Calgary is having an inversion. At least I believe that’s what you call it when one day you’re wearing a summer dress and the next day you are scraping a foot of snow off your car and trees are falling over onto neighbour’s balconies. A wicked cold is ripping through the cast like a cat with its tail on fire and this week is my turn. Fortuitously I wasn’t needed in rehearsals today so I can lay in bed and rest. I am a stuffy runny hacking mess. At supper I hobble down the stairs, waver in the hallway and ask my sister, who is chopping vegetables, “Can I help?” She looks at me with a wince and says, “No. Gross! Go lay down!” We chuckle and I obey.
Between naps I text my three girlfriends, all working for theatres across the country. How are they doing with childcare long distance? How is the aging parent? How is the husband holding up? How’s the script? Did you download the new U2 album? You know, the essentials. It’s strange being on tour, away from a lot of the usual responsibilities, leaving things in the hands of others.
Nora has her own little iPad thingie called a Nobi and she sends me a Skype message with a million little winking blinking emoticons telling me she’s “great” at tennis and really likes her new lessons and “I plan to continue, Mom!” Good. Good. Nothing like a nice drive out to UBC once a week during rush hour for that lesson…but good, good, glad you’re enjoying it.
I get loving little messages throughout the day from my fellow asking me about my health. He wishes he could take care of me, he writes. What?! What?! Nobody wishes they could take care of me. No. That doesn’t happen in my life. I take care of people. I take care of myself. But not today. Today my brother in law cooks up a mean steak on the BBQ and my sister makes the salad and I hobble down, eat, and then go back to bed, grateful for the care, trying not to sneeze on the children. I am having an inversion.
I go to bed at 8pm and wake up at midnight, my Fellow is still up, so I croak out a Skype. We have a nice comfy chat about the work day and kids and cough medicines. He doesn’t want to be the one to hang up, because of my “beautiful face”. Seriously? This man is definitely seeing me with eyes of love.
