Friendship
There is no tidy way to wrap up the extraordinary gift of friendship, too big to box up, too golden a light for mere gift bags and ribbons!
Let me tell you about my friend, Mary, a non-cottager instantly saddled with all the responsibilities of cottage ownership, a non-pet-person who inherited a dog in the blink of an eye, and a sociable, people-person who became a temporary recluse. Two days ago when my guy ended up in ER, I abandoned Mary, leaving her with the dog at the island cottage while I raced to the city, first by boat and then car, to be with him. Did I mention Mary is not a boater either?
Last night her hubby made it up there to fetch her back. (Yeah for water taxis!) Today she makes preparations to leave doing all the things necessary to close up and secure the property. Instead of being the cherished guest, with her feet up, relaxing and sipping a cool one, she’ll strip the beds in the cottage and guest bunkie and grab all the used towels (no laundry facilities on the island). She’ll also pack what I left in my panic: suitcase, camera equipment, books and lap top. She’ll lock up all the doors and windows of all buildings on the property, remove the garbage and lock it in the shed safe from animals and shut down the water system. On top of all that, she’s developed a painful case of pink eye, the dog has been throwing up, and it’s raining up there.
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10 August 2011 at 6:27 pm
Mary
I’m Saint Mary, the non-cottage owning, non-dog owning, social butterfly friend who participated in Operation Stop-Gap at Otter Lake.
Okay, so I didn’t sleep too well at night. It’s spooky dark at night, and quiet enough to hear (listen for) non-existent raccoons and bears I’m certain will investigate my open bedroom window.
Thank goodness for my companion Trixie. I could baby talk all my nervous energy into a one-sided conversation (that likely bored Trixie to bits). I’m sure of that because by 10:30 pm, after her last walk (and believe me we barely left the deck in that spooky dark), she trotted into her bed in the bedroom, probably hoping I’d turn out the lights and let her get some sleep.
Isolation is a peculiar state of mind. No boat or road off the island meant settling into my own resources. Between rain showers I tramped the property with Trixie and took photos of plants, spikes in the railway tie garden borders, wind chimes, planters, reflections on the water, trees, chipmunk holes, spider nests, anthills and bugs that landed on my legs … I had a silly question and answer period with myself about whether or not to lock the front door when I had a shower. Who did I think was coming to peek on me anyway?
I finished reading Andrew Pyper’s book, Lost Girls. When hubby came at 7:00 pm, I was happy to make him dinner, walk out to the dock to look at the view, and finally the two of us sat reading in the cottage. As we both nodded off over our books, we gave up pretending to be awake and toddled off to bed at a time that Trixie seemed to appreciate.
I woke up to a blazing sunrise that lasted 15 minutes before the serious rain began. With a little organization, we closed up and headed back to the mainland. No one is more confused than Trixie. She’s a great little trooper.
It all worked out well Cheryl – except for David’s discomfort. I hope you can relax about the cottage (what? a closing in 2 weeks!) and be a good nurse. You made the right decision and I “grew up” a little in the process.
10 August 2011 at 7:43 pm
Cheryl
Great insights, Mary, into your ‘state of mind’ in a place you weren’t 100% comfortable with. The Trickster IS a great companion and she loves to be talked to, baby talk and all. I love the dark nights in cottage country, especially when I turn out the lights and there’s no difference in the degree of blackness eyes open or closed!!!
10 August 2011 at 2:51 pm
Elizabeth Young
Sounds like Northern Ontario to me! You can be thankful Mary is such a wonderful friend; do hope your husband is feeling better.
10 August 2011 at 3:51 pm
Cheryl
Thank you, Elizabeth. He’s not out of the woods yet, and I am thankful Mary is in my world!
10 August 2011 at 1:05 pm
Anonymous
“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him/her, his/her own.” ~Benjamin Disraeli
Mary has just revealed even more of her “richness”!
10 August 2011 at 1:15 pm
Cheryl
Beautifully said! Thank you for stopping by.