1/
Grady Wards
Him: "You know? My friend had a heart attack just like me. Just a year older than me. He died. My tight man, too."
Me: "Wow."
His brother was sitting in a bedside chair and chimed in.
Brother: "And don't forget the dude from the car wash.”
Grady Wards
Him: "You know? My friend had a heart attack just like me. Just a year older than me. He died. My tight man, too."
Me: "Wow."
His brother was sitting in a bedside chair and chimed in.
Brother: "And don't forget the dude from the car wash.”
2/
Brother: “Wasn't even 50. Left a wife and 4 kids behind."
Him: "Ahh man. I forgot about that. He was good people, too.”
Brother: "Oh yeah."
Him: *snaps finger* “And remember ol' dude from The Sopranos? He died from a heart attack, too. Young."
He shook his head and sighed.
Brother: “Wasn't even 50. Left a wife and 4 kids behind."
Him: "Ahh man. I forgot about that. He was good people, too.”
Brother: "Oh yeah."
Him: *snaps finger* “And remember ol' dude from The Sopranos? He died from a heart attack, too. Young."
He shook his head and sighed.
3/
The room fell awkwardly silent after that. I guess something about mentioning Tony Soprano seemed to make the possibility of death seem more real. His eyes started glistening and his face cloaked over with grief.
He turned his head away, hoping his brother wouldn't notice.
The room fell awkwardly silent after that. I guess something about mentioning Tony Soprano seemed to make the possibility of death seem more real. His eyes started glistening and his face cloaked over with grief.
He turned his head away, hoping his brother wouldn't notice.
4/
After a few beats of silence, I spoke.
Me: "You know what? My dad had a massive heart attack at 56."
He glanced up at me, permitting me to add another sad story to the library of cardiac sorrows.
Me: "He had to have an emergency quadruple bypass and everything."
After a few beats of silence, I spoke.
Me: "You know what? My dad had a massive heart attack at 56."
He glanced up at me, permitting me to add another sad story to the library of cardiac sorrows.
Me: "He had to have an emergency quadruple bypass and everything."
5/
Him: "Damn! 56? That's close to my age. Your daddy?”
Me: “Yep.”
Him: “Aaaah, I hate hearing that. That's fucked up."
*silence*
Me: "You know? My daddy is still living. He's in his late 70s now.”
Him: "He's alive?"
Me: "He is."
Him: "Damn! 56? That's close to my age. Your daddy?”
Me: “Yep.”
Him: “Aaaah, I hate hearing that. That's fucked up."
*silence*
Me: "You know? My daddy is still living. He's in his late 70s now.”
Him: "He's alive?"
Me: "He is."
6/
Me: *shrug* "Yeah. That was like 20 years ago."
He knit his brow and took in a big drag of air.
Him: "Um. . so. . .is your daddy. . . like. . . sickly?"
Sickly?
I saw him look over at his brother again, both of them bracing themselves for my answer.
Hmmm.
Me: *shrug* "Yeah. That was like 20 years ago."
He knit his brow and took in a big drag of air.
Him: "Um. . so. . .is your daddy. . . like. . . sickly?"
Sickly?
I saw him look over at his brother again, both of them bracing themselves for my answer.
Hmmm.
7/
I took my phone out of my pocket, scrolled to a photo of my dad, and held it up.
Me: "No, sir. He is not."
He studied that screen. His brother stood up and looked over his shoulder.
Brother: "This is recent?"
Me: "Yep."
Brother: "Damn, Pops look good!"
*laughter*
I took my phone out of my pocket, scrolled to a photo of my dad, and held it up.
Me: "No, sir. He is not."
He studied that screen. His brother stood up and looked over his shoulder.
Brother: "This is recent?"
Me: "Yep."
Brother: "Damn, Pops look good!"
*laughter*
8/
Him: "Whew. So your daddy had a heart attack 20 years ago and he still okay?”
His voice cracked when he got to the end of that sentence.
Him: “Thank you for telling me that, hear?”
Brother: *rubbing his shoulder* “Seem like don't nobody ever share the good news, do they?"
Him: "Whew. So your daddy had a heart attack 20 years ago and he still okay?”
His voice cracked when he got to the end of that sentence.
Him: “Thank you for telling me that, hear?”
Brother: *rubbing his shoulder* “Seem like don't nobody ever share the good news, do they?"
9/
"Seem like don’t nobody ever share the good news, do they?"
I stuck those words on a mental post-it note and vowed to remember them.
Whew.
You know? Sometimes the news is bad. And Lord knows the longer we live, the more bad stories we have.
But sometimes, it's not bad.
"Seem like don’t nobody ever share the good news, do they?"
I stuck those words on a mental post-it note and vowed to remember them.
Whew.
You know? Sometimes the news is bad. And Lord knows the longer we live, the more bad stories we have.
But sometimes, it's not bad.
10/
And those stories need to get told, too.
The story of the person who lived to tell. Of the patient who did okay after that cardiac arrest. And the full recoveries.
Yes. Awful happens. But good does, too.
I’m grateful for this reminder. Especially now.
Yeah.
💛
And those stories need to get told, too.
The story of the person who lived to tell. Of the patient who did okay after that cardiac arrest. And the full recoveries.
Yes. Awful happens. But good does, too.
I’m grateful for this reminder. Especially now.
Yeah.
💛
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