A memory returned

Good Evening, Fellow Humans:

I know I haven't put much on here of late. I have a lot (tons!) going on and I just haven't made the time. I will try to correct that during the coming weeks as I feel things may be settling down for me personally.

I was out pacing and smoking on the screened in porch of Mom and my's new apartment, and a memory from 1988 returned to me. This is a very special recollection, one that I have told in stories to 'receptive' listeners several times over the years; but that I had not thought of for some time.

In the fall of 1988, my Mom divorced her husband of 11 years Paul. Paul and Mom had been living in Bozeman, Montana (I refer to Bozeman in a couple of prior posts --- we called it the 'Bozone'). I flew from Providence RI where I was attending RISD to help my Mom move across country with her best friend Peggy St. Peter. Peggy and Mom were moving to Washington DC where Peggy had just been transferred with the US Forest Service, and where Mom would re-start her life as a single woman (for the 1st time since her college years). It was a fun trip and once in DC, Mom let me take her Honda Civic (great cars, and this from one who curses 'infernal combustion engines'!) back to Providence for a couple weeks since she had the Metro and Peggy's car.

Well, two weeks passed and it was time to drive Mom's Civic back to DC. I left Providence late on a Friday and as I approached NYC on I-95, I saw signs for the Cross-Bronx Expressway. It was 3:30 in the morning. I then saw signs for the Merritt Parkway (?)/Tappan Zee Bridge. Thought about it for a minute, and decided it would be wiser to take the Tappan Zee and go down the Jersey Turnpike. Exited I-95 a bit later, then I came upon this large battle-ship gray 18-wheeler with, no joke, "G.O.D." printed in huge block letters on the back gate, the mud flaps, and on the side (I passed it). Beneath the GOD it said, "Guaranteed Overnight Delivery". I, well, was amazed and elated. I thought of myself as an atheist at this time, but I think this moment is when that changed for me. I, as promised, made it safely to DC early that morning. I often wonder what would have happened had I chosen to take the Cross Bronx instead.

Makes you think, eh?

RtTBt