At the beginning of the month I celebrated a birthday. Happy birthday to me. Several days before, we'd elected a new president to preside over our country, someone who seems to have better ideas for our country than the person he was running against and someone who, I'm sure, will most assuredly do a better job than the person currently holding this position. Someone who's already shown that he can string five or more words together and make a declarative sentence that actually makes sense. How refreshing.
I'd made arrangements to meet a friend in town the day after my birthday. Someone I'd met at NN08; someone I admire greatly. And her Mom. And so I caught the train on Saturday to meet and visit with Sadie and Melody Townsel in town. This was a big deal indeed for me, gadabout that I am. I thought I'd put my cancer in a box on a shelf and spend the day without it.
I boarded the train just after mid-morning. Smiled and said hello to the cute, young train attendant with the spiky hair and dark sunglasses thinking the day just might hold promise. Very upbeat for me. I found a seat and settled in. Brought a book with me, should I have needed a break from observing, my very favorite pastime. A couple my age was sitting in the seats diagonal from mine. I listened as they reminisced about days gone by. The woman was trying to remember if the World's Fair in Seattle took place in 1962 or '68.
She said she recalled that at the fair, IBM introduced the prototype for their Selectric II typewriter with the optional correction feature.
Speaking as a secretary back when the world was new, the company I worked for used Selectrics (without the correction feature) and I loved it. State of the art, for its time.
I watched young teens roaming car to car and Dads and Moms taking their young ones into town equipped with brightly colored backpacks, baseball caps, and hair tied up in colorful feathers and bows. Gotta love the feathers.
The cars began to fill and I was glad I took a tranquilizer before leaving the house. This is the stuff I dread. Too many people getting too close. A man, probably in his mid 30s, sat in front of me. His cologne was overpowering and took my breath away. Yuk. I was relieved when his cellphone rang and he moved to another car.
I gazed out the window to take my focus away from the growing number of people filling the train car. Unused train cars passed my view, freshly painted rust color with the company name painted in precise block letters. Scattered intermittently between them were identical cars painted glossy black with another company name painted in white, all caps. I hate shouting, even by railroad cars. I mostly enjoyed the beautiful colorful graffiti painted on the older, seemingly abandoned, railroad cars. Cast aside and ignored until someone loved them enough to give them a hug and a splash of beauty.
The stops came and went. When Union Station was announced the young ones cheered. Something fun is in store, I thought to myself.
I waited at Union Station for my connecting train and it came right on time. I got off at my stop and Melody and Sadie were waiting to meet me. We decided to grab a bite to eat first and visited for a bit. We found a restaurant that suited us and ate outside. I shared the fact that the day before was my birthday and Sadie shared that hers was six days before! We were practically twins, give or take 40+ years. I found it remarkable that Sadie had been behind Senator Obama from the start. (The wisdom and maturity that this young lady possesses can't be overstated.) We visited and laughed over lunch and I noted that the bond between Melody and Sadie is striking and the love they share is more than just admirable. We should all be so lucky to have what they share.
We walked around the West End and it was sad, notable, and disturbing how many shops were vacant. I'd never been to the West End, so I had no comparison to make, but Melody is familiar with the area and expressed what a shame it was to see the state of the economy and its effect on the West End.
We stopped and visited one of Sadie's favorite after-school stops. A funky place just suited to my taste. Incredibly rich-looking and aptly named hand-dipped ice creams in over-sized sugar cones, funny little trickets, and what used to be called penny candy. Remote controlled zombies (a favorite of mine) and talking pickles. Bacon strip adhesive bandages and Impeach Mints. Loved it.
I needed to find a restroom and, interestingly enough, of the places we were able to visit, none offered restrooms to the public. None. Melody suggested we stop at her house which, she said was close to where we were and finish out the afternoon at a locale that she and Sadie spend a great deal of time at. What? A change in plans? Damn. Normally this kind of thing will send my anxiety through the roof, but I was having such a nice time and I liked and felt comfortable enough with the people I was with to give it a try.
True to her word, Melody actually did live very close to the train station. Fancy that. Not an exaggeration to achieve an ulterior goal. An honest one . . . I so love and appreciate that. Thank you, Melody. Sadie wanted to introduce me to their dog. A shelter adoptee, a cutie and a sweetheart. Gentle as can be with eyes that look into your soul. She is a Townsel, without a doubt.
I walked into Melody and Sadie's home and could not believe my eyes. It was as though my bedroom had exploded into a house. I take nothing for granted. Nothing. And I don't believe in coincidence. Being invited and welcomed into their home was just another in a series of confirmations that meeting and visiting with Melody and Sadie was the right choice.
If there is a Heaven, my thoughts are that it's completely individual. What's my Heaven is exclusive to me. What's your Heaven is exclusive to you. My Heaven is Melody's house. Her taste is funky and cool and as non-pretentious as non-pretentious can be. Before I get too detailed and wordy. I'll just say this, and I told Melody this as well - if there is a Heaven, my vision of it is Melody and Sadie's home. When I shed my earthly costume, this is where my spirit will reside.
After this, we drove just a few streets over to a place that's a home away from home for the Townsels. A street with all sorts of points of interest for a worldly person like me. First we stopped at a place, whose name currently eludes me, that's a bookstore and coffee shop and cake and pie shoppe and is what I suspect Barnes and Noble w/Starbucks inside want to be. The cakes were enormous and as moist as the cakes I've baked from scratch. And I'm nearly positive they sold Derby Pie.
Our next stop was Shambhala. Well, not that one, unfortunately, but nearly as good, IMO. This place did my soul good. Wonderful lotions and soap, scents that delight the senses, and soy candles and windchimes. I bought a bar of Discretion. Coral pink soap swirled with black. Apropos, I think, and very much like me. (Yes, I wear pink. Internally. Not all of us wear our flash on the outside.) And a bar of Mango Tea soap. Incredible. When my immune system gives me grief, this is the kind of thing that helps me keep a sense of balance. Can't explain why, but it does.
The next stop allowed me to buy Sadie something to remember our day together by and also celebrate her birthday a few days late. An amazing store that housed all sorts of delights. Melody got herself a funky memento, a blowfish of iridescent purple with big red lipstick and more character than many people that I know. If she hadn't bought it, I would've.
And Sadie picked out two Webkinz that tickled her fancy.
What knocked me out most is that nearly everyone in this little section of the world knows Sadie and Melody by name. They visit with a warm familiarity that's soothing to watch and comforting be a part of. They're both very, very well liked and well thought of by this community. It was remarkable to be privy to.
With that, I had to take my leave of these two amazing and wonderful people. Melody took me to the train station and I rode the train back going over the events of the day. The train was nearly unbearably crowded. I chose not to take a tranquilizer and gazed out the window, exhausted and enveloped in the savory details of a day well spent.
Thank you, Melody and Sadie, for inviting me into your world and allowing me to spend a day unfettered. I'm grateful.
Oh . . . and no scans for another six months. I can live with that.©