Make it two Xanax please

So I'm at work....just returned from a quick lunch with my T....and getting ready for an appointment. The cell rings (no signal of course so I can't answer it) and it goes to voice mail. The annoying chime/song/beeping thing goes off telling me I have a message. So I go outside where earlier I did get a signal and check my mail. It's a lady from a Hearing Aid store telling that my mom's been in an "slight" accident and would I call her as soon as possible. By this time I'm already on my way back inside to use a land line to return the call and the office line's ringing. Caller ID shows the same number as from my cell. It's the hearing aid lady. "Oh, hon, hold on a sec Fire Rescue wants to talk to you."

Long story short the "slight" accident was my mom being sideswiped, flipping her car, and her crawling out of the car. "She's doing fine", says fire rescue lady, "but she won't go to the ER to get checked out". I'm all like, "This is a 80 year old woman who was flipped in a car and you're calling me to tell me that she won't go to the ER? Are you serious?" F.R. lady tells me that so long as she's coherent they can't take her against her will. "Ok, then. You tell her I said she better get to that ER. Now." This banter went on for 5 full minutes until I get the phone-nod from F.R. lady that she agreed to go. Jesus....Enough already!

I call my baby and we head take off. We get to to the ER and she's OK. Some abrasions, a slight concussion, but her car is totaled. The police arrived at the ER with the incident report one told me that was she not in an SUV she'd not have survived. Then they ticketed her for failure to yield. She was crossing traffic and cut in front of someone. As if this isn't bad enough this is the THIRD accident in less than eight months she's had. She was cited on the first one....and now the third one. She literally got her car back from accident number two like a month ago. The police were very gentle with her when citing her. I mean how could you be mean to a little old lady on a stretcher in an ER?

Lady officer tells me that with three accidents in less than a year mom is likely going to be dropped by her insurance. Then she proceeds to tell me that my mom may even have her license revoked. The doctor tells me that in the CT scan that there is evidence of a stroke. It looks old but it's there. He also said that if everyone over age 40 were to have a thorough CT scan that as many as 4 out of 5 people will show some evidence of a slight stroke. I never knew that. Apparently, it happens as we get older and we don't even realize it. The brain feels no pain. Whoa. Nothing but good news.

She's home now and doing fine. Naturally, she's shook up but she's already talking about what kind of car she wants to get to replace the one she's just crashed. I am so not looking forward having the "you may lose your right to drive" discussion. She is a very alert and smart lady but if Johhny Law tellers her it's over then I have to believe she'll accept it gracefully. She isn't going to want to risk her own life driving and beyond that she would never want to risk harming someone else. But boy is my life going to change.....

Watching a parent age is a privilege and a bitch at the same time.