My mother called me at 2 AM on a Tuesday.
Onwudiwe akinlana@akinlanaonwudiwe5818
5 days ago
My mother called me at 2 AM on a Tuesday.
When your mother calls at 2 AM, your body knows before your brain does. I was awake before I answered. My heart was already running.
She said your father is in the hospital. She said it calm, the way she says everything when things are worst. The calmer my mother's voice, the more serious the situation. I have learned to measure emergencies by the steadiness of her tone.
I booked a flight at 2:47 AM. I packed a bag with things that made no sense - two left socks, a charger for a phone I no longer own, a book I was not reading. Your hands just move when you are scared. They grab things because holding something feels better than holding nothing.
The flight was six hours. I did not sleep. I did not read. I watched the little airplane on the screen crawl across the map and I thought about every conversation I had postponed with my father. Every Sunday I said I would call and then forgot. Every visit I cut short because I had something important to get back to.
Nothing I was getting back to was important. I know that now.
He was fine. A scare, they said. They kept him for observation. When I walked into the room he looked smaller than I remembered. Hospital beds do that to people. They make giants look like children.
He said what are you doing here and I said where else would I be. We sat there for a while not saying much. He watched the news on the ceiling-mounted TV. I watched him breathe.
On the flight back, I made a list. Not a to-do list. A stop-postponing list. Call Dad on Sundays. Actually call, not text. Visit more than twice a year. Say the things I am saving for the eulogy now, while he can hear them.
Here is what that night taught me: we treat the people we love like they are permanent fixtures. Like they will always be there when we finally get around to showing up. They will not. Nobody is a permanent fixture. Not even the ones who feel like they have been here forever.
If there is someone you have been meaning to call, call them today. Not because something bad might happen. Because something good will. The sound of your voice in their ear is the good thing.
Do not wait for 2 AM.
#Notes #NircleStories #Family #RealTalk #LifeLessons #Parents #CallYourParents #Perspective #Gratitude
5 days ago
1 day ago
1 day ago