Some Bunny Is Sick
What was supposed to be the beginning of a wonderful weekend, ended up with a plot twist part way through. In the middle of the night my husband woke me with a start. He yelled for me saying something was wrong with him. My husband rarely gets ill. He looked absolutely ashen, I had never seen that colouring on him before. He was cold and clammy. All of a sudden he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. I panicked and woke up my daughters. My first thought was a heart attack. Give my youngest credit as she had been watching some First Aid videos for school and immediately said we should give my husband an aspirin. She was much calmer in the situation that I was at the moment.
My husband assured us he did not think it was a heart attack. Still he was quite ill and I was quite worried. So I kept waking him frequently. Several hours later I began to feel ill myself. I figured it was maybe a delayed reaction from being stressed. But my stomach pains continued to get worse and worse. It quickly became evident that we both had food poisoning. A bad case of food poisoning. (Not that there’s actually a good case of it ever.)
Now having both of us so ill was not a good thing. Our daughters had not come out with us to eat the day before. They were spared this agony. My husband and I kept saying we were beyond thankful the girls were not sick and old enough to take care of themselves and the pets for the day. We were definitely not able to care for anyone, barely even ourselves. I think before any couple can get married they have to pass the “sick together” test. Because seeing each other in such a state definitely is a testament to true love. Forget the flowers and chocolate. True love means holding your loved one’s head over a porcelain bowl.
Laying in bed, barely able to form complete sentences, I felt guilty because my daughters were left by themselves for the day. I had a huge list of things to get and prepare for our Easter celebration the next day. As well, I was supposed to leave Sunday evening to enjoy a few days on a writing get away. These now seemed impossible. I tend to be a control freak so when things are out of control, it’s a bad feeling…a good lesson for me, but not a pleasant one.
At 5pm I started to wonder how they were doing. You see they were both a little squeamish to come near us in the state we were in. Yes, we were that scary. At one point I had laid my face down on the cool tiles in the bathroom and I could hear my husband call out from his bathroom, “Girls! Go check on your mom!” Apparently they played best out of five, “Paper, Rock, Scissors” and the loser had to check on me.
Then my youngest came into our room an hour later. “Don’t worry about making us supper cause I ordered in pizza. I also have a list of all the restaurants for Skip the Dishes in case you are sick tomorrow.” (Please note there were lots of groceries in our pantry for them to cook) I lifted my poor aching head off the pillow. “You ordered in supper?” At that moment I didn’t even want to think about food. “Yep! We also did the dishes and tidied up.”
Hmmmm. I was impressed, but mostly thankful. It’s at these moments as a parent where you see your children show their independence. Gone are the days of cutting up grapes and wiping down high chairs. They were able to phone in an order for pizza, provide proper instructions, give the correct money (they even used their own money) and included a tip.
Mind you, there are still many lessons to be learned. One such lesson was that every so often come and offer your ill parents water or a cool cloth. Also, if your parents are violently sick, maybe open the windows so the smell of popcorn you are making to watch a movie doesn’t waft upstairs to the bedroom making them more nauseous. And just because your parents are too incoherent to notice the time, don’t think you should stay up till midnight watching movies together. Mind you, it was sweet hearing their laughter downstairs while they enjoyed each other’s company.
So the next morning we still were quite ill. I woke to hearing my daughter on the phone to my mom giving her all the details. And I do mean ALL. She then said, “So now, Grandma, I guess we won’t get to go to church or get any Easter treats. But it’s ok. It was just a little sad looking on Instagram at my friends dressed up and having their Easter egg hunts.” Ugh! The guilt. But when I was up and a little more coherent I did assure my daughter that Easter would be coming to our house but a week later.
I made it to my hotel room Sunday night, barely functioning. I must have looked a mess when checking in. Not only was I still ill and not able to eat anything but I had broke my glasses a couple of days before and had not been able to take them to be fixed. Because I could not see to repair them (my eyesight is that bad) my daughter used a glue gun to mend them for me. A LARGE quantity of glue was used. Give her credit for resourcefulness. However, I was quite the sight for sore eyes. Why didn’t I just stay home, you ask? Because the reservation was not refundable. The time away was a lovely birthday gift from my parents and husband that I had not yet used and I could not see it go to waste. So I crawled into bed. A beautiful King sized bed all to myself and slept the entire night.
Today I woke up feeling a little better but definitely not a 100 percent. My husband took the day off work as he was still not fully functioning either. It was a weekend to remember and not one we will soon forget. But tomorrow is a new day and I am looking forward to curling up in my room and doing some writing on my novel. Easter celebrating will come when I get home. Any day is a good day to celebrate Easter and the risen Lord. And on the positive side…the Easter treats are now 50% off! There’s always something to be thankful for.
So may your week be filled with chocolate eggs and your heart with gratitude.
Love,
Nikki
Nikki Bergstresser 
“Every cloud has a silver lining.” An old expression came to mind.
🌈
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