LINDA... PART II

There's something strange going on in the neighborhood and trust me, the guys at Ghostbusters can't help me. Which is way too bad, given my best friend, Linda, sure could use it. I'm so freaked, its ridiculous.

I called her house several hours ago and things weren't going too hotsi totsi. In fact, no one even answered the phone. So, I called her brother/sister in law and they, too, couldn't talk since they were in the midst of racing over to Linda's house. Now I KNEW something was amiss. Holy ba-holy Batman. This so can't be good.

Okay... so I waited until they got there... couldn't talk yet, since they were awaiting a call from the doctor. Next thing I know, Elliot tells me everyone is off to the hospital and so now, I'm just sitting and waiting.

It doesn't really matter what the details are, for believe you me, this story will have no good ending. My heart is simply breaking. Every time I think of Linda, tears well up in my eyes, disbelieving God is making her so sick. How is it even POSSIBLE that I may loose her? Why Linda?? Of all people??

She is by far one of the most wonderful people on this earth. She has brought incredible goodness and love to everyone who's ever known her. I've never EVER heard anyone utter an unkind word about her. You can't. It'd be like trying to verbally defame a mortal angel or something. And, in this case, the angel is my dearest, oldest girlfriend. Jesus... I don't even think either of us had even had our very first high school date when first we met. That was 44 years ago.

I went to visit Linda about six weeks ago. THANK GOD. It was just before she was to undergo this most recent set of protocols. I was with her for about a week, and during that week, in spite of her being sick and seeing doctors and processing the directives, we had, per usual, days of laughter, fun, shopping, girlie chit chat and everything else best friends can share. We had manicures and we ate fabulous food. I knew even then, that I'd never recover, should I ever not be able to speak to Linda again.

Which surprises me, too. Because, I've already lost some of the most important people in my life. Their loss has brought me tremendous sadness, indeed. But now... just the thought of not having Linda around, for some inexplicable reason, makes me ache like nothing else I can possibly imagine. I just can't explain it. I hate the idea of how she's suffering and how hard she's fighting. I hate the idea that her family has to deal with watching her feel like shit. Mostly, I hate the idea that the best doctors possible, can't make Linda better.

I love Linda. I want Linda to be better for ever and ever. I want everyone who loves her to be able to smile again. Above all, I want God to create a miracle for all of us.

I want to play Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata for her, and have the both of us sing our lungs out together. I want to see her shop in the 5-7-9 Shop while I run over to the plus sized stores. I want to drive up Granada Blvd. and right smack over to Roderigo Avenue for the umpteenth million time. I want to hear Molly call out BERnard. I want to take the bus to downtown Tampa with Linda... and I want to give her the answers on Mr. Handelsman's Spanish tests. I want to talk about how she fell in love with Elliot and then gab for hours all about our kids. I want to see the two of us walk down the aisle in both our weddings again. Or attend our son's Bar Mitzvahs. I want to hear her giggle like crazy and tell me: Linda, only to YOU could that ever happen! I want the two of us to bitch and complain and tell each other secrets we swore to others we'd never repeat. I want Linda to come back to NC and hang around my house. I want to eat her chicken francaise. And her eggplant, too. Man, there are just a million things I STILL want to do with Linda.

What I don't want to do, is loose Linda. Ever. What I think I WILL go do is decide whether or not I should eat a piece of chocolate cake or a dish of chocolate ice cream. Now THAT Linda would understand in a heartbeat.