D&L are not having a good time. D is still in the medical center in the biggish town about 35 miles away and he’s not improving. His ribs and collarbone are doing okay under the circumstances but his hip isn’t healing and he’s a wisp of what he was two months ago. L is understandably worried but at least now she can go visit him, right?
Except I got a call right around lunch* from Neighbor L: She was about a quarter of the way down the road between the towns coming back from the visit, a road that is the very model of “middle of nowhere,” the truck’s engine redlined and all the alarms went off, she’s now stranded beside the road and hoping to negotiate a tow sometime this calendar year.
Altogether she was stuck there for about 2 and a half hours before the flatbed showed up, brought her back to the crappy little desert town nearest where we live, and could I come get her? Well, (for reasons I don’t wish to discuss here) I couldn’t do it in my Jeep, but I could go to her place and then pick her up in her Jeep if that was all right? She said fine, so that’s just what I did. No problem. Just got back. Tobie has forgiven me.
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*The telephone actually rang, which Tobie has come to recognize as a call to action that usually involves a Jeep ride. He got very excited and I had to tell him to go lay down before I could tend to the call.
You finally cleared up your driver’s license?
Joel, you’re a good neighbor.
>for reasons I don’t wish to discuss here
Remember when we we could stay up all night, just talking? What’s happened to us?
Is it that hussy at the propane store?
Sorry to hear that about D, I’m old, I know that’s bad news. You are indeed a good neighbor.
I’m sorry to say that it’s starting to sound like D is on that slippery slope. Gawd, I hope that I’m wrong.
>which Tobie has come to recognize as a call to action
“Do you think Pavlov felt compelled to feed dogs every time a bell rang?”