Fun people

I started having a killer toothache last week, and finally called the dentist across the street from my apartment complex and got an appointment for the Friday just past. They x-rayed the problem side, twice, and the dentist came in to do a test which involved getting me to bite on a little foam tube, and then she took a Q-tip, sprayed it with liquid nitrogen and touched it to one of two teeth, telling me to let her know when I felt the cold, and when it stopped. First tooth, no problem, second tooth Holy Fucking Shit!! So, turns out that one of the nerves to that tooth has died for no apparent reason. There’s no cavity, no infection, just beastliness. I can fork over About $800 for a root canal, or $100 for an extraction. Can’t get either one done until Wednesday, when I will be bidding the devil tooth "Adieu". In the meantime, intermittent serious pain.

Didn’t sleep well Tuesday night. In fact, I dreamed I had a toothache and had put some pain gel on my gums to numb the pain and was wondering why it was taking so long to work. Well, since I was, in fact, sound asleep and putting NOTHING on my gums, no wonder the pain didn’t go away. It eventually woke me up, I took more Tylenol gelcaps and went back to bed, but really didn’t get a good night’s sleep. I don’t dare go to Norm and Paulette’s before work, because I’ll never go to work, if I do, and by the time my day was over (8 half-hour massages, while fighting the goddamn toothache), I was in a pissy mood and went home. Txted Norm to confirm I had left my ball cap over there, and said I’d pick it up Thursday or Friday.

Thursday, one of my clients, who had seen my FB statuses, brought me some Advil and a couple of stronger pain pills. God love her. She’s a super person–have I mentioned my husband and wife clients who had a home invasion 9 years ago? Her, anyway–and the Advil did help. I was also doing some very painful massage techniques to myself, which also helped a LOT. So did rinsing the sore area with pear vodka. Nummy. Got off work early, thanks to a cancellation, drove to Weymouth (about 2 hours away), taking my time along the old highway to stop at a store someone told me might have motorcycle boots (they didn’t have what I need), and went to my bank to redo my loan and get me some money to do some important stuff–like pay to get my house hooked up to the town sewer instead of the old septic tank; pay for my trip to Toronto–and have a bit in the bank. My credit rating has been slowly recovering from my own carelessness a few years back and in a year it should be at the point where I can qualify for a new mortgage. Sweet.

Then I stopped at Frenchy’s (THE best second-hand clothing stores in the known universe–it’s where my daughter scored a genuine Dolce and Gabbana purse, and I snagged two Gucci’s–for like $2.25 each), got a couple pair of jeans and talked to some people I hadn’t seen in a while, and then stopped in to visit my kids and grandkids, and had a nice evening with them. Didn’t get home till after 10, so too late to go to Norm and Paulette’s.

After seeing the dentist on Friday morning, I toddled off to CR Leathers, which sells all kinds of good motorcycle stuff and bought my gloves, looked at helmets and checked out the boots he can order. I decided on a helmet that I like, and will probably buy it next pay, although I’m going to ask Norm and Paulette and PG to look for one at the biker rally. Also going to get them to look for boots, if the pair that Norm said I could have if they fit, don’t fit. Then I went to work, happy to have the Advil and the gum-numbing gel I had bought, finished at 8 and was too tired to go visiting.

Saturday morning, I worked for my co-therapist, who is on vacation this week, and she’ll cover my Saturday when I go to Toronto. BUT, it meant I missed out on the trip to Truro with Norm and Paulette and PG who were going up there to pick up Norm’s latest toy–a 31 foot trailer with all the bells and whistles. When I got home, I txted PG and told him to txt me when they got back because I wanted to come see the new toy. He txted when they were about a half hour out, so I could meet them at Norm’s (technically, it’s Paulette’s place, but "Norm" is shorter to type). I pulled into the driveway just as they were backing the new trailer into place, and OMG, I love it!!!! I wish I could go with them to the biker rally. This is it. The only difference is that instead of bunks in the front end, there’s a big Murphy bed–probably a double–that just folds up against the front wall. They can take their bikes up the ramp, store them, and off they go. 

It looks like we’ll all be going camping this summer, so YAY for friends who love me. They’re as disappointed as I am that I can’t go to the rally, but I can definitely make it camping every other weekend. PG said I’d have to sleep with him. This is not a problem for me. Anyway, we checked out all the cool stuff, like the TV that swings out on an arm, so you can watch it from various places around the trailer. Made sure the stove was working, and the fridge and freezer, and like that. PG asked if I wanted to come over to his place later to play pool and such, that a couple of friends were coming over and he had to go home to get his place ready for company. I volunteered to help, and followed him in my car. His place is a little tricky to find, and is behind a graveyard, so the neighbours are quiet. Could be tricky when the zombie apocalypse comes, but I’m sure if anyone can handle the zombie apocalypse, it’s PG.

