Stella and Levi, Where The Time Goes
Stella joins the Lititz Lioness and the local Bridge club. The community is not very friendly to newcomers but with her outgoing personality, she makes many friends eventually and they will remain her friends for the rest of her life.
Their eldest son makes a bet with them that if they stop smoking, he will start having children with the cheerleader. Levi and Stella honor the bet and stop smoking in their late 50s. The oldest son starts having kids.
Stella and Levi have always lived in neighborhoods where they are different from their neighbor's politically and have refrained from talking politics with friends who have differing beliefs. But as the country becomes divided and vitriolic, they find it harder to hold their tongues and Stella threatens to quit the bridge if the ladies continue to bash Democrats. They group agrees to stop talking politics.
Stella works hard for the Lititz Lioness Club, taking a few turns at being President. Their daughter boomerangs home a few times and then moves to Los Angeles, California. Meanwhile, Levi refurbishes the basement of their new house, just as he did with the St. Louis house. He also buys a boat with his eldest son and does a lot of fishing off Cape Cod. He even creates a web site to show where the fish are. His new granddaughter helps him clean the fish.
Grandkids come and stay with them every summer. Even though Levi was in the Coast Guard, he has never learned to swim. He makes sure all the grand kids take swimming lessons when they visit. The oldest song gets remaried in Japan and on Cape Cod.
Levi becomes a big Lucinda Williams fan. Stella still likes Neil Diamond. They plan Gin Rummy together and poker games at family events. Stella plays to win.
Their daughter gets married finally. After combing through song suggestions, Levi finally picks "Turn Around" by Sonny & Cher for the father daughter dance.
Where are you going, my little one?
Their beloved dog Charlie dies. They decide to travel to see all their friends on a self-described Farewell Tour. Levi has been to all the United States. Stella has been to all of them but one.
After they return home, a little unruly white dog adopts them.
The family starts to plan a trip to the state Stella has never been to: Hawaii; but Stella has a stroke so plans are scrapped. Years of smoking have already done damage to Stella's lungs and she develops COPD. Eventually she needs oxygen at night and to leave the house. They decide to move to Cleveland near where their middle son lives.
Covid-19 hits Ohio in mid-2020 and restrictions are heavily politicized all over the United States. Cases spike in Ohio. Their nephew in Kentucky is raging on Facebook about the evils of masks. Stella and Levi are very good about arranging curbside pickup and staying inside. They play Zoom Password with their daughter although they can't hear very well.. When the daughter says "carrot," Stella thinks she says "terrorist."
But in November Stella decides to get her hair done. She catches Covid at the beauty shop and quickly gives Covid to Levi. After five days she goes into the hospital and for weeks she steadily loses ground.
Levi refuses to go to the hospital or let his kids come into the house. On the phone, they can hear him getting sicker and sicker every day. They start to worry he will fall or have a heart attack. Stella is worried from the hospital too. The kids decide to tell Levi his resistance is affecting Stella's recovery. The doctors give the kids grim outcomes for Stella. They say she'll probably never come home again, assuming she makes it out alive. After three weeks she's up to a does of 98% oxygen. The next step is a ventilator which she surely won't survive in her diminished COPD condition.
Eventually Levi can't breathe and he agrees to go to the hospital where Stella is.
The middle son talks to all the doctors every day and coordinates their care. The kids have calls to each other to discuss the situation. One day the brother breaks down and has to call them back. They need to talk to Stella about the ventilator. Does she want it?
Murderer!
The middle son tries to talk to Stella about a ventilator but she asks her kids to decide how she will die. It's decided a ventilator would be a more painless way to go than the slow suffocation of hospice and she agrees to try the ventilator if it comes to that. Days before the ventilator, friends and relatives start texting their goodbyes to Stella.
She tells her daughter "after this is all over check my cell phone messages." The daughter starts crying on the phone. Stella says "Toughen up! Get your Cornish blood up!" The daughter has no idea what that means and says warily, "I don't think I can do that." Stella says "Do as I say!" The daughter things this might be a strangely fitting last thing for her mother to say.
The next day Stella tells her son she's going to "Get her Cornish blood up and start fighting." She starts on physical therapy and her pulmonary doctor tells the hospital staff to be much more aggressive in weaning her off oxygen. Once she gets to the level of oxygen low enough for a home-care tank, they send her home and call her "one tough lady."
By this time Levi has been treated and sent home but the nurses won't let him go home unless someone is there to care for him. This thwarts his plans to refuse to let his kids in the house again. His eldest sons from Boston moves in for a month. Then the daughter drives out from Albuquerque and stays with them for another two months.
Fruit Bats Interlude
Unlike Liz & Dick, Stella and Levi never argue much but now they bicker, especially when Stella is angry at Levi for napping too much, drinking too many bourbon and waters or not doing something she thinks he should be doing. Or being cheap. And when Stella gets caught up in her oxygen tank cannula or when frustrated in the kitchen, she now swears a lot.
But they both make it home for Christmas even though this is the first year Stella has not baked cookies.
While she's there they ask the daughter to pick sides of their arguments.
We're just working what's left of our wits.
The Poem
Stop, stop, stop went my heart;
time to disembark.
Contractable diseases in their separate rooms
holding on for you
holding on for Dear Life,
Buzz went the buzzer.
Ding went the bell.
Few hearts survive.
Love gets old.
I've come home; I've done my time.
Swing from the chandelier
'til the end of the line.
The universe reels,
the film reels.
God speed your love to me.
The Mojito
3 mint leaves
1/2 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces white rum
3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
Club soda, to top
Garnish: mint sprig
Garnish: lime wheel
The End