Daddy’s Silver Linings Playbook Moment

My family loved Silver Linings Playbook, especially the scene in which Pat (Bradley Cooper) awakes his parents in the middle of the night while looking for his wedding video. The search cannot wait until morning, and everyone must share Pat’s misery until the video is located. In a similar scene, Pat storms into his parents’ bedroom at 4 a.m. to lament the sad ending to Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms (see video below).

“Did I tell you about your daddy’s Silver Linings Playbook moment?” Mother asked me on the phone.

“Uh. No, what happened?” I asked, envisioning Daddy participating in a dance competition, beating a man to death in a bathtub, or jeopardizing his retirement savings in a football bet gone wrong.

A notice from Daddy’s insurance provider arrived in the mail citing the rejection of a recent $4,000 medical claim as well as a possibility for reconsideration. Daddy became enraged and riled up, particularly since the doctor who performed his sleep apnea test assured my parents that insurance would cover the costs. Despite the letter’s Saturday arrival, Daddy threatened to call the insurance company; however, Mother managed to convince him that the office would be closed.

Around midnight, Mother stirred to the sound of Daddy hollering “Speak to representative! SPEAK TO REPRESENTATIVE!” on the insurance company’s automated telephone line.

“Go back to bed, Robert!” Mother yelled. “There’s nothing you can do right now!” (Because of Daddy’s relentless snoring—hence the sleep apnea test—Mother and her West Highland terrier now slumber in my old bedroom.)

“All right, fine!” Daddy conceded.

About an hour later Mother heard the light flick on in the adjacent computer room.

“What are you doing?!” Mother screamed.

“Lookin’ up some stuff about this bill on the Internet!” Daddy explained.

“But there’s nothing you can do! Go back to bed!”

“All right, all right…”

The cycle continued two times.

While Daddy’s primary and secondary insurance carriers haven’t reached a final decision about the medical bill, the results of his sleep apnea test are in: while a “normal” snoozer stops breathing five times per hour, Daddy stops breathing 163 times per hour. Needless to say, he suffers from severe sleep apnea.

This week Daddy wore his mask hooked up to an oxygen machine for the first time throughout the night. Soon I hope he and Mother will sleep in the same bed again—with the West Highland terrier between them of course.