Around this time last year, Vernon was supposed to go to Seattle for a type conference. Ticket was bought, bags may have even been packed, but he managed to injure his leg playing soccer with the weekend team.  He felt too injured to do the trip and conference, so he cancelled his ticket and hobbled around on a jaunty cane for the next couple of weeks.

This may be the only picture I have of the man with cane.  Perhaps you can see it if you squint.

Every once in a while throughout the year, I would vaguely remember there might be a ticket out there worth redeeming.  Once I’d asked Vernon if I could use it to go to Texas for my High School reunion in July, which I’d reserved an event ticket early. It was in his name but he was certainly willing to give it up.

July came along. I still wasn’t ready to leave Vernon at the hospital even for a weekend.  My good friends, Cindy and Lucy, pals since high school, whom I’d made plans to stay with, went on without me.

Fortunately, around the time Vernon transferred to Kindred, I remembered to look into the ticket again. Turns out I had just a week or two before it would expire. I called the airline and was told I could still have a  grace period, but would have to use it by mid-October.  So without thinking much more about it, I texted my sister Cambria and my friend Lucy, who both live in Seattle, and arranged to have the ticket changed for this coming weekend.

And here we are! If Vernon hadn’t hurt his leg last year, I might not have even thought to take this weekend getaway, which now that I have it planned, feels like a necessary vacation. The kids are looking forward to their weekend arrangements as well, but they aren’t going with me.

To make matters even better, Cindy is flying from Texas to spend the weekend with Lucy and me as well…so a personal HS reunion will happen after all. These girls have travelled all over to visit me at various stops in the past 25 years, I must add, and this visit has been too long in coming. I also can’t wait to spend some quality time  the wonderful Cambria, Shon, and my three nephews.

So I’m looking forward to  good friends, good food, crisp fall air, rain, and lots of coffee.   It looks like perfect timing…Vernon actually ”shoo-ed” me away with his good hand  the last couple of visits. Maybe he needs a longer break from me too. Or maybe he just is trying to tell me: “Go! You are fine! I don’t need you right now.”

He needs a little more speech therapy before I actually know for sure!