We'll Just Buy Another One

Well, it's been a few days since we've talked about the parents so today is the day.

Kevin phones his parents every day to check in.  It's usually about the same time every day.  Today, he phoned his mom and she didn't answer. 

Oh...wait...last week my f-i-l came to the house beccause his phone wouldn't work.  The problem, you ask?  It was turned down.  That's all, it was on silent.

He INSISTS that he didn't turn it down yet had no idea how to turn it up. 

Okay, back to today.  Kevin phones his dad when his mother doesn't answer.  "Where is mom?"

"She's right here."

"Why didn't she answer her phone?"

"It's broken. No one can call."

"How long has it been like that?"

"Oh, a few days..."

It's Wednesday.  I was home all day on Monday, we were home all weekend, Kevin phones every single damn day.  We have NO IDEA why they won't tell us these kinds of things.

Kevin tells him that I will come over after work to see what's wrong. 

"We'll just buy a new one" his dad says.  This seems to be the answer to all.the.things lately.  Remember the remotes?  (they are REMARKABLY still working, btw)

"No, Dad, it's not that easy.  Surely will go over after work."

Then Kevin asks how he's feeling.  "Well, I only have oxygen for one leg."

WUT

Kevin asks for clarification.  "Well, I can only breathe for one leg. I don't have oxygen and I need oxygen."

Again, I say: WUT

After a lot of frustrating digging, it turns out that he can't walk as far as he used to.  He's short of breath after a bit.  "Have you called the doctor?" 

"Yes, I talked to the nurse and I'm waiting for them to call."

This is where I say: Never take this on face value.  Don't trust AND do verify.  We have heard this so much and it turns out that they called for an appointment and didn't state what was happening.  Or they ask to talk to the doctor and of course the doctor isn't available so....

I suggested to have Kevin's brother text the cardiologist to make sure she knew what was happening.

Fast forward a few hours and I pass my f-i-l leaving for town.  I walked over and there is my m-i-l with no phone. GREAT.  Good thing I came home early.

I verified that it wasn't working and restarted it.  It worked.  I fiddled with some settings and restarted it again and it worked.  I believe she managed to put it in airplane mode, again.

She mentions that the battery doesn't charge/last.  This phone is a flip phone and it's about two years old. This seems unlikely.  So we walk through exactly what happens. I asked that they made sure it was plugged in all the way, that the dog I hate didn't chew the cord, and that she's CERTAIN it has been charged.  Everything is perfect, she assures me.

"I will just buy a new one" she says.  See? It's the answer to everything.

"No, it's not that easy.  First: it's on my account so I am the one buying it.  Second, let's make sure it's an actual problem." 

She ante's up with:  "I can't hear the ringer."  This is actually something I can fix.

I changed it to a louder tone and set the vibration feature to work.  I swear I did this when I set it up but who knows what has happened since then.  Because: airplane mode. On a flip phone.

When I wondered if it was perhaps not the phone that had a volume issue, she got a tiny bit annoyed.  Because it couldn't possibly be that the television is on SHOUT or that she slept through the phone ringing.

So, again, I say that we'll give it a day or so before we go buying new phones.  I reiterate that I am the one who buys it and not them.  "But you have to tell us and not wait until it's an emergency."  She frowns because that's what we do when we don't get our way.  You would think she'd know that I am immune to that nonsense.

"Now, where did Dad go?"

"Oh he went to the pharmacy to get some new pills. The doctor called  them in."

"What are they for?"

"Oh, well, he's been having really high blood pressure."

AGAIN I SAY: WUT.

Instead, I took a breath and said "Okay, let's keep an eye on it then or we have to go to the doctor."

I texted Kevin that I fixed their phone but I didn't mention the blood pressure. I'll wait until he phones to let me know he's on the way home.  Then he can go next door for an update instead of trying to  interpret crazyparent-ese over the phone.

And...this is where I say that she was sundowning and it wasn't even 3:00 pm.  And that she was still in her bathrobe. 

Nothing is easy anymore.