Chapter 26

‎The next time I stuck my head outside it was Monday. I had been in a stupor the last two days. It was some kind of flu like illness. I wasn’t a hundred percent on Monday, but I did feel as though I was headed in the right direction. Fortunately I wasn’t on the schedule at the daycare until Wednesday.

‎No one expected any trouble at the daycare, especially not me. It was ordinarily just a feel good day for me and the rest of my team. All of us for different reasons needed the day care. It made some of us feel feel better about our retirements. The daycare made it feel that we were contributing something. We most likely weren’t doing anything other than wasting time, but the impression that we were was an important task. That was something in and of itself. It was simply a case of the tasked seemed rather than was. Such was modern life, I reasoned.

‎I checked with Tommy to be sure he wasn’t suffering from the same bug I was. When I was sure that I was the only one, I settled in and tried to stay warm and dry.

‎My cell phone rang shortly after noon. The call was from an unknown number. “Hello Ed, how are you doing. I’m so sorry to hear that you are your team’s first Daycare flu victim,” the female voice suggested. “Oh it’s Sandra. Lucinda said you were sick.”

‎‎”Hello Sandra, I’m mostly snotty. That isn’t life threatening just very uncomfortable,” I explained.

‎‎”Would you like me to bring you over a can of chicken noodle soup,” she asked.

‎‎”I’ll pass. I am just going to stay inside and try to stay warm and dry,” I replied. “I do appreciate the offer though.”

‎‎”You sure that you don’t need anything?” Sandra asked before she hung up. ‎‎ ‎‎”No thanks, I’m going back to bed. I hope when Tuesday comes I’m more energetic.” I explained. “You have your week’s schedule don’t you.”

‎‎”Yes don’t worry about me, I can take care of the daycare. You just get better and be here Wednesday,” Sandra said.

‎I took another nap after that call. I awoke to the phone ringing again. That time I knew who it was when I answered. “Hello Lucinda, how did it go today?” I asked.

‎‎”It was great. I got to rescue a pink teddy bear from the porch roof,” she said with a laugh.

‎‎”I hope you didn’t have to shoot it off the roof,” I said with a chuckle of my own.

‎‎”No just climb up on a garbage can. I didn’t even think twice about what might happen. I just got my Latina ass on that can and grabbed the bear,” she explained.

‎‎”Good for you,” I agreed. “Doing something like that might not be a milestone but it must feel damn good.”

‎‎”So Ed what is this I heard from Teddy about a hobo camp,” she asked.

‎‎”To be honest with you I haven’t got it figured out. I know I want to do something to bring public awareness to the homeless problem. I just haven’t got the details worked out. Right now I’m too sick to even think about it. I’ll have time to think about it, when this case of crud passes,” I admitted.