My husband taught at the same school for 25 years. I subbed there and also worked there as a sales rep, so know most of his co-workers. For about the past ten years they've been meeting for breakfast on the Mondays of the minor holidays: Columbus Day, Martin Luther King Day, etc. They're all retired now and don't have to wait for a "day off" but still honor that habit. Everyone orders just what they want, pancakes, blitzes, eggs, a few oatmeals, lots and lots of coffee and one guy divides the bill and collects money at the end. The conversation used to center around school and teaching, and continued to do so for several years after. Now the talk is about politics, kids, grandkids, travel, and of course health.
And they've begun to die. Every year one or two. It's usually someone older than us, like Tom who died two weeks ago at 75. But this evening we received a call that Iris, who's the same age as us, just passed away. She and Tom were at the last breakfast, Columbus Day, and I spent time talking with each. I did say afterwards that Iris didn't look well. She aged fast, but then so did Barbara Bush and she's still alive. But Iris is gone.
I feel like I'm in a game of musical chairs and the stakes are very high. So far I've managed to get a chair, but when will I be the one left standing?
No comments:
Post a Comment