Sitting

While I was in surgery and that evening and the next day, my mom came and took care of me. During my procedure she sat, waiting. Just in case.

A fellow tribe member made the comment that no matter how old we get, sometimes we just need our mommies. This is true for me, but I think it has only a little bit to do with the fact that she’s my mommy and much more to do with the fact that she’s a woman and my friend. She’s always there for me, but she’s there for her girlfriends as well.

Women do that. Sit, I mean. We sit and wait. Just in case.

We don’t do it because we think anything will go wrong. We sit and wait, just in case, because it is a way to show each other how much we love each other, how much we respect and care about each other. It’s just a thing we do. When we ask each other, “Will you come and sit with me?” we all know that’s what we’re talking about and, believe me, it isn’t about having a ride home.

Women know that when you’re in surgery, you just need to know somebody’s sitting out there, reading a book and looking at the clock, waiting. Not worrying about her job and wondering when she can get back to the office. Sitting. Waiting. Just in case.

You know my mom was out there, sitting for me, but what you don’t know is that one of my mom’s friends came and sat with her. She was there for my mom, not for me. She was sitting and waiting, for my mom. Just in case.