20 Days Later

Life can literally turn on a dime.

I think it was Friday when I noticed the sign management attached to our doors the previous week — alerting us to Annual Fire Sprinkler Testing this morning, was still on Next Door Neighbor’s Door.

Hideously Tacky Doormat is deceiving
as to the artistry inside

Strange, thought I.

Though NDN is friendly, she's very private and pretty much doesn't hang too much with residents here and our activities. When she does go out and engage, it's usually elsewhere, with people and activities of a more bougie nature, away from us just plain folk types.

Her being such a private to herself person, it’s not unusual to not see or hear a peep out of her for extended periods of time.

So it was I didn’t think anything about having not seen her for days and weeks until Friday, when I realized the notice was still on her door.

That got me to thinking something might be wrong inside, because the notices always somehow disappear after a day or two …………… are taken inside by her I assume.

Thinking something might be wrong inside, but not yet alarmed, when I got up on Saturday, headed out to log in walking miles, I told myself to check the carport for Lucille ………… the name she’s given her car, because maybe NDN was on vacation.

Lucille was still parked in her usual spot.

That’s when I began thinking the worst ……… that she might be inside ……… deceased.

That has happened here.

Trying to talk myself out of that thought, I told myself if that were the case, us neighbors would have smelled something by now.

Sorry to be blunt, but I'm a realist.

Now alarmed, I started to knock on her door, but saw that her blinds were shut tight, like she’d gone somewhere after all, and I decided to give it another day or so — until yesterday morning for the notice to disappear.

It didn’t.

So while getting suited up for yesterday’s workout, now on full alert, I had it in mind to stop by the office, ask for a welfare check on NDN. But then it occurred to me that I might still have her telephone number in my contacts.

I did.

She answered on the first ring.

"Are you okay in there?" asked I.

"No, I’ve been in the hospital since the 2nd".

When she was unable to keep any food down, her son took her to the hospital where, whatever was wrong was made worse.

Not happy with the medical care, her son removed her, took her to another hospital where what had been made worse was made even worser.

Judging from my own medical center experiences, I believe it, which is why I’ve turned away from materia medica as much as possible and rely more on Holistic Care.

At any rate, NDN says she's in bad shape, hooked up to IVS, doesn’t know when she’s going to get better, and then oddly began talking about her plants and how they are inside her unit dying.

I don't have a key to her unit, otherwise I'd water her plants; and she tells me her son lives too far away and has two jobs, so he can't babysit the plants.

She then began asking me if the corner market delivers groceries, as she doesn’t see herself returning to the independence she previously enjoyed.

I assured her the market does, but then I opened my big mouth and said that I can pick up groceries for her when I do my own shopping.

I think she set me up ………… brought it up knowing I'd volunteer.

But whatever ……… it’s not a big deal, and I can opt out if it ever does become a big deal.

NDN was evasive when I inquired, more than once, as to what exactly is wrong with her.

If she wants me to pick up and deliver groceries, bring up mail, that's carrying Hippa and being private a little too far, because I don't want to risk catching whatever she's privately keeping to herself.

Looking like a big deal already, unless she can give me some assurance as to risk, I may have to withdraw my offer, tell her to let the delivery people handle it after all.

Just think though ………… how quickly life can turn on a dime, a healthy today is not promised for tomorrow; and I’ve seen it more than once around here where one day a resident is living an independent lifestyle, the next day the resident has a caregiver.

NDN has been in the hospital for 20 days and, but for that notice on her door, I'd still be unaware something might be wrong and sound the alarm to have her checked on.

Because I too pretty much keep to myself, don't engage with family all that often, I used to wonder how long it would be before anyone realized something has happened and send in the calvary. Now that I train religiously, arrive on time and have done so every M W F for the last five years, Trainer is actually closer to me and more concerned about me than family. If I were 5 minutes late, he'd be on high alert. Otherwise, I’d be completely decomposed and smelling up the complex before anyone noticed.