Part 5 - Preparation

Before I flew back down to Florida to pack up mum, I had 2 days to get her new apartment furnished. Although she would spend at least a week with me at our house (and theoretically we could shop for furniture together), I knew that her reduced level of functionality would make that impossible. I was going to have to do this without her.   

Fortunately, I had access to the best no-nonsense/ 'get 'er done' shopper: my daughter Emma.  She met me after work, and, in less than 2 hours we bought a bedroom set, mattress, loveseat, cushions, bookshelf, mirror and console.While we were there, Emma texted Will (our son/her brother) and told him to research tvs - the kind they make for old ladies - with simple controls. She gave him the measurements of the console. Will was on it.

Because Emma is tiny like mum, she tested each piece of furniture. She was very particular about the seat depth of the couch (if it's too deep, their short legs won't let their feet touch the ground). She also tested out all the mattresses (just like Goldilocks) and reminded me to purchase a low profile box spring, ("she's gotta be able to get into the bed!")   We bought curtains for the bedroom and living room, lamps, hangars (for all those clothes!)  and searched for a suitable coffee table. One thing we have in common, we can make a decision - no hemming and hawing: Wrap. It. Up! 

Originally we had thought we could cobble together enough furniture from my house to furnish the apartment, but that entailed hiring a van and moving it all ourselves. I had run out of time (and, to be frank, energy) so buying new stuff meant that someone else could deliver and set it all up. No brainer - let's do it.

The next day, I flew back to Florida.  We were coming to the end of the 'process' and my stomach was in knots. I had so many conflicting emotions and none of them were good. To add to my generally bad attitude,  I was surrounded by families going to Florida for spring break - everyone was in a holiday mood. I was the only miserable human on the plane (ok - I think one of the flight attendants might have been a close second).  Even the adorable little kiddos couldn't bring me out of my funk. Thankfully, I had received a really good pair of noise cancelling earbuds (thank you FG & CHM) so I was able to tune out and close my eyes. (Note to frequent travellers - invest in these things- they could mean the difference between a tolerable and intolerable flight). 

I was congratulating myself on booking a direct nonstop flight back to Buffalo for me and my mum on the return trip. Having travelled quite a bit in the last couple of years there was no way in hell I was going to book a flight that had a connection.  The year before (when I'd brought mum up for a month in the summer) I ran a marathon through Atlanta airport while pushing mum in a wheelchair and 3 bags strapped to my back. I was a sweaty mess, but mum had a hoot rolling through the airport. We just made the flight. And, just last month, on a flight back from California with Bill, we were forced to spend a night in Dallas at an "UnQuality" hotel because the connecting flight left without us. That too involved a sprint through the airport - but I wasn't so lucky this time. There was NO WAY I was going to subject mum to all that hustling back and forth with the added possiblity of spending a night in a hotel... I just couldn't imagine.

Spending time with mum in Florida, counting down the days until our departure back to Buffalo, I was feeling really unsettled ... but not as unhinged as my mum. She was trying to introduce me to a little boy in a red coat. He'd lost his mum. And apparently, he was a pretty good little singer. I had moved into mum's room at night to make sure she didn't leave. But, sleeping? Not really an option. She had a running conversation with at least 5 people (maybe more?)  and she kept hopping out of bed. She said she couldn't use the bathroom because there were already people in there. I kept reassuring her the bathroom was empty and insisting that sleep was more important than talking to her pals. I even told them myself to SHUT THE HELL UP.  

"I'm on No sleep!"

I hadn't pulled an all-nighter since college. The next day, I felt like Seinfeld after he switched apartments with Kramer in the Kenny Rogers Chicken episode. Kevin looked at me quizzically in the morning (I was looking pretty rough). 

 I glared at him: "NO SLEEP!" 

He ordered me back to bed. 

Southwest Airlines was expecting us tomorrow. I completed the '24 hour' check-in but I was having doubts about whether I could actually handle this assignment. I was going to have to make a game day decision: Go or No Go.