"Tap, Tap, Tap"

Yesterday, a local friend who volunteers at a hospital in Fresno, called me.  She goes down every Monday and prays with those going into surgery.  While she was there, one of those she stopped to pray with turned out to be an old friend of mine.  After discovrering this, when she moved on, he asked her, instead of saying "hello," to tell me "tap, tap, tap".  He said I would know who he was by that message.

She called me to let me know he was in the hospital undergoing surgery and to share this strange message (and to try to learn the story behind it.)

I shared with her; let me share this memory with you ...

The friend's name is Walt.  He and his wife, Betty, would go to Ixtapa, Mexico every February and November.  They had a couple of time shares and would take family or friends for a week.  The February before we discovered my husband, Larry, was ill, we joined them.  Our "apartment" was upstairs.  By upstairs, I mean up a narrow, iron, fairly open, stairwell.  The apartment was beautiful.  A large 'loft' style with a beautiful deck and marvelous view.  But that climb was a wee bit uncomfortable if not downright dangerous.

We'd gone walking on the beach one evening and stopped for a few nightcaps along our walk.  When we returned, the men were pretty well in their cups and getting him up that staircase, safely, was a process.  When we got in to our room, he hit the bed and was out for the count.  I moved to a couch and curled up with a book and fell asleep there.  During the night I heard a tapping sound.  I woke and tried to determine what and where this was coming from and determined it was the entry door.  Turning on a light, I discovered Larry wasn't in bed, he wasn't in the bathroom.  With the open floor plan, I could see the kitchen and he wasn't there either.  Meanwhile, I'm still hearing, "tap, tap, tap".  I opened the entry door and there on this tiny landing stood my still somewhat inebriated husband.  Looking down, it was a wonder he hadn't fallen to the bottom, not a good thing.  "I thought this was the door to the bathroom," he said sheepishly.  He came in, looked at me and we laughed 'til the tears flowed.

The next morning we shared the story of his little mishap with our friends and we all had a good laugh.  It turned in to one of those stories that lives forever and "tap, tap, tap" became the code for an inside story.  It lives on still and always conjurs up a memory of a special and happier time.

"Tap, tap, tap," Walt.  Get well soon!!!