i received an unknown call from cambridge this morning at 9:40am. i was going to turn off the phone but there was something about the call that seemed legitimate so i answered it. it turned out to be a call from a mt.auburn hospital surgery letting me they were finishing up with my father's hernia procedure and that a nurse would call me within an hour when my father was ready to be discharged. this seemed quick, since accordingly to schedule, my mother should've dropped my father off at the hospital at 8:30am this morning, about an hour ago. i was still in bed at the time and woke up to discover 1) GC was still at home, and 2) it was raining heavily outside. GC left minutes later, and that's when i called me mother to tell her that the hospital called. she said they actually called them earlier this morning around 7:50am, asking where my father was since they changed the schedule yet again and he was supposed to report at 7:10am.

after using the bathroom and a quick shower, i left the house wearing rain boots. the downpour didn't seem to let up. rain is also supposed to lower the temperature but this was a different weather system entirely, as it was also warm and humid outside. i made it to the cafe by 10:36am, waiting for the hospital to call back so i could leave. my mother told me my father had installed the AC in their bedroom last night, figuring after the surgery he wouldn't be able to do any heavy lifting for a while. mt.auburn finally called me back at 11:01am. i was instructed to go down the lower level of the parking garage, where there was a patient pickup location.

i left immediately but had to pull over briefly because i couldn't remember how to get to mt.auburn hospital from the cafe and had to check google maps. once i got my bearing, it took me just a few minutes to arrive at the hospital, even faster if i hadn't stopped. there was a single receptionist answering question from a man pushing a woman in a wheelchair, which ended up taking a lot longer than it should. i told the receptionist who i was here to pick up, and minutes later a nurse brought my father done in a wheelchair. i've seen a lot of family members in wheelchairs before (my grandmother, my grand uncle, even my mother), but i'd never seen my father in one. the nurse was very serious about bringing him up to the car which was parked right outside. i thought maybe my father would try to drive, but i could see he was still a little wobbly from the drugs. he said it didn't feel like he was drunk, but like all his reflexes were slow.

it was a few quick minutes before i dropped my father off in belmont. they gave him a prescription to oxycodone (just 10 tablets), but the doctor said only fill it out if he needed, otherwise just take over-the-counter pain relievers. my father showed me where they operated: above the groin near his stomach, for some reason i was thinking closer to his private parts (i honestly don't know where a hernia burst would be). all he wanted to do was sleep and crawled into bed while i left.

instead of returning to the cafe, i first went to my house to pick up the disassembled wardrobe rack (maybe if i can be salvaged if the linen cover can be washed clean, otherwise throw out) before finally returning the car. my mother let me try a saturn peach (much better than the peaches i bought from market basket, so juicy). i went to my sister's place to grab some leftover beef stew my mother said she had in the fridge. hailey was home sleeping on the sofa but ignored me when i asked her if she wanted to go outside and use the bathroom (she doesn't like going out in the rain unless it's hiking).

by the time i walked back home at 12:30pm, the rain had stopped for the time being so that i didn't need my umbrella anymore. i was admiring all the early summer flowers, which seem to be more vibrant and fragrant after a rain shower. linden trees are still in bloom, i thought they were done flowering last month, their heady aroma scenting the humid air. when i got home i weighed myself: after about a 2+ miles walk roundtrip, i was done to 144.8 lbs., the lightest (temporarily at least) i've been in probably over a year. this is something i say all the time (more to myself than anyone else) but i usually lose some weight in the summertime because i'm more active. unfortunately my annual physicals are always scheduled during the winter, when i'm at my physical worst.