Just as my wife’s water broke, I got a call from my mother’s nurse, and she told me my mom was dying. I was torn and forced to make a difficult decision.
The day Debra found out she was pregnant was one of those days that I will cherish for the rest of my life. We had cried together, unable to believe that we were going to have a baby home soon, and I promised Debra I’d be an amazing dad.
Debra and I had waited to become parents for a long time. We were one of those miracle couples who conceived after going through tons of failed fertility treatments and doctors telling us there was no chance.
“We’ll be the best parents to him, darling,” I told Debra one night. “I can’t wait to hold our baby in my arms.”
“I know, honey,” she’d said, smiling. I gently kissed her baby bump and promised Debra I’d always be by her side.
Debra had always been very anxious about the pregnancy due to the complications, and I had told her I would be there for her, so there was no need to worry.
Little did I know fate would plunge me into a situation where I’d have to choose between her and my mom while was in labor…
I still get chills when I recall that day. It started as a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, and nothing seemed wrong with the outside world. I was preparing breakfast in the kitchen because Debra wasn’t feeling well that morning.
I quickly assembled a breakfast plate for her, and I went to call her for breakfast. As I entered our bedroom, I saw she was leaning against the wall with one hand, clutching her baby bump and breathing heavily.
“Honey, are you okay?” I dashed to her, worried. “Should I call the doctor?”
“Gordon…my water…it…it broke,” she whispered heavily, and that’s when I noticed the floor beneath her. It was wet. “Take me to the hospital, Gordon…Please!” she cried.
“Jesus!” I panicked. “I’ll get the car started. Just hang on a sec, honey.”
I ran to our car, grabbing the keys from the bowl on the living room shelf. I opened the car door, then rushed back inside to help Debra.
“Don’t worry, honey. We’ll reach the hospital in no time. Okay, we’ve got this.” I was comforting her as her labor pains began. I was terrified and nervous. I was praying everything would be fine.
After we made it to the car and Debra got inside, I locked her door and rushed to take my seat. Then my phone rang. It was my mom’s nurse, Marla, calling me. My mother had been diagnosed with a progressive cardiac condition, and due to her illness, she was confined to bed rest.
Worried, I answered the phone, and Marla’s voice on the other end of the line broke me from inside.
“Gordon,” she said in a weak voice. “Your mom… She had a heart attack, so I took her to the hospital. The doctors say there is little hope she’ll make it… Your mother is dying. I think you should be here as soon as you can.”
“Jesus, Jesus!” I exhaled a sigh. Why was everything happening at the same time? I was ripped to shreds and didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, there was Debra, who was in labor, and on the other, there was my mother.
I went inside the car, tears in my eyes, and told Debra everything. I couldn’t hide it from her, anyway. She saw my face and asked me what was wrong. And I blurted everything out.
“Mom is dying, honey. She had a heart attack, and Marla’s asking me to be there as soon as possible. I am so nervous. I – I don’t know what to do….”
“Honey,” Debra said. “Call a taxi. I’ll go by myself…”
“What?” I was taken aback. “No, we can’t do that!”. She was drenched in sweat and moaning in pain. “Look at you. It’s just not….”
“We don’t have time, honey…Ahh…call the taxi now, Gordon. Your mom needs you. You are a son first, then a husband. I will manage. Your mom…she…” Her pain was becoming worse.
“I’m calling the taxi. Oh, God!”
Thankfully, I got a taxi soon, and I instructed the driver to take Debra to the hospital safely. My hands shook as I drove to my mother’s hospital, and my tears wouldn’t stop. My heart was racing, wondering about Debra’s condition and if our baby would be alright.
A Neighbor’s Amusing Reaction to Criticism of Their Halloween Decorations Has Gone Viral!
It’s spooky season—a time for fun, scares, and a bit of darkness. During this time of year, we expect to see creepy decorations everywhere. It’s not yet time for the cheerful holiday season.
However, just because Halloween is near doesn’t mean we can’t show kindness. One Halloween fan shared this message in a TikTok video that has since gone viral.
Salena Webb loves Halloween. She is a mother of four from South Carolina, and like many others, she celebrates by decorating her yard with Halloween items. Salena created a whole graveyard scene in her front yard, complete with ghosts, spiderwebs, pumpkins, a witch, tombstones, and skeletons carrying a casket. It took a lot of time to set up the display. But when her neighbor came to ask her to take it down, she agreed.
Her neighbor asked her to remove some decorations to make things easier for his elderly father.
Salena shared the moment her neighbor visited her to make the request in a TikTok video. In the video, the neighbor explains, “Hey, I know you’re celebrating Halloween. My dad just got diagnosed with lung cancer. He thinks the decorations are a bit scary.” He then points to the graveyard scene and asks, “Would you mind taking just the casket out?”
Salena felt sympathetic right away. Since her neighbor’s dad often spends time in his garage, which faces her yard, she understood why removing the casket was important. “I didn’t want to be a reminder of what could happen if he doesn’t beat cancer,” she told Insider. “I didn’t want to add stress to someone else’s life.”
Salena removed the casket and gave the skeletons badminton rackets instead. She moved the more scary decorations to her backyard. “I was a little sad at first,” Salena wrote in her TikTok caption, “But I realized that taking away the casket wouldn’t hurt me, but it might help my neighbor feel better as he deals with this news. Kindness is free, and compassion goes a long way.”
Many people praised Salena for her kindness. She posted the video and asked her followers what they would have done in her situation. While some said they wouldn’t have taken down their decorations, many praised Salena for her compassion.
“Now this is what being a good neighbor is all about. Kindness doesn’t cost anything. Thank you!” one user commented.
Another person wrote, “This was beautifully handled. The world needs more people like you! God bless you!”
Salena’s neighbor also appreciated her gesture. After she took down the casket, she brought him a card and some balloons. Even though there was a language barrier between them, she could tell he was thankful. He told her, “You’re good people.”
Leave a Reply