The first few times I dropped in on Mike after we’d met, he seemed a little skittish. He was on his way somewhere, or had only a few minutes before he had something else to do. I felt a little awkward, but also a little determined: I wanted to be his friend. But I should not have assumed he felt the same. This hit me, finally, after a week or so. The next time I saw him, I told him that I realized I was just dropping in when I had a free hour or so in my schedule – his life was his life, and he needed to do what he wanted when he wanted, not just adapt to when I popped up unexpectedly. Basically, I gave him a chance to dump me, and he didn’t. Instead, I learned to tell him when I planned to be back—and ask him whether he’d like me to stop in.
We’d have some good conversations, and I was learning a lot about him. I’d taken my son down to meet him. But I still wasn’t sure where I stood. Then came The Quarantine.
Mike called me at home for the first time. "Did you hear about the quarantine?" he asked.
Diarrhea and vomiting were going around, he said, and someone had to go to the hospital, and now the whole place was shut to visitors until it cleared up.
Oh, great. We had just been there two days earlier. I was so sure we had Swine Flu, I worked myself into an instant fever.
Before he hung up, Mike told me something that warmed my heart, in addition to my now-heated brow.
"I don’t care about too many people," Mike said. "But you two mean a lot to me, and I want you to stay healthy."
Now I had the sniffles, too. But they were happy ones. Until the bug hit the next morning: I did catch the dreaded norovirus, but I’d also made a friend.
We’d have some good conversations, and I was learning a lot about him. I’d taken my son down to meet him. But I still wasn’t sure where I stood. Then came The Quarantine.
Mike called me at home for the first time. "Did you hear about the quarantine?" he asked.
Diarrhea and vomiting were going around, he said, and someone had to go to the hospital, and now the whole place was shut to visitors until it cleared up.
Oh, great. We had just been there two days earlier. I was so sure we had Swine Flu, I worked myself into an instant fever.
Before he hung up, Mike told me something that warmed my heart, in addition to my now-heated brow.
"I don’t care about too many people," Mike said. "But you two mean a lot to me, and I want you to stay healthy."
Now I had the sniffles, too. But they were happy ones. Until the bug hit the next morning: I did catch the dreaded norovirus, but I’d also made a friend.