Lily's dad had another heart attack. They rushed him to the hospital and took care of him immediately. Right now, he is stable, but Lily is freaking out, understandably. I want to go to Winnipeg to be with her, but I can't abandon all of my jobs to comfort a friend. Can I?
I want to tell her that everything will be ok, but this is his third heart attack right after his second. Everything is not ok. His body is screaming at him that everything is definitely not ok. The doctors say he is stable, but a heart attack two weeks after a heart attack is the opposite of stable.
Part of me wants to quit everything and get on the next flight. There is absolutely nothing I can do for her father, but at least I could be there for Lily. Another part of me realizes that I might not have any jobs when I come back. I could ditch the play. That is no big deal. They can replace me in a second. But I need Disney for my visa, and leaving them shorthanded at the busiest time of the year is not very nice. The holiday puts more strain on everyone. Lily put even more strain on a few people by leaving without any notice. If I left, I would only add to all of that.
Then again, am I only rationalizing my fear of leaving? I know that going to Winnipeg is the right thing to do. I also know that staying here and fulfilling contractual obligations is the right thing to do.
The best possible outcome here is if Lily calls me and says her dad is great and they are sending him home. She would still be worried, of course, but at least she could worry at home instead of in a hospital room. With any luck, that is exactly what will happen soon.
I know your heart is in the right place, but to be honest, to go over there might add an extra burden to your friend that you might not have considered. She might have to spend time to pick you up from the airport, feed and house you, maybe even feel obligated to take you around sightseeing a bit and hang out with you.
ReplyDeleteI think letting her and her family handle the situation is probably the best thing to do right now, even though you may wish you could help out even more than you have already.
Lily would definitely want to play tour guide, but I'm going to stay put for now. There's really nothing I can do to help anyone and I'd just be in the way.
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