Teenage Groupie….XXXXIII
In the morning before we
set off, Nick stealthily called Dr. Harrow to confirm the exact location of the
hospital and to inform him of my tough decision. Of course, Dr. Harrow being the
overbearing doctor in the house had his own reservations about my visit with my
mother.
“Are you ready for
that? When was her last nightmare? Nicholas, (Dr. Harrow believed in using
one’s full names…e.g. Nichole) don’t let her go…it’s still too soon.
So much is at stake here, she could jeopardize her whole mental stability by one
small visit…think you are ready for that to happen.” I heard his shrill
voice cry out over the phone.
By the time he was done,
worrisome Nick was ready to cancel the trip, pleading with me to change my mind
by bribing me with romantic dinner and chocolate filling. But a few persuasive
nudges from me assured him that the trip was a must-have unless no lavish summer
spent together in the sun. And Nick was not ready to bargain with his summer
just yet. Dr. Harrow faxed us a slip signifying that I was of temperate mental
health to visit with my mother and asked that the hospital should take adequate
precaution during the visit. I grabbed the note and crumpled it inside my purse.
“In other words, he
wants someone to supervise the visit…” Nick asked. “I’ll be there, no
problem. But are you sure about this Nikki?” he dimmed his eyes at me,
warningly.
“Look, quit asking me
about this…I went to see Stef, didn’t I? I’m fine,” I said, indignant.
“Sure, you went to see
Stef, see how that turned out, see what it did to you, to us…remember our
argument over the phone?” he dangled the words like a fair warning to make
sure he would not be the victim of another spiteful quarrel in case this visit
went down just as horrendous as the last.
I heaved a sigh, and
replied. “I promise you Nick…that I, Nikki would be good, very good.” I
raised my hand like a girl scout taking her pledge of duty.
He shrugged, frustrated.
“Alright. I’ll stand close by, just incase.”
With that, we set off on
our mission to see my mother at the mental hospital.