You Should Have Told Me

           On the rare occasion when I can’t make a Tuesday visit, I usually try to call Nellie and let her know. This is much easier since she got her own phone; I remember spending long hold times while nurses tried to take my messages when I had to call the nursing home line. At any rate, I was sick—sicker than I’d been in a long time, and had no strength at all for a Nellie visit. So I called.

            “I can’t come today, Nellie. I’m sick.”

            “What? Talk a little softer. Don’t talk so loud.”

            I have never been asked to speak more softly. Most of the time people can’t hear me. But I guessed I had raised my voice a little to make sure she could understand me over the phone, so I chalked it up to a Nellie quirk and obligingly lowered my volume. “I’m sick, Nellie. I can’t come.”

            “But what about the fruit? Can you come tomorrow and get the apples?”

            “No,” I tried to keep my voice low. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

            “What? I can’t hear you. Well, I guess you can’t come. Okay. Goodbye.”

           

            The next day she called me to see if maybe I could come pick up the fruit after all. I was a little better by then, but still weak, and told her no.

            “But it’s such a pity to let them go!” she protested. I was very sorry, but I just wasn’t up to making the trip. Nellie was terribly disappointed. “I guess I’ll have to put them back on the cart,” she concluded.

            The following Tuesday I felt fine, and went as usual to see my little grandmother. It wasn’t until nearly time for me to go that she asked, “Oh, what did your mother call about last week?”

            “My mother?” I was confused.

            “Yes, your mother. You remember, you phoned and told me she called and you had to do something so you couldn’t come on Tuesday.”

            “No, no, I phoned and told you I was sick and couldn’t come!” To be fair, the Russian for “called” is zvonilas and the Russian for “sick” is bolilas. I can see how the two words might be mixed up.

            “You were sick? If I had known that, I wouldn’t have called you the next day and asked about the apples! You should have told me!”

            I shook my head in exasperation. “Nellie, I did tell you! And you told me to speak softer!”