Death & Destruction

We all deal with the passing of a loved one in different ways... I recently lost my father and coming from a large family all of us coped in our own ways, however, my mothers coping was by far the most amazing to witness.

After the longest year of my life with my fathers decline and then loss of him I have learned even more to take things in stride and so did mom.... after this torturous night!

My aunts were in town helping mom and so when I called her a couple mornings after the funeral and she answered the phone sounding like shit smashed twice in the sun I was shocked. "Mom?" "yeah.... I had a rough night" She then began to describe to me one of the most momentous nights of her life.

She had started drinking beers to dull the pain early on and then for some reason she and her sisters decided the beers would go great with shots of patron silver. When she jolted out of her drunken "sleep" laying on the living room floor her mouth instantly filled with vomit (Now mom doesn't even allow us to walk with shoes on this carpet due to the fact that it is light colored and she doesn't want it to get stained.) She had to get to the bathroom but what was this... she couldn't walk?? Balance? Equilibrium? What were those?? As I have always said you know your drunk when you need to hold onto the ground to stop the world from spinning!!

She quickly mustered up the strength to crawl towards the bathroom, mouth full of chunks and sweating... she would be god damned to get puke on her carpet. She finally made it after defeating obstacles such as her 600 purses, my passed out aunt, chairs and my personal favorite having to open the closed bathroom door! Those bitches get ya every time! But she had made it... bruised knees and puke in mouth she was there.... As she approached the porcelain throne she found that she could not balance on her own knees and needed to physically HUG the toilet as hard as she could while vomiting so violently that she was bursting lots of things besides blood vessels in her face!

She woke up on the bathroom rug, side ponytail, stained shirt and thought maybe I can walk now. Upon standing she immediately feels a cold rush,itchy legs and hears a slosh.... she had vomited so hard that she had pissed herself.... and had pissed her self SOOOO MUCH that her knee brace AND socks were sopping wet with urine! Fuck me mom!!! LOL!!! She was forced to strip in the bathroom before making the mad dash upstairs into the shower and collapsing in her actual bed.

I couldn't resist stopping by later that day to see what she looked like after all she has seen me at my worst! She answered the door, dry mouthed and said "I am NEVER DRINKING AGAIN." She looked OK except for the spit dried on her face... and then she showed me the bruising on her chest... it looked like someone had dropped a toilet on her chest!!! What beautiful array of colors.... blues, purples and pinks like a Monet! :) I quickly saw the socks and knee brace hanging to dry after being disinfected.

So Cheers to you Mom and all my siblings for living...living each day to the fullest... even if it requires vomiting and/or urinating on oneself! Just how my father would have wanted it... I love you Dad and miss you everyday.