Monday, June 04, 2007

Tumors, Pork Chops, and Blueberry Buckle

I had a chance to see some old friends again this weekend when Calypso and I went out to central Pennsylvania for the graduation of a dear friend's son. We had a very scenic and meandering drive out there and it was just so beautiful.

My friend and I haven't seen each other nearly as often as we'd like over the last many years. Every time we get together though it's like no time has passed. She's quite the story teller and loves to tell the story of how we met 20 years ago.

As she tells it...(just imagine a very giggly an animated reading and you'll have it right)

Well, Paulie and I wanted to make babies and we tried to make babies for a long time and didn't get anywhere with that even though we'd been holding hands for like six years and everything. I mean we didn't even wear gloves or anything! Then my belly grew huge like there really was a baby in there, only problem was, it was a tumor and not a baby. And so I just saw the doctor and he told me, 'We're gonna take out yer tumor and a bunch of yer insides and the bits you need to make babies, oh, and yer probably still gonna die anyway.' And so I was kinda a little traumatized by all this, and my belly hurt and I couldn't walk. but we were supposed to have dinner with the Smith's and I sorta wanted to not think about having half my insides pulled out and not making babies and maybe dying anyway, so I made dessert and we went to the Smiths.

So we pulled up to their house and no lights are on and the door is locked and we knocked anyway and they come down in bathrobes and said, 'Why are you here?' 'Well, we brought dessert for dinner, like we agreed.' the Smith's said, 'Nooooooo, that is next week.' So we said goodbye and got in the car with our blueberry buckle and asked ourselves who would like dessert? Oh, we know! College students! Mr. Lime likes dessert! We know him and we know he can eat. We hope his fiancee likes dessert and doesn't mind unannounced visitors. So we drove to their apartment and Paulie walked up the three flights of stairs with dessert in hand and I waited in the car in case they said no, because my belly hurt and I was kinda in shock and all and didn't really want to walk up there until I knew they wanted dessert. They said dessert sounded good, come on in.

So Paulie came back down and helped me up 3 flights of stairs with my huge hurty belly that had tumors in it instead of babies and the guys went and did whatever guys do and I sat in the kitchen while Michelle was cooking dinner...because they were college students and they ate late and they were only now getting around to cooking. And Michelle said, do you like pork chops and I nodded blankly so she pulled more of them out to cook and she made pork chops while I sat in her kitchen and cried my eyes out
....IwannamakebabiesbutnowIhavetumorsandtheirgonnagutme
likeadeerbythesideoftheroad andtheysaidI'mgonnadieanyway... WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! and Michelle who never ever met me before let me bawl like a baby in my kitchen and she fed me and brought me tissues and she gave me some hugs and she let me rant and rave and bawl some more and she didn't even act like I was some sort of crazy woman escaped from the asylum. She just listened quietly. (Here is where I break in and remind the listener during the telling of the story that I had no idea what to do, that there was no great wisdom in me, that I was just aching for this poor lady in my kitchen who I never met who but who was obviously needing to dump a great load. I just figured if she was in such shock she'd tell all that to a stranger then it was just my job to listen until she was done and just be there, oh and feed her since she'd had no dinner. Well, and I kinda had no answers for this lady crying in my kitchen so why even try to fake it, just listen. Better to be silent and thought stupid than to open my mouth and remove all doubt kinda thinking.)

So she made good pork chops and she said I made good Blueberry Buckle for dessert and a few weeks later they gutted me like a deer and they said I was gonna live after all and many weeks after that I went to Michelle's wedding and wore pantyhose on my hurty belly or the first time just for her wedding because she fed me pork chops and let me bawl in her kitchen. And we've been good friends ever since. The end. (Always punctuated by her throwing her head back and laughing like a loon and giving me a hug)

Epilogue by Lime:
I'm so glad she took a risk on crying in my kitchen. I'm so glad she lived. We've shared so many laughs and tears since that first time. I had the joy of seeing her and her husband adopt and raise 3 wonderful children. Seeing one of them graduate this weekend and spending time together was an absolute joy.

28 comments:

Hypersonic said...

Now this is why I blog. Thanks Michelle.

S said...

...(just imagine a very giggly an animated reading and you'll have it right..)

Omigod, Ilovedthatstoryanditkindofremindedmeofmealittlebit! Not the hurty belly part, but the animated part....

What a totaly cute story, Lime, I loved it, and I could totally imagine what this gal must be like.
I'm glad she got her kids....however she got em, mailorder is fine! :P

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed reading about your friend and you.
Wonderful post lime.
tc

Phaedrous said...

Good story, Lime. I like how it came out.

