Seewing Seewing Seewing and Again

Drama begins and ends my day, everyday and this has been so for more than 20 years. Do you hear yourself Mitch? Drama begins and ends my day everyday, He shakes his head to clear it but there it is again: Drama begins and ends my day everyday! Time to go home for some peace and quiet. Mitchell Jonathon Seewing, chief of the medical library, clears his desktop, writes his assistant Mary Beth a quick note on preparing the given list of documents as soon as she comes in for Dr. Carole Price, a dermatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital. Respectively, there will be no dallying and email reading as the doctor will be there to collect come 0930 hours! He includes in the note that he wouldn’t be in until after their normal Friday meeting with the Chief of Staff. He places the blue glass seagull paperweight, a gift from Mary Beth, on the note.

He takes off his white coat, carefully hangs it on the coat rack, and puts on his comfortable blue jersey jacket. He turns off the lights, locks his office, double checks his movement and runs by the library. He sees a few white coats and notes that the med student in charge is presiding at the desk. He waves goodby and walks to his car.

The drive home is normally only a twenty-minute drive; today the heavy rainfall slows the traffic to a snail pace. Mitch tries to calm his racing thoughts, breathing in deeply and slowly letting his breath out. His mind travels through the day from that morning until the point of time now. Drama begins and ends my day; drama this morning: the med student in charge yesterday evening had forgotten to leave the keys in the safety box upon closing. Mary Beth had not been able to open the library until he had arrived. Several of the doctors were making a fuss that the library was not yet available. Their time was precious. Right, everyone works from a plan and when something has changed in an unannounced manner, panic breaks out while the day is endangered of being incomplete, the interns will fall a step behind, no matter how little that may be. Those doing research feel their work is being disrespected. Oh on and on this goes. On and on this goes! My day hasn’t ended, what awaits me at home? Here’s our corner, there we are – oh this can’t be – who is parked in our drive? Company for dinner? I don’t recall Tess mentioning any visitors this weekend, and it’s not the weekend yet! 

He parks his car, gets out, locks his car and carefully gives the other car a once over. Nope, he has no idea who it belongs to. He opens the front door and calls for Tess: I’m home, hello, anyone here?

Tess, comes through from the kitchen and takes Mitchell’s coat, gives him a welcome home kiss and whispers that the eldest daughter, Belle, has brought company home for dinner. Mitch makes a grimace and walks into the living room. He finds his daughter laughing along with three other young people, all listening to a handsome young man explaining an event that had happened to him that week.

Belle jumps up and gives her dad a smacking kiss and hug. 

‚Dad, I’d like you to meet my friend, Julian Hannle, and his sister, Christie Anne, with her friend, Juan Perez.’

Mitch extends his hand to each one and greets them accordingly. 

‚So what are you all doing here tonight when – I do believe – you all are students as Belle is at university?’ He winks at Tess who has snuck back in next to him.

‚Dad and Mom, we are all studying‚ archeology with Dr. William Perciful. He has asked us, as a group, to go to France to join one of their latest projects. We will be leaving a week from now, so we are making the parental tour to inform you and to say goodbye. We will be away for two months. Dr Perciful is organizing the final details, flights and so on. You are the first ones to know. Tomorrow we will visit Juan’s family and the day thereafter Christie and Julian’s parents.’

‚Wow, that’s some news, alright. It sounds like it’ll be a fascinating adventure. But ......, he falters, but ...., listen, but you ....’

‚Dad, stop it. There are no buts. I’ve made up my mind. I’ve said yes and besides I don’t want to be without Julian for a whole two months and not share this adventure as you call it with him. Basta!’

Belle’s brother, Timo, also jumps in: ‚Dad, Mom you know that we are all of age. You need to let us decide our own lives, now rather than later. Think about your own selves in the past and today. You both need to plan your own, let’s say: honeymoon. So wish Belle success; it’ll also be a plus for her future career as well as her doctor’s degree.’

‚I smell something,’ claims Christie.

‚Oh, so do I,’ chime in the others.

Tess runs back into the kitchen and calls out: ‚Dinner is ready. Come and get it.’

The evening ran smoothly and soon there were a few tears and goodbyes along with the good wishes.

