A Sad Anniversary

 It was May 25, 2021 -- two years ago tomorrow. Wifey had thankfully survived her stroke, and completed four days in the hospital at Baptist and three weeks inpatient therapy at Jackson. She was making nice strides -- some at home PT followed, and then some more outpatient held at the new hotel next to Baptist.

Covid was still around, but we were fully vaxxed, and less worried than we were months before. We had settled into a routine -- Wifey was still unable to drive -- I would take her to the PT at Baptist, and walk around the lake in front, along Kendall Drive. After PT we would drive to the Palace, and visit with her mother -- still in the ALF part of the Palace, but fading. After the visit, we'd stop somewhere for dinner.

As we were driving to the Palace, Wifey saw a call from Ruby, our dear friend Elizabeth's sister. Elizabeth was off on a hiking tour in Utah, and I assumed Ruby was calling to maybe set up a get together after her sister returned to Florida. We had talked about that for some time. Instead, Wifey shrieked "What??? She died????"

It felt like the temperature in the SUV had dropped 50 degrees. I pulled off the street into a parking lot -- in shock. Wifey put Ruby on the speaker -- Wifey was unable to speak. Ruby, calm in a crisis like I am, shared what she knew: Elizabeth was having the time of her life hiking those glorious trails. Indeed, she had posted on FaceBook (tm) and we were all enjoying the shots. She was due to meet her group for breakfast and never showed. The staff opened her room's door, and our dear Elizabeth was in bed, gone during the night.

I don't remember what we said to Ruby, other than we loved her and were shocked and devastated. Elizabeth was an inner circle friend -- we adored her, and had shared so much of life together. And now she was gone.

I recall we turned around and headed for home -- Wifey peppering me with questions, as she does when she is anxious, and of course I had no answers -- just speculation.

Later, an autopsy showed she had a completely occuded major heart vessel. She had been to a cardiologist for a possible rhythm disorder, which checked out. But I guess the Orlando specialist never looked further -- later, Dr. Eric said a calcium score test may well have turned up the coming problem.

Last year, Wifey and I had dinner with Ruby and Harris, Ruby's long time boyfriend. We met in the Grove, and celebrated our dear friend and sister. After, we placed our SUVs next to each other and transferred the items Elizabeth had left for Wifey -- some paintings and art pieces. She was very detail oriented about her possessions. 

I tend to want to get rid of stuff and would normally politely decline any gifts of that sort -- but there was no question we would accept Elizabeth's bequests -- Wifey just had a handyman hang a painting last month. Also, there's a part of our yard in the front, where Elizabeth did some gardening. We honor her with a placque that says "Elizabeth's Garden."

Wifey and I discussed it earlier today. Her death still seems unreal to us. She was the closest friend we lost, and, ironically, the most healthy. She ate clean and worked out like a fiend. She worked full time -- at 63. But when the Big Man calls, as we know, there isn't negotiation.

Tonight we have dinner with Joelle and Kenny, in the Grove. They met Elizabeth over the years. I plan to toast her. The Grove was her old stamping grounds. In fact, she had an apartment there in the late 70s, when she and Wifey were classmates at FIU.

The two young coeds were at the pool, and a long haired guy was blasting loud rock music on a boom box. Elizabeth got up and asked him to turn it down -- she and Wifey found it annoying. The fellow laughed -- he was playing his own music, and one record had just gone gold: it was Pat Travers.

He became Elizabeth's first and only husband, and when I met her, in 1983, I met Pat, too. He and I hit it off, and I loved when he regaled me with his tales of the music business. They stayed over at our first house, for New Years of, I think, 87, and Pat played for our guests. He also played with the Borscht Belt type wedding band we had at our wedding in January of '87, along with Wifey's friend Eileen, who was quite drunk and sang "Gimme Some Lovin'" while Pat and the band played "Good Lovin.'" Pat -- the professional, got it sorted out and we all danced and laughed.

After they divorced, we stayed with Team Elizabeth, of course. Ruby called Pat to tell him of Elizabeth's death -- he was shocked, too, of course.

After Pat, there were other loves, including a long term one with Mauro, an OB/Gyn she met when she was a Pharma salesperson for Ortho. There was another guy I liked a lot, Doug, whose cousin is married to Marc Shaman, the Broadway composer. We got to meet him at the preview of "Hairspray."

There are a LOT of memories.

So on this yahrzeit, we remember our dear, lost friend. To our family, her memory is a blessing. 

A sad anniversary, indeed.