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Sunday May 14, 2000 "You'd never
know it Johnny Mercer, One for My Baby
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mother's day Mother thought Dad was coming back last night. But I didn't want to be gone another night. So she calls at 4:30 in the morning wondering where we were. And I didn't get to bed at a reasaonable hour. Argh. Still I revived pretty well and Dad and I drove up to Mesquite. He pointed out the crops and a couple of physical features of the land that I'd never really noted in spite of all my trips along this road. He mentions something about India waiting fo the 'billioneth' baby and notes that they will then be 20% of the world's population. (This during a discussion, er rant, of mine that people don't understand that they will die let alone that it is critical that they do so.) It always amazes me that my 83-year-old father is thinking about the percentage India's population is of the whole world. He tells me how he figured out, after the war was over, how to still stay stateside (he'd been in the army for a short time) and not go to the occupation army. If he'd been sent overseas, he figured, he might not have been given an 'out' due to age and having a child (my sister). Someone helped him stay stateside and he got out. It was 1945 or 1946 and my dad was about 30. Older than most of the soldiers and drafted late in the war, a sickly farm boy. Dad and I arrive in Mesquite while Mom is at church. We worry that she is telling God on us for confusing her about when we are coming home. She arrives and is cheerful, though, and glad to see us. She is all dressed up in colorful clothes. We take her to Luby's for a Mom's Day meal. Vast line of people entertaining Moms. You know what's different in Mesquite? Different from Austin? Most people talk like they come from the area. Lots of Texas accents today in that cafeteria except for some people speaking Spanish. Not that way in Austin. Very few people from the area. People from everywhere. It's getting to the point that when you hear a Texas accent you stop and stare. Mine is still strong and pronounced. People want to know if people in, say, New York, comment on it. Heck, people in Austin comment on it. ("What state do you imagine you are in?" I sometimes ask.) I transfer my stuff to the Buick. I'm going to use the Buick until Thursday then bring it back and let my dad load it up with stuff to move. Friday I'm going to take it back to Austin for him. And...I'm off to the conference. I check in and go to some introductions, classes and receptions for speakers. During this time, I began sneezing. Oh, no. The sneezing develops into a headache, scratchy throat, runny nose. I take a decongestant and some Echinecea. I buy a Tylenol Cold Formula. And I go to the welcome reception. Finally, I decide to nurse myself. The decongestant has worn off so I take the suggested six hour dose of the Tylenol Cold formula, more Echinecea, get a soup and salad from room service, drink water and Echinecea tea. I fall into a blissful sleep at 11PM thinking that I must get in shape to speak on Tuesday and Wednesday at all costs. |
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