Ann: Hannah scared me to death this afternoon. She walked out to get the mail when I heard her let out an ear piercing scream. My heart stopped as I simultaneously imagined she’d broken her ankle, been hit by a car, or been attacked by a rabid squirrel.
Pam: Oh my gosh! What happened? Is she okay?
Ann: She’s fine. It turned out to be a good screech not a bad one. She’d opened a letter while standing at the box. She’s been accepted into her first choice college. We’re thrilled.
Pam: Congratulations! That’s wonderful news! But let me tell you, you’d better get used to those heart-stopping moments she gave you.
Ann: Well, things will quiet down once she’s settled up north in the dorm.
Pam: Don’t bet on it. Last week Kate called me from school with terrible news. I literally ached inside as she described what happened.
Ann: Wow. You didn’t tell me anything about it. What’s up?
Pam: When I answered the phone she was clearly distraught and told me, “Mom, Stevie’s dead!”
Ann: Oh, my gosh!
Pam: As she began to tell me how much she was going to miss him I was scrambling in my mind to remember who exactly Stevie was. At first I thought he was a hometown boy from her high school, but then she said something about how much she had enjoyed his company this semester.
Ann: So he was a student at her college? Did you know him?
Pam: For the life of me, with the shock of the news, I couldn’t place where I’d met him. I felt like a terrible mom because clearly from the way Kate was talking, they were quite close and she was very upset he was gone.
I didn’t want to admit to Kate I couldn’t remember someone that was so important to her so to buy a little time to try to place him, I said, “Oh Kate, that’s terrible! What happened?” As I waited for her to answer I’m kicking myself because I just can’t believe I don’t remember this boy.
Ann: Well you can’t be expected to remember every single friend she’s met up at school. It’s understandable. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Pam: Then my heart went from aching to entirely broken in two when Kate said, “I just couldn’t believe it when I watched him hit the concrete. It was the most terrible thing I ever saw!”
Ann: He fell? Or did he jump? Kate was there? How awful! That poor girl…
Pam: So now I’m picturing her witnessing this tragedy and I’m still trying to remember who this young man was. Finally, with the full shock of the event crashing down on me, I decided I’d better confess I can’t remember Stevie and I ask Kate, “Sweetie, I’m so sorry this has happened but I hate to admit it…I don’t remember him. Who exactly is Stevie?”
And she says, “Mom, you know Stevie. You met him when I moved into the dorm.”
Ann: So you did meet him…
Pam: Apparently. And I ask, “Was he one of the guys who helped you move in?” Instantly Kate goes from sounding sincerely distraught to giggling when she realized that I truly didn’t remember Stevie.
Ann: Giggling?!
Pam: Yep. She says, “Mom, you remember! ‘Stevie the TeeVee’…He was the used television I bought for my dorm room. My friend Vicky wanted to borrow him and when we were carrying him across campus to her dorm we dropped him and he broke into pieces when he hit the sidewalk.”
I’d forgotten her habit of naming inanimate objects. I swear one of these days that girl is going to send ME to the same place Stevie is!
Ann: (Laughing) My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time of great loss.
Pam: Very funny!
Pam: Oh my gosh! What happened? Is she okay?
Ann: She’s fine. It turned out to be a good screech not a bad one. She’d opened a letter while standing at the box. She’s been accepted into her first choice college. We’re thrilled.
Pam: Congratulations! That’s wonderful news! But let me tell you, you’d better get used to those heart-stopping moments she gave you.
Ann: Well, things will quiet down once she’s settled up north in the dorm.
Pam: Don’t bet on it. Last week Kate called me from school with terrible news. I literally ached inside as she described what happened.
Ann: Wow. You didn’t tell me anything about it. What’s up?
Pam: When I answered the phone she was clearly distraught and told me, “Mom, Stevie’s dead!”
Ann: Oh, my gosh!
Pam: As she began to tell me how much she was going to miss him I was scrambling in my mind to remember who exactly Stevie was. At first I thought he was a hometown boy from her high school, but then she said something about how much she had enjoyed his company this semester.
Ann: So he was a student at her college? Did you know him?
Pam: For the life of me, with the shock of the news, I couldn’t place where I’d met him. I felt like a terrible mom because clearly from the way Kate was talking, they were quite close and she was very upset he was gone.
I didn’t want to admit to Kate I couldn’t remember someone that was so important to her so to buy a little time to try to place him, I said, “Oh Kate, that’s terrible! What happened?” As I waited for her to answer I’m kicking myself because I just can’t believe I don’t remember this boy.Ann: Well you can’t be expected to remember every single friend she’s met up at school. It’s understandable. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Pam: Then my heart went from aching to entirely broken in two when Kate said, “I just couldn’t believe it when I watched him hit the concrete. It was the most terrible thing I ever saw!”
Ann: He fell? Or did he jump? Kate was there? How awful! That poor girl…
Pam: So now I’m picturing her witnessing this tragedy and I’m still trying to remember who this young man was. Finally, with the full shock of the event crashing down on me, I decided I’d better confess I can’t remember Stevie and I ask Kate, “Sweetie, I’m so sorry this has happened but I hate to admit it…I don’t remember him. Who exactly is Stevie?”
And she says, “Mom, you know Stevie. You met him when I moved into the dorm.”
Ann: So you did meet him…
Pam: Apparently. And I ask, “Was he one of the guys who helped you move in?” Instantly Kate goes from sounding sincerely distraught to giggling when she realized that I truly didn’t remember Stevie.
Ann: Giggling?!
Pam: Yep. She says, “Mom, you remember! ‘Stevie the TeeVee’…He was the used television I bought for my dorm room. My friend Vicky wanted to borrow him and when we were carrying him across campus to her dorm we dropped him and he broke into pieces when he hit the sidewalk.”I’d forgotten her habit of naming inanimate objects. I swear one of these days that girl is going to send ME to the same place Stevie is!
Ann: (Laughing) My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time of great loss.
Pam: Very funny!
1 comment:
Oh my gosh, I was feeling the same way Pam was feeling, sad because she couldn't remember who stevie was...but I'm happy to hear Stevie was only a T.V. Mom's are great listener's.
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