I was thinking about the original quote I had here as my tag line:
"The sky looked like a big broke of piece of something blank he had forgotten about". That was the late Flannery O'Conner describing Hazel Motes, a would be preacher (male) in Georgia sometime in the past. The sky looked like that, except I had not forgotten.
When I got to her house she was amazingly ready to go, three bags and a long coat. We loaded them into her Lexus SUV that she bought reconditioned after having rolled over once. She reminded me of this since I would be driving it.
We stopped at Sonic, where "Lisa" the woman who recently met her daughter, asked me what kind of car she would have to get to get me to go out with her. I told her a Jaguar. She asked what color. I told her pink. The gay guy she works with busted out laughing and told her to let us go on.
And that was when we seen it, up in the sky. My friend asked if it was a contrail and I said no, a front was coming in, the steely grey sky was being rolled back, like a bed sheet. Exposing the Carolina blue sky, and we went south. It turned out to be a beautiful day.
The giant cokes we got let us get as far as China Grove, North Carolina, before having to make a pit stop at a place across the road from Gary's Bar Be Que. It looked like an old place, actually it dates from 1971, but has a plethora of signs from earlier times. The amazing thing was its parking lot was FULL. The nearby Hardees and Subway, had maybe 5 cars betwixt them. I said "We need to go have lunch over there" and we did.
The place was jammed packed, all ages, all colors, all sizes. They brought us our drinks in cups with shaved ice! OMG I love shaved ice, we tried to remember what old place back home still had a machine that made that kind, marveled at the hundreds of old signs, lard buckets, thermometers and a late 50s Thunderbird sitting in the middle of the dining room. Our sandwiches came wrapped in wax paper, no plate, the onion rings crisp and dark, in a paper container like the ones steaks used to come in. If you ever get a chance, you should stop in and see it. They also have curb service, just blow your horn.
Right to the front door I took her. Was rather intrigued by the flight attendant that climbed out of the passanger side of an El Camino ahead of us, being driven by a burley redneck. I wished her a safe trip, and began my own with her vehicle back to Virginia. My cell phone keeping me company.
Once back I had to exchange cars, run by the office, run by my house and feed the cat, gas up the car, go by his house, get him in the car and HAUL ASS. It was already 5:30 pm and the movie started at 7 pm and would take 1 hr. 45 minutes to reach going the best way, thru Roanoke. My mind started going over and over maybe I shouldn't have done this, done that. All these things that made me a bit more later, coupled with thinking it started at 7:30 pm.
We called the son and his girlfriend who were going to meet us there. Save us seats. Then flying thru Roanoke I saw the flashing sign; I81 south left lane blocked at mile marker 138. Shit! I got on 81, and didn;t go far. The back up was already at 4 miles. We were sitting there, stopped. No way were were going to make it on time now. We called and let them know.
Sitting there in the dark on the interstate, sitting still next to rumbulling trucks. I looked up into the night sky and saw the lights of a small plane blinking, headed to the airport in Roanoke. If I could fly there, it would be no problem. Up there above the world, looking down on it, I remembered.
"Accept Loss as a Universal Force" It had been on a post card on her refrigerator door.
Maybe there was some reason I thought, maybe this is saving us from disaster down the road. The phone rang.
"Take your time" the son said. "The theater is full, they're no letting anyone else in". At first I was amazed, it had sold out? Actually it turned out to be a free event sponsored by a local LGBT group, and several people were pissed off that they could not get in to see it. O-well I thought, that must be it.
We got going again, met them at a restaurant in Christiansburg, a steak house where you get to pick you steak in the window when you go in. I got me a New York Strip, and a couple of Jamaican Cowboy Margaritas that had little to no alcohol. It was a good visit. The girlfriends sister and her boy friend came and sat in the adjoining booth and she was able to slip her her ID.
So now, it is another day. I think I'll go to netlicks and reserve a copy of "For The Bible Tells Me So". Looks like that is the only way I am going to see it.
Topic: Shakesthegrounds Rumblings (Read 3743508 times)