Midnight Madness

I am tired and listless and my eyes are incapable of staying open and focused. Been staring at the same email for about 15 minutes and trying to compose a sensible response. T'is all in vain. I need sleep, and I need it now!


Really, its not my fault. I went off to bed like a good girl at 10pm last night knowing that I had to be in at work for 8 am. I had just fallen asleep (or so it seemed), when the phone rang. Once, twice, three times..... long pauses in between telling my sleepy brain that it was a long distance call. Its too late for a telemarketer, so it can only mean that someone's calling about some bad news. I jump up and scramble for the phone and say a shaky Hello?


A cheery voice at the other end yodels, Pixy! I'm so glad you're home! How is everyone?? Somewhere in my brain, it registers. Aunty M? Is that you? What's going on? I start to panic as I recognise that it is my aunt from Australia. Was it my cousin's daughter? Was she ill again? Perhaps it was my uncle. We TOLD him to get help with the construction for the house extension. Or perhaps......


Listen, can you hear that? my aunt says. I snap back to the call. Can you hear it? Its rain. Just torrential!! Now I'm sleepy AND confused. You called me all the way from the Gold Coast to tell me about the RAIN? I asked incredulously. It's 1:15 in the fu*king morning!!!


Oh dear, I must have miscalculated, she said. I thought it was 10:15. No, I called to tell you I had a heart attack.


Turns out she'd had chest pains the week before and when they persisted, she drove to the hospital to find out what was wrong and was told she'd just had a heart attack. She was in the hospital 3 days then discharged and told that she'll need to start treatment to clear the 2 blockages in the valves. She nodded at them, left the hospital and then some days later got onto a plane and flew to the other side of the country for a wedding.


All this she told me in one breath. Then she asked me if I was ready for the move. Then she told me about how my cousins had gone into business together and bought a chain of stores. Then she told me to give my love to the family, bid me a cheery farewell and hung up.


Five minutes later I was still holding the phone to my ear.


I would have been utterly convinced that I was dreaming the entire time except for the dull pounding in my head that I knew was the onset of a headache. That was real enough. I switched off the light and tried to settle back to sleep, glancing at the clock.


2 am.


I thought, Tomorrow is going to be a pain filled day.