So I left off last time with my dad greeting me on Christmas morning with, "I'm going home tomorrow." I asked him how he was going to get there. I had not bought him a roundtrip airline ticket. His plans and ours were up in the air, so we decided to play it by ear. I knew for sure that we would be driving back to Houston on December 31st to take our daughter to the airport. She was going on a school trip and flying from there. He announced that he was going home on the bus. He had not liked going through all the security for his flight up here. After running myself ragged making a lovely stay for him, I thought he could at least have said, "Merry Christmas" and then "I'm going home tomorrow." But that's just the way he is. But it did upset me and hurt my feelings....I do tend to take things personally. I was also a little concerned about his safety since he can't see very well.
So we called some other relatives and they all thought it was a great idea. We looked everything up online, bought his ticket and found someone to pick him up at the bus station the next day. It was going to be an interesting experience for him. We enjoyed the rest of the day opening gifts and having dinner with other friends and family. I was, however, a little disappointed that after staying up until 3:30 the night before to finish preparing the new photo album with all the family photos from his house, I was told that he didn't want it now. It just made him too emotional and he was not prepared to deal with that yet. While I was disappointed and tired, I could certainly understand that and am happy to keep it for him until he is ready.
Saturday morning we all headed downtown to take my dad to the bus station. We arrived early and waited in line for him, so he could get a good seat up front. Once we saw him safely onto the bus, stocked with a banana and Gatorade, we headed out. I have to admit that while I enjoyed loving on and taking care of him for 10 days, I was also glad to have a little bit of alone time with our younger daughter. She had not been able to come and be part of "Operation Clean Sweep" earlier in the month, so I had not seen her in quite a while.
Guess what......about 2 hours later Dad called from his cell phone. After departing late because the bus needed repairs, the new, good bus had now broken down. They were stranded about an hour south of Dallas. According to my father, the bus driver had no means of communication. But a 2nd bus came along and picked up his bus driver and drove off. My father had to ask other passengers, because he could not see well enough to know exactly what was happening. They were hoping that their driver could convince the other bus to come back and pick them up.
Meanwhile I began calling the folks in Houston to inform them of the problem and delayed arrival. I was about to head out and go pick my dad up and bring him back to our house. Sure enough he called again and he and his luggage were safely on the new bus headed down to Houston. This was not an express bus and would make multiple stops, but who cared by then. About 6 hours later my father called and was safely home in Houston. I could breathe a sigh of relief.
Since then my dad has asked me to look for discount airfares, so he could fly back up here. I guess one bus ride was enough for him. He has also been back up here for a quick weekend trip. One of his friends had to drive to Dallas on business and my dad tagged along with him to see us. So I guess that first trip here for Christmas was not so bad after all. I know I should not have taken his early departure after Christmas so personally. I have been told that once a senior makes up his mind to leave, there's no stopping him. They plow forward...full steam ahead.
If this sounds vaugely familiar or similar to something you are experiencing with someone you love, please allow us to help. Take a look at our webiste at www.hereforyouhomecare.com or call us at 214-389-9401. We offer personal assistance, companion care, homemaking services and respite care at your convenience.
Thank you for reading/listening. Next time I will write about our trip to Houston where we visited my old home, freshly painted and readied for sale and I saw my mother's grave for the first time.
Until then,
Jan
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