Dad is fiercely independent, but these past few years have been difficult for him. He lives in a house he built 50 years ago in the countryside outside of Rhinebeck, NY. But after years of declaring he could "hold out", he has decided that it is time for him to sell the house and move. My sister and brother and I were very relieved when he came to this decision because he's 88, and we worry about him.
This past Spring my sister, Lori, and I found a lovely place for him just minutes from Lori's home in Maryland. He toured it, loved it, and put his house on the market. Months passed. People came and looked, but there were no takers. Then three weeks ago as Doug and I were in a limo headed to JFK to fly to Abu Dhabi I got a text from the realtor. "Call me. There's been an offer on your dad's house".
I flew to Abu Dhabi anyway because you know how these things go. I'd also planned to return in three weeks time in any case to take care of those loose ends I mentioned. So while I was setting up our apartment and shopping for appropriate clothing and exploring and meeting people and writing this blog, all that time real estate drama was underway.
Thank goodness for Lori. She talked Dad off the ledge more than once, and she and the realtor, George Whalen, dealt with a difficult potential buyer and their shrew of a realtor. One day I'd get an email and all was well. The next day Lori would write, "Call me. We have a problem." And so it went.
Today I woke at 6:15 a.m. to get ready for my 7:30 pickup and 10:30 a.m. flight to JFK. I rolled over in bed, picked up my iPad and read an email from Lori. The subject line read, "Deal's Off".
So I am on my way home. I have those loose ends to deal with. I am looking forward to meeting up with my friends over coffee or lunch or dinner and catching up on things. But then there's dad...... What to do?
My emotions are all over the place. I do very well when I have a Plan. I can deal with Plans. I make my flow charts and my lists. I cross things off and I get thngs done. But what to do? What's my plan now?
It's another 5 hours before we land. I am trying to stay awake so that I can sleep tonight and hopefully get myself on Hoboken Time in sort order. That's a plan. I remind myself that I am not in this alone - my sister, brother and I are a team, and Doug is 100% supportive. We'll work it out.
Challenges. Surprises. Questions. Emotional Roller-coasters. Oh my.
In the meantime, it seems only appropriate to suspend my Arabian Notes until I am actually back in Abu Dhabi. It will be a few weeks at the very least I am sure.
Till then.
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