I’m an 81-year-old widow with shaky stability. However mates have informed me that I’ve a face and outlook as these of a youthful lady. Not too way back, after I completed breakfast, a wierd feeling came to visit me. My complete physique, thoughts included, felt numb and spaced out. Seated at my eating room desk, I felt my physique lean to the correct, then to the left.
I struggled to maintain my eyes open. Via all of this, I used to be conscious my physique was nonetheless swerving. Afraid I’d fall to the ground, which I’ve achieved earlier than, I stood up, hoping to shake off no matter had taken management of my physique.
As I neared the kitchen, my physique gave manner and I fell. Laborious. Twice I attempted to rise up however couldn’t. I used to be alone, in shock, with no solution to get assist.
My first thought was to name 911, however my cell was on the eating desk the place I at all times saved it.
Scooting on my butt, I made it to the counter. Reaching up so far as I may, I grabbed my cellphone and dialed 911. I remembered I had given a key to my neighbor and good friend Rodney, so I gave his quantity to the firefighter who answered my name.
The ambulance got here shortly. It was 9:30 a.m. once I arrived, and Lengthy Seaside Memorial Medical Heart was eerily quiet. A nurse got here into my room and requested me some questions, took my blood strain, pricked my finger and withdrew a tiny quantity of blood, then mentioned the physician could be in quickly. I had nothing to do however lie there and wait. And pay attention.
I heard a nurse asking questions of her affected person within the “room” to my proper. It was not tough to listen to since these rooms have been divided solely by drapes.
“How tall are you?”
“Six-six,” a deep masculine voice responded.
Six-six? Wow! That acquired my consideration.
“Do you drink?” she requested.
“On daily basis,” he mentioned jokingly.
“What’s your cell quantity?” I heard the numbers, and for some loopy purpose, I wrote them down.
“When was the final time you had a drink?”
“Final night time I went out with my buddies and had just a few beers.”
So, he’s single! Nice! He appeared so convivial that as a substitute of being repulsed, I used to be turned on.
I had a powerful urge to speak to him, however that might be bizarre, proper? I reminded myself we have been in a hospital, not at a social occasion. Nonetheless, my need to attach with him was extra highly effective than my good sense.
“Hello, neighbor,” I referred to as out earlier than saying, “You sound so intelligent and cute that I needed to say hello.” Oh, my God, I did it!
“Hello, neighbor,” he replied warmly.
Excited, coronary heart racing, I anticipated he’d proceed the dialog. However he didn’t. So I figured that was that, however I questioned why.
Then I heard a feminine voice completely different from his nurse. His spouse. He’s married. Rattling.
The physician lastly got here in to see me. He mentioned my blood strain was regular, and the blood take a look at was advantageous.
“I simply wish to get a CT scan of your head. I’m not anticipating to seek out something however simply in case.”
A tech pushed apart the drapes and entered my tiny house with a gurney. We occurred to go within the route of my neighbor’s room. A strained look by the small opening in his drapes was all I wanted. He was engaging!
On my manner again from the scan, I once more peeked into the slim opening to his room. This time I caught sight of a youngish lady and two gray-haired males I assumed to be his buddies. I used to be shocked! Grey hair? My neighbor had mild pink hair from what I may inform.
Again in my room, I waited for the physician. That my neighbor (I wanted I knew his identify) was married threw a wrench into the probabilities. Then I heard one other feminine voice, low, type of attractive, additionally scratchy and extremely annoying.
“You understand, guys, if Dad had given me any purpose for fear, I’d have referred to as you immediately.”
Daughter? So not married. Single! Nonetheless single. No surprise he didn’t say extra.
My physician lastly returned. “All the things is ok. You may go residence.”
After 9 hours on the hospital, I acquired wearing the one piece of clothes I had with me: my nightgown. A tinge of disappointment swept over me.
I stepped out of the room and paused to take one final look towards my neighbor’s room and noticed a gurney transporting him someplace. CT scan? MRI? Surgical procedure? I watched him being wheeled away till the gurney was out of sight. Then I left.
I replayed the expertise in my head. I used to be type of proud that I had the chutzpah to do it. It was slightly journey and a welcome diversion.
After I acquired residence, I referred to as a detailed girlfriend, Beverly, to inform her about my enjoyable fantasy and that I wrote his cellphone quantity down, however that I’d by no means contact him.
She mentioned, “I feel it’s best to.”
“I’m not going to do it. He’d suppose I used to be a stalker.”
We had a number of back-and-forths about this. The very last thing I mentioned to her was, “Why ought to I?”
“Since you by no means know.”
“Not doing it,” I mentioned loudly, hoping the topic would lastly be dropped. However what she mentioned caught in my head.
Just a few days later, throwing warning to the wind, I texted him. He texted me again: “Hello, neighbor.” A number of texts and photos later, he mentioned, “I wish to meet you.” Oh, my God.
“What do you take into account?”
“I’m a spontaneous man. How about immediately? 5? El Torito in Lengthy Seaside.”
“I will be spontaneous. El Torito is ideal. See you at 5.”
My fantasy was turning into a actuality!
Then Beverly referred to as me. “How are issues going?”
“I can’t discuss. I’m assembly him in an hour.”
“Good luck! And don’t neglect …”
“I bear in mind.” We mentioned it collectively, “You by no means know!”
I hung up and completed getting dressed, my coronary heart racing — in a great way — at what I used to be about to do.
The writer is a contract author who wrote a memoir, “My Sexual Awakening at 70,” printed on Amazon. She additionally has written three psychological suspense novels, which can be found for illustration.
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