Loonies
One of my mom’s friends has stopped by with lunch today. I stick around for a bit, tidying up the kitchen, doing the rounds of ‘how are you’, ‘what can I grab for the two of you’, ‘yes I knowww I have so many weddings this year’ (she has a son my age, so really gets it) before I decide to dip out for a little walk.
As I’m leaving, I briefly take notice of her car, mostly just because it’s a new obstacle in the driveway. Pretty, sleek, silver. Parked behind bay #3. Shouldn’t be a problem for anyone to get out.
I complete my first loop around the neighborhood and am feeling great. All of my steristrips have fallen off and my wound is looking beautiful and it’s pushing 50º. Perfection. I do a couple more loops. I’m on fire.
During my third loop, Nancy, my mom’s friend, drives by. I am jubilant. On a walker’s high, if you will. I give her a huge smile and an extra big wave. “Bye Nancy!” I even call out. With the windows up, she can’t hear me, but I’m sure she has seen my mouth move. Gosh, I am just such a happy, bubbly, fantastic version of myself now that I can actually WALK again.
After completing four, I decide to call it quits. I can feel a tiny trickle of sweat down the middle of my back. My first sweat in almost a month! (Clare’s barre classes are great, but are not cardio heavy and the room is cold. Sweating hasn’t been happening. I’ve missed sweating.) I turn up onto our street. Coming towards me is a silver car. Weird.
The car slows down. Very weird.
The car rolls down its passenger side window as it approaches. Uh oh.
“Can you believe I’m just now leaving!?” Nancy exclaims, pulling up alongside me.
No, I absolutely cannot believe that she is just now leaving. Mostly because I thought I had waved goodbye to her about 30 minutes ago.
I crane my head to peek at her steering wheel. Mercedes. Not BMW. “Oh dear.” I say. “I think that I said goodbye to someone who was definitely not you. You didn’t leave and come back… right?”
She looks a bit like she’s going to ask me if I’m feeling alright, laughs, and drives off around the loop.
I hope that whoever drives that silver BMW doesn’t think that the house at the end of the street is full of a bunch of loonies. And if they do, whatever. At least we’re happy loonies.
