My Son Called Me In The Evening: ‘I’m Getting Married Tomorrow. I’ve Sold Your Car And Your House. Goodbye!’ I Was In The Hospital And Simply Replied, ‘Alright, But You Forgot One Detail.’ I Burst Out Laughing.

My son called as the April rain beat on my Lakewood window. “I’m getting married tomorrow. I’ve sold your car and your house. Goodbye.”

I was in a hospital gown with an IV in my arm, the heart monitor soft as a metronome. I didn’t shout. I didn’t plead. I took a breath that tasted like Earl Grey and disinfectant—and said one sentence that made the nurse look up and made me burst out laughing.