Category: Homefront

Mom called the other day with that sound in her voice. That’s never a good sign, usually when someone’s died. She said a lady went into the school last week, the school where Mom works, and said that Carl is sick. Carl’s an old friend of mine. He used to drop by late at night, drink coffee, and watch the races on my satellite. When I’d be at work, he’d let himself in with a key, make himself a pot of coffee and watch the races on my satellite. Ha ha. I always enjoyed listening to his stories about being on a ship, the U.S.S. Cross, in WWII. Anywho, Carl had a hip replaced recently and seemed a bit down. That lady said that he talks about me often and she thinks it’d raise his spirits if I were to give him a call. So, I did.

No infection thank goodness. But he does have several arterial blood clots in his leg. He seemed in good spirits to me, but that’s just Carl, nothing seemed to get him down. He told me that his doctors said he may end up loosing a foot over it and he promptly told them that they might as well take his head off too, he’s not doing without his foot. Then he went to say that he’s been around for over 80 years, if it’s his time, it’s his time. He doesn’t really expect to make it through the surgery and that he’s ready to go.

I sure don’t want anything to happen to him, but then again, nobody wants anything bad to happen to any of their friends. About the only thing I could say after that was “well, if it’s your time and you don’t make it through the surgery, I’ll see you when I get there”. He chuckled and said I’d better, we haven’t had coffee in a while.

Last night, Carl called. Since I moved from home nearly six years ago, I talk with him on the phone only about once per year. From the sound of his voice, he doesn’t seem to have aged a day, even though his 78th birthday was last October. Carl’s the guy that had a key to my place and, while I was at work (doing “911” from 7pm until 7am), would go on in, make a pot of coffee, and watch the races on my satellite tv. I didn’t mind at all, I thought it was great. I remember during my nights off, hearing his truck pull into my driveway, usually around midnight. He’d walk up to the deck, rap on the door with that “shave and a haircut” knock and then come on in. If I was asleep on the couch, he’d let me sleep while making himself a fresh pot of coffee. When it would be finished brewing, he’d pour himself a cup and then wake me up, saying it’s too early to be sleeping and there’s fresh coffee in the pot. We’d sit there, watching tv, and he’d catch me up on the daily goings-on with the old-timers and Lake natives.

If you were to ask Carl how long he’s been retired, and I’ve asked him many times because I like his answer, he’d tell you, “Shit, I retired when I was 22. Left the Navy after World War II, became a plumber [which by the way, he’s one of the best in Missouri, it’s how he was given the nick-name “shitty-fingers” sometime back in the 50’s or 60’s] and went out on my own. I’m not working for anybody that doesn’t know their ass from a hole in a ground. Don’t need ’em.”

At around 3am, Carl would get, put his cup on the counter and say it’s time to go home. He’d say the usual goodbyes while walking out the door. Sometimes, an hour later, he’d call me up on the phone and tell me to change the channel to something that might make me laugh. Usually related to toilet-humor, firefighting, or dispatching.

Catching me up on the happenings in the ol’ hometown, he says I wouldn’t recognize the place now. So terribly busy, traffic-wise, major businesses have sprung up everywhere and the towns have sprawled in to nearly twice the size they were when I left. His truck was wrecked a year or so ago and a tree fell over onto his old trailer. He’s now living in a retirement community, apparently very comfortable. Arthritis has set into his hips now, so he doesn’t so much walk as shuffle.

Carl said that Elmer has a new girlfriend. Elmer’s nearly 80 and is wife Lorraine died of lung cancer a few years ago. I knew them both very well. Well, Elmer now has lung and liver cancer as well, apparently in a bad way. Carl says Elmer’s nasal cannula and O2 tank set aside, he always has a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. That’s Elmer, wild, mischievous, ornory, and raunchy. Anyway, he met this new girlfriend a few months after Lorraine died. He had hired her to work in the shop and they ended up in bed that same night. She stays with Elmer five nights a week and then goes home to her husband two nights a week. Her husband works out of town for the five nights she’s shacking up with the ol’ man. Convenient.

I’ll need to call Carl more often to keep caught up on what’s going on in the ol’ hometown.