Self,
Ok now that it's understood that my dad and grandmother are in the hospital, but recovering and doing well, I have to speak on the "craziness" my father caused.
Set the scene. So Friday I get a call mid-morning from my cousin telling me that my grandmother is back in the hospital, that my dad hasn't been released from his hospital visit and that surprise, she's here in California. She also informs me that she would be going to see our grandmother shortly and that she basically expected to see me that evening. Obviously, all this lets me know that I should go to my parents' house after work rather than just going home. Not too long after that I get a call from my mom telling me that she is going to pick up her car from the dealer after having visited both my dad and my grandmother and was trying to coordinate our arrivals at the house.
So after work I sit through rush hour traffic on the I-405 to get to my parents house. Everyone arrived at different times, so some time has passed before I found out how each of our patients were doing. However it is determined that there is enough time before visiting hours at both hospitals end that I can make a visit. They intentionally did not tell my dad that my cousin was in town so the plan was that she would go with me to surprise him then we would then go see our grandmother who would be surpised that my cousin was making a second visit and that I was able to come along.
As BigCuz and I gets ready to go, my mom gets up and rumages through a grocery bag and hands me a Orange flavored Hostess cupcakes package and says, "Here, your dad wanted a Zinger but I didn't go to the store and I'll just have to replace this for your brother later." Being a good wife, she remembers that there's a box of his favorite flavored Triscut crackers in the pantry, so she decides to sends that to him also and put both items in a small bag.
BigCuz and I ride Thunderbolt to the hospital where my dad is located. We make it to my dad's room. I walked in first and then my cousin and he is pleased to see us. We exchange greetings, I tell him that we on our way to also go see our grandma, so we won't be able to stay long. At some point I remember the bag of goodies, so I reach in it and pulls out the Cupcakes and tells him that mom sent it to him. He looks at it, kinda frowns and hands it back. "That's not what I asked for, I want the Zinger with the coconut flakes."
I take it back and return it to the bag and pulls out the crackers, and said, "Well, she sent this too."
"Nah, I don't want them neither." I just put the crackers back in the bag. We chat a bit more and then we say are farewells so that we have time to make it to see my grandmother.
BigCuz and I get down the hallway and she starts laughing, "Not only was the crackers not satisfactory, but neither was the cupcakes and your mom had stolen them at that." Of course, I start laughing with her. We go down the road a spell to another hospital to visit my grandma, afterwards, we stop at BevMo to get some libations for everyone at the house, then go back to my parents house. We all have a good laugh about my dad and the stolen cupcakes when I retell the story to my mom and aunt. I was ordered to stay the night due to the late hour and the cocktails.
Remember I went straight to my parents house right after work so I had no clothes but the funky one's I wore at work on Friday. I plan to make the drive home and back to continue hanging out with my cousin and to slip in another visit to the family patients. It's suggested that I instead go down the street to Target and buy some extra clothes rather than drive all the way back to Glendale. So BigCuz and I head out making a stop for her at the bank and then Target for me. Just as I park Thunderbolt in the lot at Target, I get a call from my brother asking me to get him something from Target and my mom wanting some sodas that are on sale there. Okay. So my cousin and I walk through the store, I find me some shorts, T-shirts, underwear, toothbrush and other toiletries. The we walk over to the grocery section to find the sodas. I put the four 12-packs on the cart and we start to walk towards the cashiers. What aisle do we start down, the one with all the snacks.
I think my cousin planned it, because out of her mouth comes, "[Pharaoh,] You should be a good son and find some Zingers for your sick pappy!" I start to argue, but I realize my arguement is based on being cheap and not wanting to spend more money than necessary. So I give in and look for the damn Zingers. So I search the shelf and don't find any coconut but they do have Zingers - vanilla. I buy them, its a box of 10-12. We return to the house to find out that my uncle, his girlfriend, their daughter (the youngest grandchild,) and the girlfriend's mother are there and are planning to go see my grandma in the hospital along with my grandfather and aunt. In order not to overwhelm the hospital with too many guests at once, my mom, my brother, my cousin and I decide to go visit my father first then go see my grandma. And yes the newly purchased Zingers are going with us too.
We get to the hospital find my dad out in the parking lot in a wheelchair smoking a cigar. Greetings are exchanged and I pull out the Zingers and hands them to my dad. He looks at the box, frowns and says, "No that not it, but hey leave them at the house and I'll eat them when I get home." I put the bax back in the bag and think to myself I knew I shouldn't have wasted money on them. We go inside because it's a little breezy and stop in one of the waiting areas to continue our visit. While we sitting there one of my dad's friends who was visiting his mother on a different floor walks over to us. He sits and visits for a while then my mom and dad decide to follow him upstairs to see the friend's mom. While they are upstairs, the three of us just chat a bit more. Eventually I decides to tear into the box of Zingers and take one out for myself. My brother asks for one. About that time, my parents come back and see we opened the Zingers. My mom wants one, but my dad refuses.
We decides it's about time to go so we can see my grandma, and my dad asks us to help get out of the wheelchair and back in to his bed, so we follow him back to his room. Just as we get him settled, my uncle, his girlfriend, their daughter (Lil-Bit,) and the girlfriend's mother come walking into the room. So Lil-Bit is being real talkative with my dad. That's when I remember the box of Zingers. I try to be respectful of the parent/child relationship so I make a point of asking Lil-Bit's mom on the sly, if it is ok with her if Lil-Bit has a Zinger. She says, "Sure it's ok, but I'm not sure if he likes them, but I do." I preceed to hand her one, then my uncle, that's when Lil-Bit turns and I had her one, and then I offer one to my uncle's quasi-mother-in-law. Then my dad asks for one for later and places it on the bedside table. Shortly after that we all say farewell to my dad and leave.
When I finally leave my parents house taking my cousin back to LAX and then continuing to my place in Glendale, there were two Zingers left. I'm Not sure who will enjoy them. But sometime on Saturday after we left my father, my brother found the "Right" Zingers and they should but a smile on the old man's face.
Sincerely,
Pharaoh
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