AARGH! Day - or 'Does anyone want a spare Mum?'

'PAIN' 12 x 12in - French acrylic on canvas - by Zulu (Heather Towns)

This painting is a small work of 12 x 12in that I own, painted by a friend of mine ZULU (Heather Towns) and titled PAIN.

Up to now, I never understood WHY that particular title? - as I was attracted by the playfulness and her typical joyful colours.

Well now I totally understand that title! This painting is absolutely what my brain went through on Sunday after the following episode with my mother:

My mother lives between Vanuatu (my birthplace) and Australia. She's a lively 84, needing to come to Australia to rest and go for all her medical checkups.  Last Sunday, I pick her up in the morning at the airport, we spend most of the day at Paddy's market, Chinatown (her favourite haunt), then at 4pm, we decide she's getting tired, I get her to sit on one of the rock sculpture seats, on the busy footpath in front of Paddy's, with trolley full of fruit and vegies, whilst I go pick the car up.

My mum in her element

Really busy day around Chinatown, car is parked far away, by the time I drive past for fast pick up where she is sitting, its 4:30 - no MUM! I park the car in No Parking zone, and for 45 min I search, I ask people if a little old lady was taken ill, and get totally stressed, imagining the worst... ah... knowing her, I think: she's pretty impatient, and she's probably taken the bus and train home (a trip which usually take 30min)... no she can't, she's only got her purse, her handbag and luggage are in the car... but maybe...

I ring Mark her neighbour below her appartment who has the keys and ask him to check if mum is there... no mum. Now I really panic,  I go to the market Security centre give details, then I go to the police station and ask what to do... they check the city hospitals' database... no mum... well that has to be good. By now its 5:45, the police tell me to go back to search once more, then if no mum by 6 -  pick up my illegally parked car which has probably a few parking tickets by now, come back to the station and they will issue a formal 'missing person' notification.

6pm, now I'm imagining kidnapping, mugging, morgue... but I try to keep cool, and before troubling the police a second time I ring Mark once again to check my mum's apartment... whilst I'm on the phone, he goes to the door and says "oh, she's just coming up the stairs, being helped by the next building neighbour, Philip, with the trolley full of vegetables... I guess you'll want to talk to her..."

At this stage, the mixture of total angst, extraordinary relief, followed by extreme anger and a wishing to murder, my mind explodes into those colours and shapes of that painting of Zulu's called Pain... and yes, I now totally get it!

Well, I guess it is a happy ending, especially since no parking fines!