The internet was down in our little village today. All satellite connections, telephone
(landlines and cells), and interac were not working. It was strange.
Business owners were standing outside with nothing to do, I bought a
purchase with a handshake, (you can do that in a little town) and we actually
had to walk to a neighbour’s house for a chat instead of via facebook.
So, midmorning, Little Miss and I went a few blocks over for
tea at a friend’s house. I walked,
she ran back and forth. We had
planned it weeks ago, but were unable to double check with all communications
down. I explained to Little Miss
that our friend may not be there, and that it will be nice just to go out for a
stroll. I had a note in my back
pocket to leave in case we missed her.
Again, I couldn’t send an email.
We were excited to see her van in the drive. We rang the doorbell and peered through
the side window, looking into the foyer.
The lights were off but we could see her infant car seat sitting there
empty.
“She has to be there.” I said, “Maybe she’s in the
bathroom.” (It’s happened before).
We rang the bell a couple more times, but no one came. I looked again through the window and
noticed a few more things. Her
shoes were there, as was a small pile of dirt that had obviously been swept up
but not lifted into the trash. I
could see a light shining up from the basement. Alarm bells went off in my mind.
You need to understand that I have a bit of a superhero
complex. (I know that teenagers
have the same “complex” but mine is a bit different). While theirs is the “I’m never going to get hurt” idea, mine
is the “let’s save the day” idea. I
constantly go over in my mind different scenarios in which I would save
someone’s life. A lost elderly
woman, a cat stuck in a tree, a car going down in the lake – you know, all of
the normal things. In fact, I have
spent numerous Sunday mornings asking myself, “If our pastor were to clutch his
heart and fall to the ground, how would I save him?” I’d look at who was in
council that morning, where his wife was, whether my cell phone was on, and
come up with an action plan.
So at the front door of my dear friend’s house, I decided
there had to be something wrong. A
gas leak maybe, or perhaps she’d fallen.
I tried the doorknob and it was unlocked. I poked my head in. It didn’t smell like gas. I called. No
answer. Does she always leave her
door open? I keep calling,
wandering to the stairs. I tell
Little Miss to stay at the front door.
As I look around, I see various lamps on, breakfast dishes out, and a
vacuum cleaner that looked like it was about to start.
Had the rapture happened, and I’d been left behind?
I moved towards the bedrooms, still calling, wondering why I
didn’t hear a baby crying.
Suddenly, through a partly open door, I see his little face lying on the
bed. He lifts his little face and
gives me a big smile. It was then
that I see a person, covered up, lying beside him. “Shit,” I think, “What am I going to do?” Would a baby be that happy if he was
lying beside a corpse?
And, in the few seconds it took for me to change my mind,
and tiptoe back into the hall, the corpse opened her eyes, jerked her head up
in my direction and gave a silent scream.
As my blood pressure dropped, and my heart skipped a beat, I realized that this is why we have internet and cell phones. We do not live in the dark ages, we do not just “drop by” unannounced. We facebook! We email! We twitter! We allow ourselves the freedom to leave our front doors unlocked, and to fall asleep
halfway through housecleaning.
Thankfully, my friend sits up and starts to laugh. "Would you like some tea?" she asks.
Just then, Little Miss (who was supposed to waiting at the front door) wanders into the
bedroom. “Hey, look mom, they have
a Justin Beiber doll!” And his latest tune, playing from his belly button, helps calm the atmosphere.
I'm officially hanging up my cape.
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