Oh man oh man one SWEET surprise!
Good morning … this is me. I’m not sure what day I wrote last … the days are hard to keep when Sweetie and us wake up too near the time to get ready. This officially is our last morning for the next 8 days. And, there is so much excitement in the air because fishyman is doing the big fishyman thing. Today is the day he leaves for Canada. He’ll leave about the time I am and he’ll be traveling north with 3 other guys and they’ll make it to International Falls, MN by tonight. All 4 will take turns driving so they don’t get tired out. It’s a pretty big deal.Sweetie Pie took about a half hour of back rubs this morning before he got up. He was letting them soak in good. Now he is doing some last minute fussy stuff. He’s got his coffee, but he hasn’t taken his shower yet. He said, why don’t you go spend a few moments with the computer … and its like ok, ok … we can do that! That lets us write about him!
Something very, very big happened last night. He had his list of stuff to be doing yesterday and he worked on it throughout … I came in at the part where after Dr. Marvin’s appointment, Rich and us would meet here and we would go out for our “traditional” pancake place dinner. It was pretty good, but about the worst wait staff I’d ever seen. There were a bunch of kids running the IHOP place without any apparent manager … that was a not good part … they were screwing around in plain site and it was really dumb of a place to let that happen. Most unprofessional award! But, then the food was ok, and we were soon on to the next thing on his list. We went to Dominick’s to pick up a few things. There was some good people watching there. Rich was getting bombarded with a lot of calls mostly from family that wanted to see him off proper. So, we waited out the time and things were moving at their own pace. After he got out of the jewels the last stop was at Walgreen’s because he needed to pick up his medicine and he wanted to get a flashlight for here and on the trip.
This is where the exciting part came in. We were at the parking lot in front of the door and he was talking to his mother on the phone. She was worrying a lot … because I think it must be hard on her when he leaves too. But, I remember just the part where we turned around and like gleaming into the window was a face I would know anywhere … Bob!!! Of all things … we had come randomly to the Walgreen’s at the same time he came and we happened to park next to each other and even though the back of our Scion has tinted windows … he saw Rich and obviously he knew I’d be the mystery person. It was like oh my God oh man, oh man. Our window was only open about 4 inches and we immediately were struggling to hear him and to roll down the window and get the door unlocked, because the first thing we thought was that we were going to give him a great big hug – especially since *giggle* our sweetie pie was still on the phone with his mother. I had glanced over and by the blush on his face I knew that in a heartbeat this was the guy and that Rich’s world had just come together and that he was backpaddling. I think there must have been a certain excitement, embarrassment and flutter in all this happening in an instant of time.
He couldn’t be taking care of Bob and us … who were doing just fine because he was wrapped up *Gigglin to pieces*
I don’t remember everything Bob and us said to each other those first few moments, but I knew I was wearing my 10 foot smile and I remember his first words were that he was going to be taking care of Rich. That meant a whole lot. Bob and I were doing this funny thing I think we were both looking pretty excited and fluttered.
His face was so intense, alert and alive. The things he must process! I think he must be a detail person … I remember now asking if he were about ready for the trip. He said that he was ready the week before hehehe. I tell ya just like a couple big kids. I can’t think straight here to get it down proper. We’ll need to review this area again throughout the week. But, it was like our speech or his were too slow to keep up with the intensity of eye to eye conversation. I think he must have thought of our privacy or his needing a break from it or something, I remember now that he formally introduced himself and me to him, but pretty quick Sweetie was off the phone and now I’ve lost that too, but somehow I think the guys switched the conversation over to the trip like Bob passed on that he’d come up for ice and Rich had just collected the pop and they both disappeared inside the store, but maybe they went their different ways, because they both came out at separate times with Bob a few minutes earlier than Rich.
There were a few minutes of pressured speech. He came out saying that Rich had given him directions to get the stuff in the back and we invited him to help himself. I was afraid of the impression of my size when we’d first got out of the car to hug him and then later of the impression the wheel chair must have made. I’m sure it affected his thoughts, but he was very nice. I told him after he settled back by the car after getting the cooler set up that one thing I wanted him to know for sure was that we’d been with Rich for 14 years. I think that will help him through some initial thoughts … it helps to put things in perspective. I wanted him to know that we’d been around for a long time and was not just some passer bye. I might have said a few other things. I remember him asking where did we leave so I knew that was a pressing thought. I told him at 4605 and then I remember him asking which street. He let that settle into his mind. He told me that he’d said to Rich that we could go together out to eat and then we told him that after we got done cleaning the house, we kept asking if couldn’t Bob come over now. Hehehe but I think that Rich had to hold the keys.
We told Rich later it was providence that after 7 years in Brookfield that we would all meet up at Walgreens both getting ready for the big fishing trip. If either one of us had parked any other place in the parking lot, we might not have ever met.
Surely, this was God inspired. Oh there was another piece of the conversation I missed. I told Bob that if Rich seemed to be confused that he liked to be licked in the ear. LOL I’m so bad. But, the delight in finally meeting Bob was toppling over the edges. What else there are other things. Oh, I remember him asking if we were nice to Rich and we said yes that we try to be anyway, and then there was a second where he said something about calling him at 6 am and how slow he was in getting ready and then we apologized by saying that see that was the problem about that time we were giving him his back massages. I know he said that now he was going to be jealous, but I think he was saying that to be nice …
Ok, ok … that’s all for this second, because Sweetie Pie is ready for our last half hour. He is showered and dressed. We’ll for sure carry on again with this in a bit! Oh Man did that all make us happy though. O man o man!
posted by Ann Marie @ 6/29/2007 06:32:00 AM
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