.
August 2003, it was a dark Stormy night when we reached the “Camp” somewhere around Lewiston Me
Near my Brothers home
We had postponed our Sunday departure till Tuesday due to my Chemo side effect of 2days without sleep, after a decent night sleep. And convincing a reluctant wife that I needed to get away and not think about being sick , also had paid for a rental. My Mother and Father along with My Niece had arrived on Sunday. I called my Mother to tell her we would be on our way and asked her if the place was OK. She had a pause in her voice “Well…The Toilets not working right “. Ok I’ll take some tools along and deal with it.
My wife was not feeling well and drove 2hrs of the 10 hr ride , I experienced some nausea ,hot , cold sweats and learned that my intestines could do tricks I never imagined. Exhausted and a little unnerved from what happened at a stop in Kittery Me. While headed into a fast food place a group of people surrounded my vehicle after we were about to enter the resteraunt. I paused at the door they all looked at me and then walked away in unison.
All I wanted to do was Sleep…..Having never been to this place before I was skeptical as we walked in . It was a travel trailer that someone built an addition on. The “Toilet” was some plastic thing that had a flap that opened to let the waste out. …..It would only open a sliver, the parts were not going to be found any time soon. You got to be !@#$%….kidding me!. 7 people using this toilet for a week. My Mother being a resourcefull Farm girl was pushing the waste though with a toilet brush.
As I walked into the Bedroom I found no Matress only a box spring with sheets. After 15 min I headed for the living room and a welcoming easy chair. As I started to drift off I heard a squeaking noise. Slowly opened my eyes to see a ceiling fan spinning wildly out of balance dangling by 2 wires and about to fall on my Neice in her sleeping bag. Get up shut off fan and drag Neice from under ,start to drift off again and slowly start sinking into the chair…a bar pressed upon my lower back and it was back to the bedroom floor.
Drifting off I heard loud snoring, rising off the floor and walked to kill the offender , I found my mother blissfully lying on the floor on my Matress , My Father looked at me from the Couch and pointed to my mother. I dragged myself back to the bedroom and my wife and I said to each other “Hotel”
Next day we arrived at a hotel checked in ,Exausted dragged the suitcases up 2 flights opened the door to find the room trashed with beer bottles and various party supplies. Drag everything back down ,
Manager …”I give you wrong room” . Drag everything back up next to other room. My wife looks at me and says “If those partiers come back tonight you’ll kill someone”….Drag everything back down.
Manager ..”They Leave”…..Drag everything back up.
I suggested to my wife she take the kids swimming at a nearby Lake and I would stay and get some rest.
A few hours pass and my wife returns with a limp and a basketball size black and blue mark on her hamstring, She fell off a picnic table lunging for a falling kid. Kid was fine LOL
Next day , uneventful fishing at a nearby pond. Altough my father drove into a concrete medial strip
Next day father pulls into post office and wheel falls off his car ! Sister inlaw worked at a local dealership and sold him a new car.
Still unfolding………
Had to be home for next week’s Chemo round , decided to leave Saturday, Driving back through Me. Traffic was not good . I rolled down my window to pay toll and smelled Anti freeze…Hmmm.
My engine temps ok …must be someone else , yeah ! keeping an eye on my gauges . I reached RT 84 exit off Mass Pike and again paid the toll . This time I was the only one at the booth , The overwhelming Antifreeze smell let me know in no uncertain terms I was the culprit. Pulling off at a Dodge dealer I popped the hood to see my entire engine compartment covered.
I calmly closed the hood walked back and sat in the driver seat looked at my wife and we in unison laughed so hard we started to cry. My kids both thinking mom and dad have lost it .
Apparently all of their rentalcars were gone , An employee of the Dealership volunteered to drive us to Hartford Airport were we rented a car for the rest of the journey, Many thanks again!
Dealer took care of us and had a reasonable bill, Father inlaw and wife drove back a few days later to pick up our vehicle.
Moral of the story , A visit from the Ghost of Vacations gone bad is survivable, Ignoring ones wife is eternal.
I have been Truly Blessed with family and friends, just wished I would have appreciated them more before my Illness .
Cheers ,Happy Holidays
Bob
) and many a deep powder day.
