Do you remember anything about 1992?
I do.
That was a memorable year for us. We got married on January 4. On January 20, Spike's mom passed away, quite suddenly. I dropped out of school for the semester, because one can only handle so much at a time.
In March or so, we went to Florida for a couple of weeks, leaving our lemon of a car with our friend Norm. We told Norm that if he wanted to total it, he could, because we had been thoroughly scammed when we bought it.
While we were in Florida, Norm got hit by a car, totalling ours, without actually hurting anyone. We were pretty pleased about that, as the insurance enabled us to get a little white Honda Civic hatchback, to this day, my favourite car of all the ones we've had.
We got home, and I got a part-time job that lasted through the summer, while I did some summer school. (Spike was already working full-time.)
Somewhere in there, we got Millhouse.
In August, I started taking my 4th year intensive courses, which lasted for 3 weeks at a time. Norm moved in with us, because we were moving out. We felt we had spent enough time dodging garbage fires in the hall, and we were movin' on up to another place that - oddly - had a hot tub in the living room. For Spike, this was the ultimate dream. Sitting in a hot tub, watching the Leafs at the same time - can life get any better? (Well yes, it can, but that would involve the Leafs actually playing well, and I probably shouldn't wade into THAT discussion.)
We weren't moving out until October, but Norm was in school with me, and needed a place halfway through August, so we decided our friendship could handle it, and Norm moved into our second bedroom.
We love Norm! He commented once, on this blog.
Part-way through September, I had just finished one three-week course, and was getting ready to start another, before going on to a two-month internship. Late one Sunday night, Spike looked at me strangely. He said, "I'm going to pass out," and promptly did. Took him awhile to come to, and when he did, he didn't know who I was, and was swearing a blue streak for no apparent reason. He also threw up in all directions, which was a nice touch.
When the paramedics arrived, they made some assumptions, probably based on the garbage fires in the hall, and figured Spike was on a bad drug trip. I really couldn't convince them otherwise, despite the theology books on our shelves, and our visiting pastor friend in the living room. Finally a police officer arrived, and asked me if Spike would go to the hospital, and I said, "Oh, he's going, whether these guys take him or I do!"
So they agreed to take him, although they wouldn't help him down the stairs, and I think they took the scenic route to the hospital. It turned out he had had a brain aneurysm, and needed to be flown to Toronto right away. I found out later they didn't expect him to survive the trip.
But he did. Don't fret!
(Oh, and the swearing was due to the bleeding in the emotional part of his brain, btw.)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch....
Poor Norm has just watched one of his good friends almost die. Paramedics wouldn't help. Everything is chaos. Pastor friend takes me to the hospital, leaving Norm all alone, totally shaken, with no one around but Millhouse.
Ahhh, Millhouse. Still a kitten, but with an already overdeveloped sense of hostility toward the world in general. He's not happy about the yelling, the strangers, the chaos. Not one little bit.
So Norm, white and shaking, cleans up the apartment. Makes a few phone calls. Goes to bed, because there's nothing else he can do. Replays the scene over and over in his mind. Finally drops off to a restless sleep.
And that's when Millhouse made his move.
He had disappeared in the chaos. Had probably watched balefully from under a couch, while Norm moved around the apartment, cleaning things up. Waited until Norm's bloodshot eyes closed ... then trotted up to the bed and leaped directly onto Norm's face, in his normal, trademark fashion.
My guess is the air turned blue for a second time that night.
And Millhouse learned what it was to fly. He really enjoyed it, I think, until his airborne state was abruptly terminated by a wall.
I'm not sure Norm's ever been the same.
