it is painfully and bitterly cold here.

i must admit that i am glad that you cared about my warmth. let me tell you about my mother because i know how much you appreciate the her that she is in my writing.

she called me yesterday, early afternoon. she called me to go warm her car. she is assuming i’m home. i was working. she called me four times, no message, from two different phones. i thought she fell or someone was holding her hostage. i find a corner at work and call her back. nope. she is alive and well, actually eating snacks in my ear. her car needs to be warmed up.

i ask, “um, why are you too good to go down and warm your own car? where are you going?” she says, “no where. it’s going to be 30 degrees below by the kickoff. the car should be warmed up.”

“kickoff? you’re watching the bears?”

“no. i don’t watch football.”
enter so many sighs here. i tell her, “i’m at work, i cannot start your car. i’m not near it. the car will be fine. they don’t need to be warmed up like in the 80’s. also, this is not alaska, we don’t get -30 degrees usually. the windchill might get to a negative 20 but the car will live through it. and it’s a shame that i’d be sent out and get cold just to warm a car.” she then proceeds to ask me what time i get off. i tell her at 6 or when it slows down. she then adds after giving it a little thought, “i guess it’ll be too late for you to start it when you get home, huh?”

so, thank you for caring that i do not freeze unlike my mother.

btw, i’m on my way to warm her car since i could not do it yesterday (we never grow up to our parents).