A Little Bit Cuckoo

Little Cuckoo

Sun-Ae Hwang

While I was in the hospital last week, my family back in the Ozarks was trying to find out where I was and what was wrong with me, and I contacted them as soon as I was able:

I am finally well enough to assure all of you that I am still among the living.

I was very sick, and am still recuperating, but I was nowhere near death.

The misunderstanding arose from Sun-Ae's remark that she couldn't wake me up (or that I couldn't wake up, or that they couldn't wake me up, or something along those lines).

She said to me later that I seemed to lack the border between sleeping and being awake - and that I seemed to be in a state of dreaming while awake.

At the same time, I was hyper-alert and very articulate. Sun-Ae couldn't get me to stop talking.

I recall with clarity from the other side what was happening. I felt urgently that I needed to explain myself clearly about everything.

Sun-Ae took the opportunity to ask a couple of questions. "Do you love your wife?" Without hesitation, I said, "Of course!" So, she posed a second question: "Is your wife kind to you?" At that, I hesitated, then said, "Usually."

Anyway, we finally figured out that some medicines were interacting - along with some high fever - to render me delusional.

I'm glad that's past - trying to articulate all of the world's ills is tiring!

And no doubt tiresome to those who have to listen . . .