‘Hello?’
‘Peter?!’
‘Hi, Dad.’
‘Peter! Aunty Eileen died!’
‘What? How? I thought she was okay? I thought she got out of the hospital after her operation?’
‘She did. I don’t know what happened. Joanne told Carol that she died.’
“Gosh, that’s too bad. How’s mom?’
‘She’s okay. She’s sleeping. I can’t believe it. I’m gonna miss her.’
‘Yeah. You’ve known her for many years.’
‘Hello?’
‘Hi, Peter.’
‘Hi, Mom. How are you? I’m sorry to hear about Eileen.’
‘You know I just don’t know what happened. She left the hospital and they said she was going to be okay, but now she died. You know what she told me a few days ago?’
‘What did she tell you, mom?’
‘I told her that I was happy that she was okay and she said, ‘I’m going to die.’ Just like that, she said it. ‘Im going to die.’ Like she knew that she was going to.’
‘Hmm. How are you, mom?’
‘I’m doing okay. She was a good sister to me.’
‘How’s Ivan?’
‘Ivan is devastated. He said he used to get up every morning and Eileen would make him his coffee and they would sit together. He’s going to miss that. He’s devastated. He says he wishes we still lived beside him. Joanne and Suzi are devastated. Suzi says she wishes now that she had gotten married as then her mom could have been at her wedding.’
‘Did Aunty Eileen want her to get married?’
‘No, I don’t think so. That’s just what she said. That she felt bad that she didn’t get married so her mom could have been at her wedding.’
‘Hello.’
‘Hi, Dad!’
‘Hi, Peter! How are you, today?’
‘Good. How are things with Aunty Eileen’s funeral? It’s on Thursday, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, Thursday at 2 in the afternoon at Sergeant & Sons.’
‘I think I will come.’
‘YOU WILL?! That’s great, Peter! All of Olga’s boys, all 3 boys, are coming to town. They can write it off. But you have to pay for this all by yourself, don’t you?’
‘Yep.’
‘When will you come?’
‘I will leave Wednesday early morning and should arrive in Thunder Bay at midnight. Carol will pick me up. Then I will go to the funeral with her on Thursday. I will see you there, I suppose. How are you going?’
‘Eileen is driving us.’
‘Not Eileen, Dad.’
‘Oh, yeah, right! What am I saying?! Been all messed up thinking about Eileen. Carol will come pick us up, too, at around noon.’
‘Okay. I will see you in a couple days.’
‘Hello.’
‘Hello, how are you this morning?’
‘Hi, Honey. Good! Did you make it to Thunder Bay?!’
‘Yes, I did. But what a trip! Everything was good, getting to Toronto. Always fine. But once in Toronto, the flight was delayed. First, they kept changing the gates. So, I had to walk around from this gate to that…this is Toronto, so the gates are a mile apart! After I wore my feet off, finally we settled down at the gate. It was delayed, supposed to leave at 10 to 10, and now at 10 to 11. Not too bad. Then, a flight arrived from Quebec with a team of 12 year old basketball players. They were running around, playin’. You know, how young kids are…having fun. Then, they finally announce the flight departure and we are all trying to hear amongst the kids shouting and talking…’we’d ‘ike to let ‘ou know, the flight to Thun’ ‘ay is e scheduled to ‘part from ‘ate at ey-i-ey-i o’clock’!’ FINALLY!…we get boarded. I’m in my aisle seat and there’s a guy behind me in the aisle seat, as well. Then a couple comes on, all tanned up and smiles. They are in each of the window seats next to us. Obviously, separated. The guy says to both of us, myself and the guy behind me, ‘Just wondering if either of you would be interested in switching seats, so my wife and I can sit together? No problem, if not. Just thought I’d ask.’ The guy behind me says, ‘Sorry, I need to stay in the aisle.’ I think he must have a bad knee or something, which I can also say, but I think, what the heck? I’ll be a nice guy. Right? So, I say, ‘Sure I’ll switch.’ I get up and, without looking at the guy next to me, letting me in, I slip into the window seat behind. Then the guy sits down next to me. Well, he is huge. I’d say 400 lbs. He needs an extension for his seat belt. His body leans past his seat onto mine and I am turning sideways so that he doesn’t lay onto my arm. He was a clean guy, so that was all good. I literally started counting my breaths. It’s going to be an hour and 47 minutes till we get to Thunder Bay! After 15 minutes, we hadn’t yet left. Then they announced,’Sorry folks, we just have to empty the toilet, which I’m sure you’ll want us to do, as it was full coming back from the last flight…’ ‘
All the retired boyz are flying home to Thunder Bay to pay their respects to Aunty Eileen. Mark, and Randy, and Anthony, and perhaps, Brian, and Johnny Z.
Some things bring us home when we know it’s time to go there, anyways.
It’s a long trip. It’s a long way east. From the island. There’s a time change, 3 hours.
He wants to go. He doesn’t want to go. He has to go. He doesn’t have to go.
Eileen had a good life, the obituary read. He remembers when she used to give him a ride to Baba’s house on her way to work, and on his way to work, when he was 16 and walked to work from Baba’s house. She drove a Transam! Or was it a Firebird? Aunty Eileen was cool.
Goodbye, Eileen.