A Call To Your Humanity...!

SATURDAY JUNE 17, 2006

PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE

Rest Stop

I'm on my way to visit my two kids after two weeks. My relationship with my ex wife is still on the rocks but holding steady. I make a stop on a BP Gas station and buy myself a tuna sandwich, and I make sure I fill my gas tank. I am the type of guy that wanted to eat healthy and I ordered a that tuna "hoagie" with onions( called a 'sub' in New Jersey). I finish still remember drinking my ice tea... start my car engine and head away.

The road view is breathtaking. The Appalachian mountains ridge shape the scenery and the way the highway was constructed. I usually take my time since some spots are dangerous. Nature shows you what creation is all about. After driving through the Tuscaloosa Tunnel, I noticed a sign which read: "Shanksville Memorial, next exit" It is actually the area where flight 93 went down. No one would suspect that this town became famous due to that infamous incident. I did not have time to take a peek and kept on going.

SAME DAY

GREENSBURG, PA

2PM

Finally I arrived to my ex wife's complex condo and see my 2 boys, who are happy to have me back. My ex barely says, "hi, " and kind of let's me feel unwanted from the start. "If you want, you can take them to the movies and 'chuck-e-cheese' for Josh, she says while she is washing her dishes. We did well with my kids and came home about nine p.m. Everything was alright until three a.m., when my ex wife comes to my older son's room where I was laying for the rest of the night. Abruptly, she wakes me up...not ready for that reaction, I asked her, "what was the matter now?"

"Now, you better leave right now Mike!, I mean now!" I was not even completely up on my five senses, and my neck was sore. My eyes were still shut. I thought it was a dream or better than that, just another nightmare. "What happened Maureen? Why are you being so rude with me now?" She walks away into the living room, still mad and tells me that, "You better leave right now or I will call the cops on you, and tell them that you tried to rape me" Oh, my God!

"Now you are getting worse than ever Maureen. You are such a.... What's the matter with you, huh?" I grabbed my back pack and barely said 'bye' to my kids, who came down, hearing her voice, getting out of hand. Before I left this 'bipolar' nightmare type of thing, I asked her again: "Where did I go wrong! Tell me!"

See how the kids are scared of their own mom?" She finally let it out. "You have the nerve to come to see your kids after seeing that bitch or whoever she is, and not even have the decency to clean your mouth. That was really gross and...God! Yuck! Get the 'f**' Outta my house... I've got it! with you Michael!!"

She thought I had an 'encounter' of the deeper kind with her fictional "other woman" and probably she thought....!!

Never, ever and forever will buy another tuna fish to ever suffer this mental torture. I left furious and made a promised to myself: never go back to that house. As simple as that. And that was it.

LINDEN, NEW JERSEY

FEBRUARY 15, 2008

18 months later...

1 P.M.

Cops knock on my door and tell me that a woman called Maureen was trying to reach me and all she knew was my address. "Sir, you wife is having an emergency. Seems that you older son was admitted to Emergency last night and wanted to reach you, somehow." I was really surprised. "What happened officer? Is he okay?" I asked really worried. "My friend, you better do something and go to see your son." I took some clothes, threw them in the car and left. I made it there about 12 midnight. What I see is my son with his swollen mouth and dry blood and saliva coming through it. It was the most horrible view.

He was sleeping or at least trying. A nurse is checking his vital signs and keeping up a record. " What is it? Nurse, " I asked really concern. " Mr. Kevin, he has what we call, "Steven-Johnson's Syndrome," a reaction from the body to antibiotics, which we cannot predict..." I felt as though her words were dying away in my ears.

Her brief explanation, was like a deep cut to my throat. I just started to cry silently and felt as though my guilty mind was making me pay at once for this radical absenteeism from my kids. Somehow, he knew I was there and... a single tear drop went down his face. He hardly said this words: "why me?"

MONDAY FEBRUARY 25TH, 2008

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

PITTSBURGH, PA

9AM

Finally I'm heading home. I was more than 10 days with my kid. Yep I stayed in that room with him until he was out of danger. Trying to make up for the lost time. I saw all the improvements and practically he came back to life.

A doctor told me to check his symptoms and his eyes, and future exposure to certain pills or medicine. I said bye to my son who gave me his "high five" with an energetic desire to do better and be like... huh! his dad. I promised to be around more often and stay away from trouble. Which I did until today..!