It is three in the morning. Tess awakes suddenly and wonders where Mitch is when she realizes he is speaking to someone. She moves quietly into the darkened room. Mitch seems to be in a dither. She finds him trying to bring up family photos on the television in the study all the while talking to??? Himself??? She tries to intervene, he doesn’t seem to hear her or even be aware of her.

‚Have to see Belle, can’t find her, have to see Belle, where is she, Belle, Belle honey, come here.....’

Tess is finally able to coax him back to bed. She knows he is stressed at work and they have spoken about early retirement. First thing tomorrow, they’ll need to speak about this again. Feeling a bit scared of their future now, she finds it difficult to fall back asleep.

It seems to be getting worse; these episodes of talking to himself or repeating himself seem to have multiplied. She thinks of Belle and Timo. Timo will know what to do, I’m sure. She cannot involve Belle now, nor the other two children as they need to concentrate on their studies.

‚Well, good morning Mr. Seewing! Slept well, have you? It’s time for breakfast.’

Tess puts the heavy tray down, throws the curtains aside to let the sunshine in. She gets Mitch into a sitting position, then she places a delicious looking, complete breakfast tray and a freshly brewed cup of coffee before him. 

‚Mmh, just what I need. Coffee to wake me up. What’s the time? I promised Mary Beth I’d be in after the chef’s meeting this morning. Honey, aren’t you going to join me?’

‚Don’t worry, I’ll have my tea with you, okay? Ahh, I rang Mary Beth and excused you for today, also she’ll excuse you at the chef’s meeting, okay? We need to talk this morning Mitch, I’m worried about yo... mmh ... us, our future.’

‚No, no and no again. Listen to me: there it is again: Drama begins and ends my day everyday, why oh why: Drama begins and ends my day everyday. It is that way at work but now here at home, I won’t have it, do you hear me Tess?, I won’t have it, I won’t .....’

‚Mitch, calm down and finish your breakfast, the eggs will be cold now. Okay, I agree – I don’t want to add to your drama, but do you ... will you agree to talk about my fears after you are up and ready?’

‚harummph’ Tess turns around and leaves him alone. Mitch wonders to himself: fears, all of us have got fears, haven’t we? He mumbles more under his breath. Belle says no buts, but ..... yeah but ...., hell’s bells. So many considerations to make, we need a plan but ..... we need an advisor, don’t you think? Yes, indeed, I do and I know, but... where to find one? Johnson at the bank? Percy at the hospital? Courtland at the church? We know them all personally, well Tess doesn’t really know Percy so we’ll leave him out, won’t we?

Mitch still hasn’t come out of the bedroom. Tess, worried again, carefully opens the door. There he is at it again, what am I to do with his ranting, she wonders. Should I mention seeing a doctor? She decides to play it from another angle. 

‚I’m ready for a walk, Mitch, and you? We can go for coffee in the village, don’t you think, and perhaps stop in to see Father Courtland. It’d be nice to see him. We haven’t been there since he came back from his trip to Indonesia.’

She picks up the empty breakfast tray; happily she notes that he has eaten all and she walks out.

Mitch soon follows her. ‚Hello Beautiful! Ready to go?’

‚My, hello Handsome! Indeed, let me get my bag.’

Back to an even keel, Mitch and Tess drank their coffee and set up a plan in a quiet sensible manner. Their first stop would be Courtland; alas he wasn’t in. They decided to visit Johnson at the bank. They had a list of questions involving a possible early retirement but Mitch knew he’d have to go over all of it again with Percy. He was feeling better though, now that they had discussed away their fears. 

Tess had managed to maneuver him to make a doctor’s appointment. She and Timo had discussed his perpetual habit of speaking to himself and repeating himself, not once but several times. He had to admit that even Mary Beth had thought it a bit odd. Perhaps it was due to the stress situation he felt at work, but it would be a relief to know if it was more serious. And early retirement became more inviting the more they talked about it. Johnson said there was nothing to worry about once we’ve got a budget plan and stick to it. We have some forms to fill in and bring back to him.

Yes as true as it is: Drama begins and ends my day everyday, but ... today is a new ending and the love of my life is waiting for me with a cool G&T. And I must say that I don’t mind repeating it: The love of my life is waiting for me with a cool G&T, a very cool G&T!