DISASTER

DISASTER. It's a good word for it. I have always always treated any computer I am using with respect and pampered them greatly. No using videos or playing games or even listening to CD'S. Nothing but use for writing and e-mails. When problems came up I took care of them right away, or as soon as I could.
Let me start from the beginning..

It was a unsteady night for me.. up and down all night long, too hot, too noisy,too worried over how Mom was doing. I sat straight up in the bed with a jolt. Was that the bell I heard? The one I gave mom in case she needed me. I listened again to see if it was. Then I heard it again, only this time she was calling out for me. My heart racing, I took the stairs on a run.My bare feet touching the rough steps. It seemed like it took forever to get down the 14 steps.Being careful not to fall on the way down was hard as I was shaking like a leaf. As I headed for the bedroom I heard a faint cry again. Turning on the light, I saw her laying on the floor in a heap. I told her to lie still so I could assess her and tell if anything was broken. She said she wasn't
in pain so much as mad at herself for not being more careful. Something I had drilled into her a million times over. Finding that she indeed was not badly injured was a sheer relief. Next I had to figure out how to get her up off the floor.
I looked at the clock and it was 3:35 in the morning. Too early to call a neighbor or my sister for help. No way I could get her up off the floor by myself I decided to
call for help from the paramedic service. Mom told me she was alright so I went back up the stairway to get something to wear before calling the medics.

Still shaking and heart pounding, I dressed quickly and looked around the room for my shoes and I saw my laptop sitting next to the doorway. I probably wouldn't be coming back up the stairs for awhile, so I decided to take it with me
on the trip down. I grabbed the case by the strap and slung it over my shoulder.
I ran for the stairway with portable phone in my hand. As I got to the top of the stairs I heard a thump. In my haste to get back down the stairway, I had not checked the laptop case. I could not reach fast enough, the laptop slid out of the half unzipped case, and fell down the 14 stairs to the bottom. Such a sound I
will NEVER forget as long as I live. I just stared at the remains at the bottom of the stairway in disbelief and shock. I slowly took each step one at a time.

I could hear mom in the other room asking what had happened. I could hear the clock striking 4 AM. When I reached the bottom of the stairway, I reached and picked up the shattered remains of my laptop. Putting them aside, I called the paramedics to come for a "lift-assist". Trying to make Mom comfortable on the floor wasn't too bad. The medics showed up in no time at all and she was all settled back in bed. After they left, I noticed that I was still shaking some, and sat down on the couch.I focused my eyes on the pieces of my laptop on the coffee table. It might be fixable somehow I thought... and then I noticed a big crack in the top of the display monitor. I sighed and was relieved that it wasn't me
that was at the bottom of that stairway. Things could be replaced I guess..people could not. Mom was okay and so was I and that was all that mattered.

THEN I WOKE UP...

I looked around the room and there sat the laptop safe and sound. I listened and there was no call for help. Was it a nightmare?.. YES.. was it a premonition,who knows. I only know because of it, I will be very vigilant and check the case and make sure I zip it closed ALWAYS, because if I don't it could lead to DISASTER.

P.S. This morning (7/20/10) at 1:10 AM Mom woke me ringing the bell. She had
taken her bandages from dialysis off too early and was bleeding on her bed and clothing. Talk about weird. And so it goes on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~