Between a Rock and a Hard Place…

There was a knock upon my door late yesterday evening. At first, I had trouble discerning whether it was an auditory hallucination due to my schizophrenia until Maggie came running jubilantly out of my bedroom and into the den whining and barking. She gets so excited when I have company. My father was standing out in the cold night air on the threshold of my backdoor.
“Uh, no,” I said hating to lie to my mother. I was between a rock and a hard place. “I think he went down to the pharmacy to check on some things.”
“Can I borrow your DVD player and the television?” He asked.

“Sure,” I said as I opened the door wide and welcomed him inside.

My father is obsessed with the British Monarchy. They have a library in their home and it is filled with books on the Monarchy that were gifts and purchases over the years. My father has read them all. In his hand tonight was a DVD video he wanted to watch that he had ordered from public television out of Boston.

“Your mother is driving me crazy,” He said. “She has asked me a thousand questions since I arrived home from work. I couldn’t take it any longer and need to watch this in some peace and quiet.”

I laughed. My mother is a tad obsessive compulsive. “Like mother, like son,” I thought. She has been known to call me three or four times in a row asking questions as well. My recent abscessed tooth brought forth a frenzy of concerned and obsessive calls from her. I managed to narrowly escape going to the dentist due to her urging by taking antibiotics.

Ring. Ring.

Dad was watching his video as I answered my phone.

“I am not here,” He said.

I picked up the phone and said hello.

“Andrew, your father has just disappeared and I am worried about him,” My mother said on the other end.

“He’s fine,” I replied.

“Have you seen him?”

I looked at dad wondering how to answer. He waved me off.

“Uh, no,” I said hating to lie to my mother. I was between a rock and a hard place. “I think he went down to the pharmacy to check on some things.”

I finally managed to get off the phone with my mother. Dad thanked me for so astutely handling that awkward situation. I sat down with him and watched the rest of that DVD about Charles, The Prince of Wales, and Camella Parker Bowle’s royal wedding. It was nice spending some quiet time with my father even if the video bored me to tears. I have never been one much for weddings. I was almost late for my own.