I met his dog. She’s a fat black lab named "Angel" and she’s so sweet! We tidied up his kitchen. I washed the dishes from breakfast and the night before, he dried and put away, telling me I didn’t have to do this. I told him this is what being a friend is, to me. We talked about Y a little bit, and that they’d been kind of on-again-off-again and that the other night she pissed him off for the last time and he told her not to let the door hit her in the ass on the way out. He told me how he came to decide to stop drinking and stopped for 6 months to see if he felt any better. He did, so he extended it to a year, and now it’s been 2 1/2 years. He keeps beer in the house for friends and doesn’t mind going to bars or having people drink around him. I probably won’t. 

The friends turned up–Wayne and Sonya–and she was already half plastered. I don’t know what she does for a living, but she had put in 8 days in a row and was partying hard on her day off. PG and I kept exchanging head shakes and smiles. Norm came over after a bit. Usually, Paulette goes with him, but she wanted to play with the new trailer, and make up the beds and put dishes and all that stuff, so she dropped him off. PG’s basement has a pool table, foosball, dart board, TV, target for pellet guns, a bar, and a door outside to a small covered patio. He offered to have the smokers go outside to smoke and I said I’d see how it was for me. I did have a bit of a headache by the time I got home, but I don’t know if that was the smoke, the loud music (blame Sonya for cranking the volume), lack of eating (refer to painful mouth), or the pain from the damn tooth.

It was a crazy night. Norm is such a nut, and a big hugger, which I love. And yes, he hugs me in front of Paulette, who is not insane and jealous, and who thinks the world of me, according to Norm. She hates Y, by the way. They both hate Y. I drank ginger ale, Norm and Sonya drank various forms of alcohol, PG had nothing, as far as I could see, and I think Wayne was just drinking 7Up or something, since he was driving. Turns out I can play pool better than I thought. I hadn’t played in over 25 years, so it was fun to try again. I can also hit a target with the pellet pistols, and get fairly close to the bullseye. Impressed Norm, anyway. I don’t think PG saw…he was distracted half the night with txts from Y.

I wanted to track her down at one point and break her face. I had gone upstairs to the bathroom, and PG was trying to put some decent music on. Sonya likes to listen to stuff that the rest of us wanted to drive knives into our ears after about an hour of it. I saw him down on one knee at the far end of his house and went down to ask about the music. He had his cellphone in one hand and wiped his cheek with the other and looked so distressed and I assumed that Y was playing hurtful games. I asked him what I could do to help and gave him a hug. He said he was okay and we went back downstairs, but he kept coming and going, occasionally getting frustrated when the phone buzzed a new incoming message. Kind of "leave me the fuck alone, dammit", reaction. 

In the meantime, being sober, I was having a great deal of fun with Norm and the others. I played a game of pool with Wayne and actually had only three balls left when he was down to the 8 ball, and then he scratched on the 8, so I won the game! Yay for me!! I can still throw a dart, although I didn’t play a game–just tried it to see if I still have my arm. Got lots of hugs from Norm and PG, more from Norm, but that’s normal for him. He was hugging Sonya just as much, and if Paulette had been there, he would have been the same. At one point, he and I were talking, and he told me that PG and I were two people that he completely cherishes in his life.

Wayne and Sonya left around midnight or so, and Norm asked PG for a ride home. I asked PG if he wanted me to stay or go home and he said, "You can go home, if you like. I’m okay." I asked if he just wanted to be alone, he said yes, and I told him that it is perfectly acceptable to tell me that. "I need to be alone" is okay in my books, since it’s something people are likely to hear from me from time to time. I also told him anytime he wants to be alone, go fishing or whatever, go ahead; all I ask is that if we have plans to do something together, he call and say, "I hate to cancel, but I need to be by myself" or "I’d rather just go out with Norm" or whatever the hell–just give me warning, don’t just not turn up. He thought that was fair and reasonable. So I offered Norm a ride home, since he lives so close to me, and I was sober, As I was saying goodnight to PG, he told me he has to work some stuff out and it wasn’t going to happen in one night. I told him I want to be his friend, and he said, "You ARE my friend." and gave me a big hug. I’m really glad of that. The more I know him, the more I like him, broken parts and all. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life.

Norm and I talked about PG and Y a little on the way home. According to Norm, she’s poison, doesn’t work, and tries to drain PG dry. She is also, according to him, crazy jealous of me (probably any woman that PG might talk to),  Norm doesn’t like her, doesn’t think she’s that good looking; Paulette says Y fills out a pair of jeans nicely and that’s all she has going for her. They don’t like the way she treats PG and when they invited PG to come to Laconia with them, Paulette said that if Y came along, she was going to stay home. He told me how much Paulette likes me, and he thinks that PG needs a friend like me, who accepts him as he is and treats him gently. He said he’s met people who don’t like PG, but that everyone of value likes him. I believe that. We agree that PG is one of the most alpha males either of us has ever met, although it’s very understated. It’s more of an aura than anything you could point to, and say "There, see?"

The upshot is that I love these three people. They’re some of the best people I’ve ever met in my life. I’m so glad to have them in my life.