Sandwiched
The text came at 11:15 last Friday morning.
“Hi, Amy, do you think we can stop by and visit your mother today?”
My heart jumped to see it was a text from Bev, Mom’s dear friend and former neighbor in Mishawaka. Bev and her husband Joe used to visit Mom regularly when their son lived in Central Indiana. However, he had moved away recently and they hadn’t been in the area for over a year.
“YES!” I typed enthusiastically, “What time?”
“Around 12:15.”
Uh oh, I thought. That was close to Hair Appointment Time. Why do I capitalize that phrase? To many elderly ladies, this concept is sacred. Every Friday, thousands of hair salons around the country see older women for their weekly hair appointment. Ask any hair stylist. Trust me.
It is the highlight of their week. It’s not just their time to get gorgeous. It’s their reason to get out of the house, or in Mom’s case, assisted living facility, and gossip – er, socialize – and enjoy the presence of other ladies.
I knew this surprise visit would mean the world to my mama. I also knew that she could probably request a later time slot at the salon in her facility vs. her regular beauty shop.
So I made the quick, bold decision to … gulp … cancel the Hair Appointment.
“Sure, Bev, she’s got a hair appointment but I’ll cancel it. I won’t tell her, though, so you can make this a surprise,” I typed. “Just let her know about the appointment.”
I was practically giddy about this visit and it took everything in my power to be disciplined to stay at home to get my work done. I wanted to be the fly on the wall to see the look on my mom’s face! See, when I know someone I love is going to get a wonderful surprise I’m like a little kid. And when it’s my mom, who’s done so much for me over the years, I’m 10 times more excited.
I waited to get the call from Mom later that afternoon to get the details about the surprise. However, Mom didn’t call. Impatiently I texted Bev who said they had a wonderful visit filled with lots of laughter. My heart leaped once again.
When I visited Mom last Sunday, I asked her if I made the right call about canceling the hair appointment. As she looked up at me with a glow on her face, I knew before she even spoke that I had.