Things not to tell your son

... when you call to wish him a happy birthday: That your wife (his mother) will be needing a heart transplant.


I don't know if Tim's dad just figured this out or simply ran out of conversation topics. Whatever the reason, the words were propelled from his mouth over the phone and into my dear husband's ear. Let's just say it didn't add to the festivities.


I calmed Tim down a bit and sent him out to pick up his cheesecake slice (and my chocolate cake slice) and called Nadine to find out what happened. Apparently, she handed over the phone because she needed to use the bathroom, and this was the first she knew of the conversation.


Apparently, the need for a transplant is eventual, not immediate. And it's something she's known pretty much since they first hospitalized her with atrial fibrillation. But nothing has changed, which was my main concern. (We had a scare two months ago, when she was diagnosed with pneumonia and H1N1.)


Luckily, I was able to distract Tim a bit, so it didn't ruin his birthday. Though I'm sure it's still lurking somewhere under the surface.