Alpha Bugs

A strange friend, the mind is not always a friendly stranger. Thursday was a drive through an area that comprised several stages of my life, inducing or evoking Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ. Because we arrived early, a long, slow drive around Apalachicola; short walk in Magnolia Cemetery, Apalachicola, where I know too many folks and tossed earth on them with the sign of the cross. Memories evoked through the day were so sharp as to blot out other life stages and places I have lived and loved.

A block or so from Trinity Church, we drove by a house shockingly rotted and rotting, roof sections broken and sagging into the interior, front porch crumbling, roof beams hanging and drooping. Weeds, equipment, bits and pieces of boats and machinery littered the yard of the little corner property. I regret not pausing to snap a pic, not for fun but for Mary Maudlin. That it was a scene of Franklin County actually softened it to not all that shocking after all. A quarter century ago we met in that house for a monthly book club gathering of eight or ten friends. Our host that month, same name as mine, I don’t remember his surname, had fixed a light supper for us. I took a beer put a sandwich on a plate, sat down on the rug, leaned against the sofa. Sipped my beer, bit my sandwich and put it down on the plate on the floor beside me as our book conversation began. A minute or so later I reached down to pick up my sandwich only to see it covered with huge roaches that some call palmetto bugs. Responding to the movement of my hand, most of the monsters retreated under the sofa though not the Alphas. Deciding against provoking a confrontation with the bolder ones, I pushed the plate with sandwich under the sofa so they could finish it in peace. Nature is now reclaiming the house as though nobody has lived there in decades. Where Tom is now, IDK. Folks live and die and move on, don't we.

In Tallahassee we arrived at Tassy’s house last evening in time for Caroline’s middle school symphony band concert, highlight of the trip. My favorite piece, “Outback Rhapsody”, popular for middle school orchestras and well done. This morning we delivered Charlotte at HCES in time to watch her on flag detail, went to TallahasseeMed to visit an old friend, arriving just at eight o’clock. He was out of his room for a procedure when we got there, we waited, checking every quarter hour, still not back after ten o’clock when we had to leave; sadly I missed a purpose of the trip and the visit I’d anticipated with a friend who encouraged me all our years at Trinity, Apalachicola. Prayers all the same.

On the way out of town we stopped for gas on north Monroe and early lunch at Crystal River Seafood restaurant tucked away under trees. Fish crisp and flaky; oysters far, far better than oysters I had yesterday at the Owl Cafe in the oyster capital of the universe; hushpuppies perfect. And not instant or quick, the cheese grits were so old-fashioned, thick and delicious that my mother might have made them. 

A quick trip that stirred memories of my childhood, teen years, and years of three of us growing up and older and too soon gone. 

Thos+