It's Not All Fun, Games and Parrots on the Garage Roof at 36 Dorchester Road

The other twin . . .

I have two sisters. They are twins and four years my junior. They are as unalike as two people can be. They are both female and their initials are D. J. They both have dark brown hair, one child and work, or have worked in the medical field. However, that’s as far as it goes.

 

The last time they spent any quality time together was most likely in the womb. While bad driving was Dennie’s claim to fame, Dale’s is much more concerning and not quite as humorous unless, of course, you consider runaway squirrels in the I.C.U. funny !

 

A few years ago she went in for some emergency surgery, and woke up four months later. No one is really sure why. Doctors at the time advised shutting off the respirator, as they mistakenly thought she would never recover. She must have heard them because by the next morning she was showing signs of survival. Eventually she found her way out of the coma, learned to walk again and went back to work in the ER of our local hospital.

 

Two years later suffering from a respiratory infection she was again seen in the Emergency room. By evening she was once more put on life support. This time it was over three months until she finally emerged from her second coma. Miracles both. No debate with that. This time however her recovery wasn’t as complete and she is now mostly wheel chair bound and has taken a forced retirement. Having worked for 35 years that was a no brainer.

 

Anyway when she came out of the first coma did she have a story! Seems they evacuated everyone one on her floor in the middle of the night…All except her that is. By morning however the coast was clear, (I’m guessing here) and everyone was back in their designated beds, with one particular addition.

 

Somehow, a squirrel got into the I.C.U. (Stop laughing…) Seriously, a little brown, bushy tailed rodent was scurrying up and down the hallways of the 6^th Floor and hiding …(drum roll) in Dale’s room, behind the curtains! Medication aside, people coming out of lengthy comas do have a tendency to hallucinate or at least think some of their ‘dreams’ while comatose were real. Time and long talks usually put all these things to rest.

 

Last week when reminiscing she looked at me somewhat annoyed and said: “You know it’s not nice to make fun of me …I had been sick and in a coma.”

 

Chastised and remorseful as only a big sister can be, I replied, “I realize that Dale but three months later you were still claiming that happened.”

 

Her response: “Oh yeah.”

 

In the last couple of years she has had a ‘few’ other delusionary episodes.

There was the “man with the pants” walking around her backyard " while we were playing cards, the little girl on her deck and my favourite, the parrot on the garage roof! The latest was two days ago when she called me at 4:00 AM because she couldn’t find her phone to call her son-in-law.

 

I warned her some time ago, keep this up and you’re going to appear in my novel….

 

All kidding aside, hopefully a change in her meds will solve this quirkiness, but oh how I am going to miss these additions to my story telling. Wonder if she would consider learning how to drive again? From what I remember she never once in her driving history ever turned left! Maybe she has more in common with Dennie than I thought …

Reviews

[redflutterby]

I also have twin sisters whose personality's are totally different. You hear all about the twin bond thing but in their case they spent much of their youth wishing the other would disappear. Lol.. anyway hope your sisters medical issues improve. Always enjoy these little pieces of your life!!

[CecilA]

If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the nut case. This is a beautifully crafted story. You have artfully infused the comedy with the sad without taking away the seriousness of the situation. It tugs at my heart strings yet gives me hope that Dale's situation will stabilize.

Great job: as a writer and a sister.

[Gray Witch]

Thanks Cecil.... She hasn't weighed in on it yet...I'll let you know her reaction ...LOL

[william keepers]

I like this! Kind of a happy swing on a sad story, at least this is how I interpret it. I do hope Dale remains well even with the occasional delusion. Let us hope that an adjustment in meds resolves the delusions.

[Gray Witch]

Crossing fingers and toes.... Hmmm... this will make playing cards even more of a challenge than usual ...LOL

[Samuel Dickens]

We probably don't know a fraction of what the mind is capable of. It seems limitless, really. My hope is that your sister returns to full health, starts driving again, and turns left as often as she does right.

[DrD]

I can send Myrna to have long conversations with her. But seriously, while we find humor in such tales, they are totally real to those emerging from comas. It is almost characteristic of these survivors and who knows hat dimension they visited in that dark corridor of the long sleep¡

[Gray Witch]

Since all our family are in the medical profession we tend to find this sort of thing more humorous than most....LOL... I'm sure Myrna would fit right in...Does she play Euchre? .... I have a feeling she'd fit right in...LOL

[DrD]

I asked her and she said Euchre was a color. See what I mean?

[Gray Witch]

Okay so she's a 'ringer'...I just won't tell dale and the girls.... There are 7 of us... Dale, Pat and Trish, Patsy, Me, Hannah and Darlene . . . with Myrna we will have two tables... Progressive Euchre here we come...Stay tuned for the story Dave ....

[Gray Witch]

LOL... no parrot but her daughter did go over to look anyway ...Hopefully taking her off all her medications and re-introducing them one at a time will discover the problem......and correct it once and for all....Being a nurse it is annoying that her doctor hasn't yet taken this step... Oh well...

[Claire Twinn]

It sounds like a fun family with lots of quirks to give you writing ideas. Of course the parrot could be an escaped pet but maybe other people would have noticed the man in the pants?

[Ahmad Cox]

I have to admit I love the comedy and the way you tell this story is pure gold. Thanks for sharing.

[Gray Witch]

Thanks Ahmad, one just cannot make this stuff up ...LOL