"hypocondriactic"
One of my favorite pastimes is scrounging Chicago alleys for toys, electronics, furniture, and any other discard I can glean something out of. I seem to find a lot of old yellow, recycled-paper pads filled with quick-but-urgent pen scribbles. I was gonna go on some spiel about how this is the second life of the paper, it's more okay to toss it, but that's probably bullshit romanticism and not the case at all. Yellow legal pads are cheap and usually up for grabs at any office building. They are easy to toss out because they're free.
Most of the time they're just business notes. Facts and figures. Stuff that I doubt would be very interesting even if I could decipher it but every now and than I'll find something beautiful. Somewhere in my backpack there's a pad filled with the lyrics and setlists to some aspiring musician. From their quality, I'd say he is in high school or was when he wrote them, but they're of no use to him now. As is usually the case, the second half of the notebook is all blank paper.
The one I found today had only two entries. The first was a letter written from a parent to their as-yet unborn child. I don't know if it was the handwriting, the subject matter, or the care pout into it but I immediately thought that it was the work of a woman; it was in fact written by the father. It comes in a spurt, using humor, family history, and description of the setting to adequately paint the scene but then, when he's most excited, ends abruptly. Here it is:
"I heard your heartbeat for the first time on the 12th. It was so exciting. It was me, your Mom, G-ma, & the Doc. Your G-ma had a bright smile on her face & stared @ the clock as to count your bpm (beats per min.) a habit she picked up from being a nurse. So if she gets all hypocondriactic on you it has to do w/ being a medic and picking up some of your great g-ma's habit. The doc did the same as g-ma minus the bright smile. Not so much because she didn't care but more so because this was a routine visit that she probably did 2 or 3X a day. Your mother looked like she wanted to do a back flip off the hospital bed she was so excited to have something concrete to know you were really there, other than the fact her jeans didn't fit. Instead she just sat there with her eyes popping out of her head trying to take it all in. For myself, i sat there shocked that I could really hear you, I mean I was reading & seeing pictures in books about what was going on, but finally something that proves youre really in there growing. Of course I observed everybodys reaction. All of this up to this point occured within 90 seconds. For the short remaining time that the doc held that thing on your moms stomach I sat there & our life togethor flashed before my eyes & slight tear of joy grew in the corner"
It was dated "1/18". The only other entry is a page of hurried scrawls, numbers and to-do's. Apparently, whoever this belonged to is moving, and needs to get out quick. Along with phone numbers and addressees for various utility companies are orders like
"pack everything the hell up!!!- wed, thur, fri"
and
"change of address - ?"
I don't know if he left the neighborhood, the city, or the US. I don't know his name or that of his baby. I don't know if he's taking Mom or G-Ma with him or just running. I never will, but in two pages is enough for me to wish him, his mother, the mother and baby all the luck in the world.
hopefully, it won't turn out to ba an Eric
Most of the time they're just business notes. Facts and figures. Stuff that I doubt would be very interesting even if I could decipher it but every now and than I'll find something beautiful. Somewhere in my backpack there's a pad filled with the lyrics and setlists to some aspiring musician. From their quality, I'd say he is in high school or was when he wrote them, but they're of no use to him now. As is usually the case, the second half of the notebook is all blank paper.
The one I found today had only two entries. The first was a letter written from a parent to their as-yet unborn child. I don't know if it was the handwriting, the subject matter, or the care pout into it but I immediately thought that it was the work of a woman; it was in fact written by the father. It comes in a spurt, using humor, family history, and description of the setting to adequately paint the scene but then, when he's most excited, ends abruptly. Here it is:
"I heard your heartbeat for the first time on the 12th. It was so exciting. It was me, your Mom, G-ma, & the Doc. Your G-ma had a bright smile on her face & stared @ the clock as to count your bpm (beats per min.) a habit she picked up from being a nurse. So if she gets all hypocondriactic on you it has to do w/ being a medic and picking up some of your great g-ma's habit. The doc did the same as g-ma minus the bright smile. Not so much because she didn't care but more so because this was a routine visit that she probably did 2 or 3X a day. Your mother looked like she wanted to do a back flip off the hospital bed she was so excited to have something concrete to know you were really there, other than the fact her jeans didn't fit. Instead she just sat there with her eyes popping out of her head trying to take it all in. For myself, i sat there shocked that I could really hear you, I mean I was reading & seeing pictures in books about what was going on, but finally something that proves youre really in there growing. Of course I observed everybodys reaction. All of this up to this point occured within 90 seconds. For the short remaining time that the doc held that thing on your moms stomach I sat there & our life togethor flashed before my eyes & slight tear of joy grew in the corner"
It was dated "1/18". The only other entry is a page of hurried scrawls, numbers and to-do's. Apparently, whoever this belonged to is moving, and needs to get out quick. Along with phone numbers and addressees for various utility companies are orders like
"pack everything the hell up!!!- wed, thur, fri"
and
"change of address - ?"
I don't know if he left the neighborhood, the city, or the US. I don't know his name or that of his baby. I don't know if he's taking Mom or G-Ma with him or just running. I never will, but in two pages is enough for me to wish him, his mother, the mother and baby all the luck in the world.
hopefully, it won't turn out to ba an Eric
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