May 24, 2021 – Two years ago today, on May 24, 2019, Pops passed away at 3:45 a.m. His night nurse called me at around 6 am, just before he was leaving his shift, to let me know. I can’t say I wasn’t expecting the call, but I still went into a bit of a frump. Well, most people would probably say I went into shock. I managed to stay calm throughout our conversation. He asked me when I would be coming in to pick up Pops’ things. I told him I thought I would be able to make it into town shortly after 6 a.m.
This was the first time for me to have to go to a hospital and identify someone who had passed away. I had no idea what would be in store for me when I arrived. Because the nurse had mentioned picking up Pops’ things, I figured that would be all there was to do. I was wrong. When I arrived the night nurse had already signed out from his shift and I was dealing with the day nurses. Naturally, all of Pops’ stuff that he had taken in his backpack was not there when it was given to me. I know this because the backpack must have weighed 40 pounds. I figured he knew he wasn’t coming home alive and had taken some of his career memorabilia with him to give to the hospital staff during his final days. I will never know. After my shock from the initial discovery, I decided I was fine with whatever happened, as whatever was in there would have certainly meant more stuff for me to deal with in the end.
#OTD