Post by azilabates on Nov 27, 2009 13:46:00 GMT -5
All too brief. Sometimes conversation at the dinner table leads to insecurity or distress. And sometimes it is a windfall of thoughtfulness.
We sat quietly this cold December night. I used to think the house would fall down on us, it was so cracked and vented by foundation problems. Our progeny, both girls were in high school, I was in college and working and my husband had become a firefighter only a year before. This was our life. Not stuff, not luxuries, but a once in a while nice evening meal together.
The oldest said some silly stuff... tongue twisters of every flavor. We all listened and smiled or just looked blank as it was. Then the youngest--cracked herself UP with her own unique sense of humor. .......He chimed in quietly, thoughtfully and as he spoke we watched him drift far, far away as if he were in a mist. He spoke of a 43 year old's unexpected fatal heart attack this morning, "...he wasn't over weight- he left behind a seven, nine, and an eleven year old and his grieving wife. By the time we arrived the guy was blue. We tried, we worked him for 30 minutes. He was pronounced dead before we reached the hospital. Thewhole time we worked on him the wife kept saying,'I hope the children don't wake up, I hope the children don't hear anything, I hope they are able to sleep until I have to wake them.' "
The girls rose to clean the kitchen--the youngest started to laugh at the crazy expression on the chihuahua's face, she then mentions a couple of movies while they begin the clean up.
He leaves to work in the yard. Still haunted, still alone in his thoughts.
We sat quietly this cold December night. I used to think the house would fall down on us, it was so cracked and vented by foundation problems. Our progeny, both girls were in high school, I was in college and working and my husband had become a firefighter only a year before. This was our life. Not stuff, not luxuries, but a once in a while nice evening meal together.
The oldest said some silly stuff... tongue twisters of every flavor. We all listened and smiled or just looked blank as it was. Then the youngest--cracked herself UP with her own unique sense of humor. .......He chimed in quietly, thoughtfully and as he spoke we watched him drift far, far away as if he were in a mist. He spoke of a 43 year old's unexpected fatal heart attack this morning, "...he wasn't over weight- he left behind a seven, nine, and an eleven year old and his grieving wife. By the time we arrived the guy was blue. We tried, we worked him for 30 minutes. He was pronounced dead before we reached the hospital. Thewhole time we worked on him the wife kept saying,'I hope the children don't wake up, I hope the children don't hear anything, I hope they are able to sleep until I have to wake them.' "
The girls rose to clean the kitchen--the youngest started to laugh at the crazy expression on the chihuahua's face, she then mentions a couple of movies while they begin the clean up.
He leaves to work in the yard. Still haunted, still alone in his thoughts.