INGRID (ENGLISH VERSION)

HOSPITALS

[This chapter is completely fictional. I love both parents of mine and, thank goodness, both of them are absolutely healthy now.]

In June 2026, we stopped touring, because we wanted to spend the summer holidays with our families. Fortunately, we didn't book any summer gigs, because either we would have to cancel the show or the rest of the guys would have to make it without me. That's because, in June, my family was facing very serious problems. My grandma, Kristi, my mother's mother, was 93 years old and had had a severe stroke for many years. She could barely walk, and if she did, she had to use a walking stick, but during these later months, she was bedridden. Then, she suddenly had to check in a hospital and for almost a month and a half, all of us were in a rush. My siblings and I, but especially my mum, as well as Kati, used to spend the night in a hospital chair quite often. We didn't want to hire a private nurse either because it would be better for her if her family was close. Grandma didn't ever lose her mind, nor did she have dementia. She only had a stroke, walking problems and, of course, she was too old.

Unfortunately, in August 2026, grandma passed away. Alright, I can tell that she lived a full life -- 93 is a good age. But, far from that, this was a stunning blow for all of us. Once again, I felt this bitterness that I did eleven years ago when grandpa Lauri left us. But now I was at an older age, I wasn't that small innocent kid anymore, thus I could manage to lose a family member much better. Of course, I was so lucky to have my grandma around for so many years. Some people lose their grandparents much earlier -- some people even lose their own parents! We were so lucky because both our parents were in perfect health.

I wish I had my fingers crossed!

My grandma's passing cost a lot to me, that's why I felt I needed a break from working. I didn't want to go to the studio, neither write any book nor do another show. I wanted to stay at home for a while, doing nothing but mourn my grandmother. Luckily I was at home during that time, because our problems weren't over yet. In fact, they had just begun. One evening, I got a phone call from my mum, who asked me to come to Bjørnevatn. My dad slipped and fell off a stair and we had to drive him to the hospital. It wasn't a severe injury, but he was 72 and had diabetes, thus a simple wound could have been rather painful for him. Fortunately, doctors said he didn't have to spend the night at the hospital, so we could drive back home. But, anyway, my parents spent the night at our place, because I wanted to be close to them, in case my father was in need of something.

My parents didn't go home instantly. They stayed with us a little bit more, because very often I would have guests and I thought that socialising was a major advantage to my father's health. I can recall that every night he would tell his own stories to my friends, who were visiting me. I don't know where this came from and why, but at some point, I got really angry with myself, because of my dark thoughts. I remember being at the kitchen, making a salad for all of us and my father was in the backyard, telling his stories. Then, at some point, a single thought came to my mind: For how long still am I going to listen to him telling stories? I instantly smacked myself in the face and thought: Stupid! Why not listen to him long? He's only 72 and in perfect health!

A few days later we did some shows in Scandinavia only. My father, even though his health was much better, still needed to be taken care of. Because of his diabetes, his wounds couldn't heal that easily. And after his fall of that stair, it wasn't that easy for him to move around.

Since October, I was constantly in a rush. Mum had to go to the hospital too because her heart had to be operated on, thus I wanted to be close to her. In the meantime, I was taking care of dad, because his fall resulted in his having permanent difficulties with walking. I was extremely worried about my mum because heart surgeries are extremely dangerous in such old ages. But, fortunately, this surgery had a happy end, even though we had to be looking after her constantly. I remember spending many hours daily at their place during that time.