PS I got a roman numeral word verification. I'm sure it's the key to the da vinci code. Here it is:

xvvxwvl

Anonymous said...

You, Michelle, are a very good friend and that doesnt surprise any of us ever. GREAT blog and a wonderful ending.

jillie said...

That is such a wonderful story and sometimes silence IS golden.

Thanks for sharing ;o)

Logophile said...

Good times, glad you two could make it over there for that, good friends, no matter how you come by them are what makes life worthwhile.

Anonymous said...

Aaawwww -- that's such a bittersweet story.

Ditto what Logo said.

Charles said...

lime,
See? That's the kind of thing that those in the know, think is wonderful about you.

Paul Champagne said...

graduations are a great excuse to visit ... glad you got to take advantage.

Sheri said...

What a fabulous and beautiful story! I'm envious of anyone who knows you IRL becuase I think you'd be one of the most interesting people ever. What a big heart you have to help your friend the way you did..... even though at the time, you had no idea.

The road to motherhood can be a bumpy, scary journey for some. I'm glad your friend had you to help her along the way.

Breazy said...

Wow, great story Lime, thanks for sharing it with us!

lecram sinun said...

Some kinda wonderful that story is. :)

Jim said...

Nothing beats good friends.

And I'm so glad to know that someone else out there knows what "blueberry buckle" is . . .

Can I get a scoop of Breyer's vanilla on mine, please?

XO

airplanejayne said...

I KNEW you were a great friend, and this just proves that you've always been a great one.

wonderful!!!

Anonymous said...

awwww Jeez!! You made me cry.
I watched my girlfriend and her husband baptize their adopted son this weekend. What a blessing it is to know and see in action love and families in all sorts of packaging!! :D

What a great story of friendship! She truly needed an ear, little did she know her whole heart would soon be shared as well. What a blessing friendships are!

ps my wordveri is not a DaVinci code but it may have something to do with Colonel Sanders:
UFKFC

G-Man said...

You Rock Trini!!
You are a great friend..
Thanks for the glimpse into your past..xoxox

Moosekahl said...

Okay, you made me cry on Monday already! Not to sound cliche' but it was all met to be, uh? Thank you for sharing the story...

barman said...

That is what friends are all about. And I have a feeling that is what you are all about. That brought such a tear and a big smile to my face.

I know what it is like. My best friends used to live in Michigan. I had been fired from my job so I ended up spending the weekend with them. Not much was said but they were there when I needed a distraction or when I needed to talk. That was an amazing weekend to me even though we didn't do anything special.

We do not talk every day or every week but we still get along super. We have been friends for 32 years.

Anonymous said...

Wow. That definitely wasn't light reading.

Yes, good thing she lived.

Well, you obviously have good listening skills. One of the few. It's something folks appreciate when they get older, and when they get a lot older, they don't take that for granted (assuming they grew wiser with age which doesn't always happen).

Jacob said...

Croly HAP! I feel like I just got off the phone with LOGO!!! Or you, even! Speaking of which, you need to call me again because I lost your number.

And another thing: It's hard to write a big long sentence without punctuating it, now isn't it? Yeah, I know.

And another thing: You are wonderful, Limers. You are a fleck of God's golden gift of love itself.

barman said...

Wow, I had no idea what Blueberry Buckle was. Now I do. I just found a recipe so I must give it a try. Of course people at work are hooked on Blueberry Stuff and this will most likely be a disappointment but hey, beggars can's be choosers.

Thanks for planting that in my head with this lovely story. You know you just might have that story telling jean yourself. I think you do.

Shari said...

Lime, great post. What a sweet beginning of a beautiful relationship.

That's wonderful that she adopted.

Thanks for sharing. I can glimpse a caring listener in you. There is such a thing as listening without interupting that is great for certain situations where the person just needs to unload-no advice or opinions. Just needing someone to listen with some encouraging nods.

Mona said...

ha! now this kind seems so familiar! I have noticed you meet some of the best ppl you know quite by accident!

LMAO @ the tirade. That is super hilarious. I love every bit of this BLUEberry pie! Lol

The Teacup Cottage said...

What a cute story! It was a great start to my day! I'm glad they were able to adopt children and have a family. My family has adopted children in nearly every section of the family. In fact my brother and I are the only grandkid's born the natural way!

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

Sometimes listening is the best gift you can give. A great start to a friendship and a wonderful story.

Cosima said...

Listening... really listening takes great skill. Add food to the equation ;), and it is absolutely no wonder that the two of you became such great friends.

TorAa said...

Touching story - and so glad she and her hubby adopted and have their kids on their own.