Gracie Arrives in the West

He grabs her by the shoulders, looks into her big green eyes and vehemently says:  “Gracie, you’ve got to get the hell out of here; you are driving me crazy.  You just gotta leave!"   She is stunned by her handyman’s words.  She has never heard him swear, not even when he is up to his elbows in the worst possible plumbing project. They have been through so much together and his knowledge, helpful attitude, abilities, and kindness have often blessed her life.  She trusts his advice on much more than just home repair...

Gracie’s departure date is quickly approaching and things are breaking left and right, but the tall handyman, who looks like he should play bass with ZZ Top, comes repeatedly to the house without complaint.

He takes her by the shoulders again and says:  “Don’t worry about your house. I will take care of it while you are gone and everything is going to be fine.”  She believes him, takes a deep breath, gets a goodbye hug and kiss, hops into the packed car and leaves. A noble friend is a blessing from God.

She makes a number of minor adjustments on the road. For one thing, her radio buttons no longer match the local stations. Gracie looks at the radio and wonders:  do you push tune or seek/skip? She never eats fruit unless it is cut up, but it's not really safe to be chopping up apples and nectarines while driving. Ugh, to just chomp into them seems an impolite adjustment to make. Apples are safe enough, but to have nectarine juice drip out the corners of your mouth or down your chin is downright repulsive.  She is alone in the car and the unicorn pillow won’t tell. 

She gradually adjusts to new technology.    She's never had a lap top and she hopes she can learn to love hers, even though it contains unfamiliar programs. As you might have guessed, adjustments are not Gracie’s forte yet adjust she must.

And adjust she does, learning to grab the apple, snack bar or water from the cooler without stopping the car and keeping her eyes on the road simultaneously has become habit. The car is now home base and everything is in its proper place as she obsessively and compulsively puts everything in the same place.  Road tripping is becoming a way of life, a part of her good life. And then, more adjustments as Phase One is completed when she pulls into the driveway at her western base just a few hundred miles shy of the Pacific Ocean.

Road Tripper's Badge of Honor

Yes, some people call it a skin cancer breeding ground or a vitamin D receptacle.  She is a bit dissapointed that she didn't really tan but turned orange instead.  Too bad it's not Halloween she could be a pumpkin. To Gracie, however, it's a badge of honor because although she's a homebody by nature, she just drove the hefty distance of four thousand three hundred and sixteen miles, (4,316).

How could she have driven so far and not ended up in the Pacific Ocean?  It must be all the fun things she did in between. 

More details to follow....side trips too.

Copyright © 2015 Martina Sabo