Hick had another phone call this week. It was the daughter who had just moved her mother in. She had been paying for the apartment for two months, but just now moved. Daughter said the toilet was leaking. She had already left, but wanted Hick to know.
Hick drove to town, and I delayed his supper. He got there, and the door was unlocked. He figured the Daughter had taken her mom somewhere. He knocked and nobody answered, so he went in. And saw a purse sitting there. He hollered, "I'm coming in." And the old lady said, "Just a minute. I'm getting out of the shower."
Hick went back out, startled, and waited for her to come to the door. He checked out the bathroom. Said the rubber seal between the tank and the toilet must have deteriorated with the toilet not being used for a while. It didn't leak continuously, but only when flushed. He went back the next day and replaced it.
Hick noticed that the woman didn't have any kitchen furniture.
"I have that table I used at the flip houses, for running my saw. And I have four chairs I got when the dentist office closed. So I got them and put them in. I called the Daughter, and said, 'If you don't want them, I'll take them out. But she has a table and chairs to eat at now.' The Daughter thanked me and said that was nice.
I feel so bad for some of these old people. It's like their family shoves them off and doesn't want to do anything. This one old lady was worried that her cashier's check wouldn't be good. She's been there a couple months, and has always paid on time. But she said that she called her bank, and the money wasn't in her account. I told her it's a cashier's check! They wouldn't have given it to her if she didn't have the money. It will be fine. She said she had called her daughter, worried about it, and the daughter said, 'You'll have to deal with it, Mom. I didn't have anything to do with it.' Which seems kind of mean. The lady was really worried."
Sometimes, I think you can't actually pay Hick what he's worth.
In spite of all the shenanigans, Hick really is worth his weight in gold. I know that if I was put in such a place my kids would make sure I had everything I needed. They might not visit often but they would make sure I was okay with text messages.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Hick is worth the shenanigans. You are so fortunate to have kids who care about you. Some of these elderlies seem like a bother to their adult offspring.
DeleteThey will be old themselves one day and maybe reap what they are now sowing.
DeleteYes, I believe they will.
Delete:( I see lots of older folks with no one to help them, it is so sad. Sometimes you don't know what the relationship is like either. But Hick really is worth his weight in gold.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. My dad and his mom had a falling-out over her divorce from his father, and didn't speak for years. It was sad. She always came to visit, and brought him birthday and Christmas gifts. He'd go out the back door as she came in the front. At least they patched things up before he died.
DeleteHick can only increase in value!
Hick is a good guy! It is awful when you get old and all your family is a generation younger than you are. They probably don't mean to make you feel like you are a bother and they will not understand until they are in the same situation. My daughter ran away when she was 14 and the church members would tell me that they were "praying for understanding" (meaning they were wondering what you did as a parent to make your child run away), I told one particular person that had me cornered that she should be careful about what she prayed for, because understanding came through experience. She looked a little non-plussed as if she couldn't get what I was saying. Now, some 40 years later, I wonder if her life has taught her how to understand.
ReplyDeleteI am guessing that she indeed was dealt a dose of "understanding."
Delete