Day 13 - Oran, MO - Part One

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." - Martin Buber


The mornings seem to take more and more time to get the show on the road.

I don't mind. It gives me more time to write.

I like sitting in the breakfast area of the Holiday Inn. You see all kinds of people coming through.

I've been especially entertained by Priscilla, who maintains the breakfast area here.

I'm a little disappointed today though. She's got today off.

I worry that I'm not going to see her again. I'm not sure when we are going to leave for our return trip home.

I'm packed and ready to go when I get the word from "The Kids" that we are staying one more night.

It's a relief. I'm not ready to go home just yet.

Claudette has invited us over again and when we arrive there are fruit, vegetables, and sandwich fixin's all ready for us.

We sit in the front room with Claudette, Sandy, The Chicks, and two girls that are the girlfriends of two of Claudette's boys.

My Mom is back in the recliner that I picked her up in a couple days ago. If it very comfortable for her to be sitting there.

we have a nice lunch in there. I make it all the way until the last bite of my sandwich before a yellow dollop of mustard finds my belly.

You can't take me anywhere.

All of the girls but Clair head out to swim in the above ground pool. A storm is supposed to be coming through today but that doesn't stop them.

Another one of my Mom's cousins comes by to visit. Marie comes in and hugs my Mom before shaking both mine and Jack's hand.

She takes a seat next to my Mom and before I know it, she's whipped out a bunch of scratcher tickets. I think they are a present for my Mom but I missed how that happened.

Marie likes her scratchers!

We get a couple of winners and my Mom gives them to me to cash them in.

And we just visit about the normal things that families visit about.

After a while, my Mom's legs start bothering her. She had restless leg syndrome before the ALS struck and right now, it's bothering her.

"Would you like me to rub your legs?" asks Marie.

My Mom takes her up on it.

The conversation continues and I watch Marie use some kind of lotion to rub my Mom's legs and feet.

It is one of the kindest things I've seen somebody do.

She must have spent near an hour on them.

And Marie keeps talking too.

We get story after story.

But she never stops working on my Mom.