18
As I wait for Sara to arrive, I step out into the hallway and make another phone call.
“Bert, buddy. I’m going to be in your debt forever,” I say instead of hello.
“What’s up, dude?” Bert says. I hear worry in his voice. “You sound strange.”
I don’t blame Bert for thinking I don’t sound like myself, since I don’t feel like myself either.
“It’s my mom,” I say, trying to normalize my voice. “It’s Lucy. She’s in the hospital.”
“Oh my God, Darren. What happened?”
“It’s not a conversation for over the phone,” I say. “We’re at the Staten Island University Hospital.”
“Okay. My cab just got out of traffic on Belt Parkway. We’re still driving through Brooklyn. I can have him go to Staten Island.”
“Do it. Thanks, man.”
“See you soon,” my friend says and hangs up.
I’ve never needed my f
