Anita called me on the phone and asked if I could do a favor for her? And I said, “Sure, what is it?” Anita asked, “Can you drive me to the Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center as I am running a very high fever, it’s 104 this morning. I have been checking it all night and it does not seem to want to go down. So, I need to go to the Cancer Treatment Center to see if they can admit me to the ER at Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center."
Anita said, “I called Alice earlier about having you drive me. But I told Alice I didn’t know if I should ask you, but Jim I don’t think I can drive myself. And you know me I do not trust anyone driving me anywhere. You know how I feel about that, that I want to be the one in control. But Jim I don’t think I can drive myself this morning. Would you do it for me and drive me there?”
“Well, you know Anita that’s not a problem. I will walk right over as fast as I can to get there. See you in a few minutes.” I then got myself together as fast as I could and headed to Anita’s house. Which is up Fourth Street for one block, and then turn left for one block on G Street. Anita’s house is located on the corner of Fifth Street and G Street in Tulelake, CA.
Today was Friday, January 4th, 2013. This was the fourth day of January in the New Year, 2013. Yesterday, the 3rd of January 2013 and Anita and I did our regular shopping in Klamath Falls, OR. Except this shopping trip was not like the others we had done before. We stopped to get gas at the first gas station on the right as you head down, S 6th Street towards US Bank. The first stop after getting $20.00 in gas was my bank so I could withdraw cash for my rent for a money order. Then the next stop after the bank was the Dollar Store, then the Thunder Bird Grocery Store.
Thunder Bird is where Anita would get all her money orders for all her bills. While she was doing that after I got my cartons of cigarettes and my one money order I would start my shopping. And whoever was finished first would wait for the other person in the chairs by the exit door of the Thunder Bird. We both finished shopping and headed for Anita's car to unload our groceries.
After putting my groceries in the trunk of Anita’s car and Anita putting her’s on the back seat we headed to Arby’s to get something to eat, as by this time Anita was usually pretty hungry and in need of nourishment. We had just started taking time to eat the last few months when we went shopping. As these shopping trips were taking more and more of Anita’s energy, compared to how she had been a year or so earlier.
During lunch Anita asked me if I needed anything from Wal-mart. And I said, “No, not me.” Wal-mart was where Anita usually picked up her prescriptions; her doggie treats for her dogs and her phone card. The only thing I needed to do was pick up AA batteries in the economic pack at Staples. But I thought to myself I could always just buy a pack of four somewhere else later if need be.
We skipped heading to Wal-mart as our last stop heading back to Tulelake like we normally had done. Anita mentioned she was not feeling too well today. And she asked if it was OK with me if we just stopped at Grocery Outlet instead on our way back home to Tulelake as our last stop, instead of Wal-mark like we usually had done.
We finished eating our lunch and then headed to the Grocery Outlet. Anita mentioned she did not think she could find her dog’s good dog treats at Grocery Outlet like she did from Wal-mart.
We got to Grocery Outlet and had just parked when Anita said she had felt she had a bad case of indigestion and needed to get some Pepto Bismo. In fact, Anita was having a hard time breathing too. We had to stop outside the Grocery Outlet for a moment to give Anita a chance to catch her breath. When she did, we headed to find the Pepto Bismo. We located it in the first aisle of the store, right after we entered Grocery Outlet.
Anita grabbed two large bottles and asked me to open it for her and after I got one of them opened and gave it to her. She took a large gulp, as fast as she could to try and help her with the pains she was having now. This was not normal for Anita. We then headed to the dog treats and she could not find the kind of treats for her dogs that she was used to getting. But she had no choice but to get whatever they had, even though she did not like her choices. But what choice did she have, other than going back to Wal-mart and we were now heading out towards home, the same direction we usually arrive going to Klamath Falls down S 6th Street.
While we were there at the Grocery Outlet I went ahead and bought a pack of 4 AA batteries because I figured we would be coming back to Klamath Falls in a few days for one of Anita’s appointments at the Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center since that was what Shannon did with her Mom. But with Shannon no longer here, I would go with Anita instead, so she did not have to go alone.
We finished shopping at the Grocery Outlet and were now heading home. When just before the turn off that cuts over to Midland and the road where on the corner is the Mt Laki Church and if you go down that road about a half a mile or so is the Mt Laki Cemetery where my Grandmother is buried.
Anita was having cramps in her hands and legs and she felt she could no longer drive. And she asked if I would drive us the rest of the way home, as she did not think she could make it with the cramps now. Once again this was not Anita, as she did not trust anyone to drive her anywhere, she always wanted to be in control. But she knew she had no other choice, but to have me drive us home now instead.
I drove us home and went to the PO Office first, so both Anita and I could check our mail. I went inside and got both of our mail out of our PO boxes, as Anita sat in the car. But I always got out and checked her mail and my mail when coming back from Klamath Falls, OR. So this was not anything usual to get her mail at the same time as mine. Which, was a normal thing each and every time we came back from shopping in Klamath Falls, OR. The only difference this time was this was the first time I was driving us back home. After the Post Office, I drove to the parking lot off the alley of my apartments, so I could first unload my groceries. Then head to Anita’s to unload hers at her house.
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