The "Can You Hear Me Now?": Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished my shower, shaved, brushed my teeth, put my hearing aides in my ears, dressed and headed down the stairs with my two cats behind me.  I knew exactly what they wanted so I grabbed two small cans of food, fed both of them and grabbed a muffin for my breakfast.  After eating I posted another story on my blog, read the morning paper and grabbed a piece of fruit to take with me to my job for the day.  Today I was working at the high school where I taught for many years.  I still print their in-house printing requests during the summer months when there are no students in the building.  Running the offset press can get noisy, so before I left the house I thought I better remove my hearing aides and leave them at home rather than take them out at school and forget them when I head home at lunch.  I placed them on the kitchen island as I have many time in the past.  Sounds simple...right!  By noon I was on my way home and after walking in the garage door sat in my recliner to relax a few minutes before getting something to eat for lunch.  I was listening to the local news and realized I could hear the TV better if I put my hearing aides back in my ears.  About the same time my wife was gathering small pieces of something off the floor near me.  

Our very inquisitive and active kitten, The Gray Lady.

She said our female cat, Gray Lady, must have been playing with the seashells that are in a dish on the kitchen table and broke one on the floor.  Showed me the light brown pieces as she headed to the trash can.  Well, do you have any idea as to where today's story is going by now?  I got out of my lounger, headed to the kitchen counter to gather my hearing aides and didn't see them.  Ah! I must have left them in my office.  Not there!  I headed upstairs with this awful feeling coming over me.  Not in the bathroom either.  Now I was really concerned.  When I got back to the kitchen I got down on my hands and knees and began my search.  Opened the pantry door and there in the corner was one of my hearing aides.  Sort of!  It had been chewed in half and the battery was missing.  Close by, under my wife's recliner, was the second hearing aide.  The pieces she had picked up a few minutes earlier were the exact same color as my hearing aides.  The second hearing aid still had the battery in place, but most of the electronics were hanging out the side of it.  I finally managed to gather four pieces from the two of them.  They were totally destroyed!!  The easy thing to do would have been to yell at Gray Lady, but what good would that do.  After all she is still a kitten and a very inquisitive one at that.  

The remains of my hearing aides.

My mistake was when I put them on the kitchen counter where she had access to them.  I must admit I was planning to have them either reconditioned or buy a new pair, since I purchased them eight years ago and they were in need of repair.  I went back to Miracle Ear where I purchased them and asked Patrick, the owner, if the cost for reconditioning was still the same.  He asked to see them and when I poured the half-dozen parts onto the table in front of me he began to laugh.  "Guess I'm going to need a new pair!" I said to him.  We talked and I made an appointment to have my hearing tested once again and I left.  A day later I was in the dentist's chair having my yearly cleaning and checkup when my hearing aides became the topic of conversation.  My doc told me he loves his hearing aides and suggested I try Costco.  He told me the cost and I was interested.  I know the quality service I had in the past at Miracle Ear, but hearing aides are expensive...real expensive...and if I can pay less, on a retired teacher's pension, I just can't say no until I find out more.  Stay tuned as I weigh my options and make my final decision!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.