If you're looking for some really creepy ones, check out My Experience on Organ Grinder Road or The Original Ghost Story: What Happened To My Dad On Organ Grinder Road.
So yeah, I've been a little busy.
In ironic fashion, it all started with feeling like death at the end of January which led me to seeing the dead.
I found out I needed to go under the knife and the next day was cloaked in one of those ever-so-stylish hospital gowns, being prepped for some slicing and dicing. Thankfully, my parents were able to make it in time to be there before I went into the operating room.
For those of you who have listened to our show for any period of time know that I don't exactly deal well with blood or guts or anything needle/hospital/doctor related. So if you can imagine the extreme worst-case patient having a panic attack before surgery, just multiply that by a few and that should set the tone nicely.
So maybe it was the extra-extra good stuff they gave me to calm my insanity. Or maybe it was that I really did have an encounter from the other side. I guess I'll never know.
But the last thing I remember is the anesthesiologist coming in to the prep room and telling me that he was going to administer some calming meds to tide me over until they could actually knock me out in the operating room (like I was a 5 year old little girl instead of a 33 year old woman). That poor man. In fact, that entire poor medical staff. If they're reading this, just know I'm sorry. If I could control any of that embarrassing behavior, I totally would!
Apparently, the cocktail worked and the next thing I clearly remember was waking up with Mom and Dad leaning over my bed and feeling like I was about to vomit everywhere- all Exorcist style. Blah! I mean, go big or go home. I had already embarrassed myself enough, so why stop now?
For the next 7 hours, I attempted the coming out of anesthesia process. I'm told it takes most people about an hour. So for me, 7 sounds about right.
It got to the point in the evening that one of the nurses told my parents that if they couldn't get me to come-to-life enough to walk down the hallway, they would just admit me for the night. Seriously, talk about a hot mess.
But I wobbled myself down the hallway just to get out of there and don't really remember getting home or falling asleep.
It wasn't until the next day that I sobered up pretty quickly. In normal conversation, my mother asked me if my grandmother visited again.
I think I looked at her like you would look at someone who just told you that you could indeed stop once you pop some Pringles. That's crazy talk. And so was this. See, my grandmother has been gone for quite a few years.
"Gran?" I was starting to wonder if my mother was accidently slipped some of my meds.
"Yeah," she answered. As if this was a perfectly normal freaking conversation to be having.
I think we just sat there staring at each other like two idiots for the longest time.
She finally elaborated: "As soon as we walked into your recovery room, I asked how you were feeling. You looked over at me and said that Gran was there. I thought I heard you wrong so I asked where she was and you told me she was in the doorway. Then you passed out again. So your Dad and I just looked at each other and looked at doorway. But nobody was there."
I really thought she was kidding, but with tears in her eyes she said, "So maybe she was with you the whole time."
If you knew my mom's mom, there would be no doubt that she would have been there. She would have come pushing her way past the admin desk, telling the doctors they didn't know what they were doing, and standing in that doorway making sure things were running the way they should (well, the way she thought they should).
So maybe she was there. I don't know. For the life of me, I don't remember saying anything about her. I don't remember seeing her. But I hope she was.
And I hope if she ever comes for another visit, she does so before dinner time and cooks up some of her famous dishes that we all miss so much. I also hope she sticks around just a little bit longer.
July 1928 - August 2009