Six months or so after I became a woman who had outlived her husband, my daughter and I took a road trip to Branson, Mo. She is such a trooper. Her Mom is hurting and daughter will do most anything to "fix it". Lots of folks really enjoy Branson. I don't. It fits in the same category as MCL cafeterias... old people destination. I'm pushing 60 years old at the time and I still felt too young for the Branson crowd. (Sorry if I've stepped on toes.) And, if I felt out of place, my daughter certainly did. But I digress...
We had reservations at a Travel Lodge into a "Sleepy Bear" room. The desk clerk asked, "Where are the children?" and I thought, "What children? My child, out there parking the van, was 36 years old. I said, "huh?" The man shrugged and showed us to our room. No wonder his question. The entire room was plastered in Sleepy Bears. Wallpaper border, pillow shams, curtains, bed sheets, child-size rocking chair, shower curtain - even the soap dish was a Sleepy Bear. I'd chosen the room because it had a mini refrig to chill a bottle of wine and the swimming pool was right outside the door!
We quickly stowed our belongings and before I returned from getting ice from the machine in the hall, daughter was on the phone. Calling home. Checking in. Announcing safe arrival. Ouch, that hurt. The aloneness consumed me. THERE WAS NO ONE AT HOME WHO CARED. There was no one at home, period. No one to ask if I'd had a good trip or if I'd decided what shows we might see. No one to say, "I love you. Stay safe."
I knew I'd face many firsts having outlived my husband, but this one blindsided me. It's the smallest incident that can surface to overwhelm you. Have you ever been on a Sleepy Bear trip?
Sandy
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