Monday, April 16, 2012

#225-DOROTHY, TAKE ME WITH YOU!



Somewhere around the year 2004 we had a tornado scare in the small town in which I live (aren't you impressed with my grasp of the English languge?).  I had moved in with my parents to help my father care for my mother.  She had Alzheimers and, at this time, was in her little kid stage.  Her memory was totally shot and she clung to my dad like a shadow.


One day I came home and she was sitting in his recliner with him.  Now, you have to understand that this was a one person recliner and there she sat all squished in beside him with this silly little grin on her face.


I stopped and took in this beautiful sight in for a while and then I said to my dad, "Pop, you have the perfect wife.  She never complains, she always wants to be close, she doesn't want presents and to go out for dinner.  She doesn't remember anything you did wrong and is now content to watch your stupid TV shows with you."  But I digress...


One night, the tornado sirens went off.  The three of us gathered in a long hall in the center of our home (My dog, Luke, and my cat (Mad Max) were shut in the small bathroom).  This hall was deemed, many years ago, as the safest place in the house (as Dad refused to spring for a cement shelter).  I quickly gathered up the gear that is always close at hand during tornado seasona small mattress on which to lay and some quilts to put over the top of us (plus an emergency kit to hug).


The storm was raging outside and this is what I heard:


MOM:     Bill... (louderBill... (then louder) BILL... ... (and even louder)                B I I I L LLLLLLLL!  
(you see my dad was hard of hearing).



DAD:      WHAT!!!!!!!!!


MOM:    What are we doing here?


DAD:      TORNADO!


MOM:     Oh!  (in a soft little voice).


Then, about 5 minutes later I heard:


MOM:     Bill... ... Bill... ...BILL... B I I I L LLLLLLLL! 

DAD:      WHAT!!!!!!!!!

MOM:    What are we doing here?

DAD:      TORNADO!

MOM:     Oh!.

The siren stayed on for about 30 minutes and this EXACT repetitive dialogue continued the entire time.  By the third time I seriously considered running out the door and into maelstrom and yelling, "Dorothy, take me with you!" 


kt 3/3/12 
   




PREVIEWS OF MONDAYS TO COME:
#226-DID I WARP HIM FOR LIFE?
#227-ANOTHER FINE MESS!
#228-A SCREAM PIERCED THE AIR!
#229-AND THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO GET LUCKY