Driving Miss Jenny

Otherwise known as Havung a Gay Ol' Time

Yesterday morning started with at 7:15 with a phone call from Dad, who has been in the hospital ever since his hernia-correcting surgery on Wednesday morning. 

Jen?  What are you doing?

I was just waking up.

When are you coming?  I had an episode last night and they moved me to a different room.  Please come.  I need you.  His voice was shaking like he was on the verge of tears.  I told him I would be there as soon as I showered. 

I know it makes me a little bit selfish... but it took me an hour to get in the shower.  I had had a late night and I just needed a little time to myself before heading to the hospital.  When I got there, my mom was already in the room, and Dad was wearing an oxygen mask.  The nurse explained that he had experienced a dangerously low level of oxygen around midnight, resulting from the combination of pain medication (which caused shallow, relaxed breathing) and my father's swollen abdominal area, which pushed into the lungs, preventing the absorption of oxygen.

Something like that.

I stayed with Dad and Mom until nearly 11:00, which is when I was meeting Linette, Shannon, and Am, friends of mine from high school, for our special holiday lunch at The Ravenous Pig, my favorite restaurant in America, quite possibly ever.  Linette drove Shannon and I, and Am met us at the restaurant.  I was happy to be able to be a passenger.  I felt like I'd been doing way too much driving lately, both literally and figuratively.  We had a deliciously hedonistic lunch, offering me a great respite from the time I've been spending with Dad in the hospital.  After lunch, I went home, changed into evening attire, and went back to the hospital, hung out with Dad for a couple more more hours, and then left to meet Donna and Cheryl for our own evening out.  I drove to Donna's place and left my car, as Donna had offered to drive.

Donna and Cheryl are counselor-friends of mine who also work in My Ever-Growing School District high schools.  We had plans to see the Christmas show for the Orlando Gay Chorus.  A friend of ours performs in the chorus, and we started attending the show four years ago.  After the first year, my parents started coming with me.  They enjoy it as much as I do, and my dad loves our gay colleague, affectionately referring to him as Roberta.  This year they did not accompany me due to Dad's medical circumstances, but their absence was indeed felt, at least in my row.  The theme this year was "There's Something about Merry"... Merry being a drag queen with lovelier legs and a shorter skirt than my own.  Merry was the emcee for the evening, and the show embodied the Christmas spirit in a way that only the OGC can offer.  I was exhausted from my week of combining work with hospital visits, not to mention Friday night's late date, but so very glad I went. 

Attending the Orlando Gay Chorus's annual Christmas production is definitely one of brightest highlights of my holiday traditions.  To quote The Flintstones, we had a gay old time.  The Christmas spirit, as always, was intensely felt, and the last number-- a spiritual rendition of Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee brought down the house.  A joyful noise was made, and acceptance, peace, and love were felt throughout the Plaza Theatre. 

If that's not the Christmas spirit, I don't know what is.

On the way home, Donna dropped Cheryl off, whom we had picked up on our way to the theater.  I got out of the backseat and took my place in the passenger side.  Donna, I don't want you to feel like my chauffeur.

Come on!  Then I'd be driving Miss Jenny!

Sounds like a great blog post title. 

Don't you agree?