Red Dirt Road

We had not been to Jamie's house since he moved to LA(lower Alabama). It was on the Florida line, his church where he is associate pastor and his other job is all in Florida, but he lives in Alabama.  He had rented the house in March, a bright blue cottage he told me, and I live right off the interstate. Well our GPS had us turning off before we were supposed to and going down this narrow red dirt road where we saw nothing but the road and over grown weeds and trees on the side, and Earl starting humming the very awful banjo scene from Deliverance. Stop it! I told him. It had been a long drive.  We come from a small town, but this was the boonies if I ever saw the boonies.  We finally found the road but we passed his house the first time.  In the south they like bright colors on their houses, they also like lots of huge plants and trees to obscure those houses.  We backed up and saw a bit of blue staring at us between tree branches.  "That's it!" I said. We had found our son.

I had taken Mom back to the nursing home for the week, hoping she would be ok, even though she seemed upset for us to be leaving her. They already knew her there, knew her needs, so I felt confident they would take care of her. But still it was hard leaving her, knowing I was going to her grandson's wedding and she couldn't go.  Justin, Jenna and Ben, Earl and I started off early on a wednesday because we wanted some time to maybe visit the beach, and I wanted to be there for Gifty that week because her parents weren't able to get their visas and I knew it would be a hard week on her. Our cultures are different, and I was hoping she wouldn't feel overwhelmed and lost amid it without anyone to turn to. She had just arrived there on the Sunday before from Philadelphia, and she was meeting new people all that week and staying alone in their house while Jamie was staying at the church.  Once we arrived they would be able to stay together and she would be feeling more at ease I hoped.

But the trip was 10 hours and by the time we found the house I was worn out and feeling a little uneasy myself. Plus it was hot! Lower Alabama in May felt like August in Indiana, and Jamie only had two window air units in his living room and one bedroom and I was quite a bit spoiled with my central air.  Earl and I went and bought them two fans, just so I could sit in front of them. And that first night we just unwound.  The kids were hyper, excited about seeing each other, it had been so long, and Gifty was a bit shy.  But before too long Justin was trying to wrestle Jamie and the girls were giggling and talking about their upcoming weddings.  Ben, Earl and I just vegged on the couch until it was church time, and we went to hear Jamie preach to the Youth.  Afterwards Pizza Hut (we never get to go to Pizza Hut around here enough) and back to Jamie's home where I just fell into bed and tried to sleep though my mind was going at warp speed, somehow I managed to drift off.

The next day we went to the beach.  Jamie had to work and Gifty's aunt and uncle were going to be in town that day so she didn't come either. I really would have liked her to come, she seemed very stressed and nervous (but of course who wouldn't) but Gifty is not really a beach person anyway. She doesn't know how to swim, though Jamie is trying to teach her. She didn't get to go to the ocean much in India. And I think she may have wanted private time with her family.  We were all sad her parents couldn't come, but at least her family from Philly was here. We met Jamie's Aunt Diana and Uncle Tim at the beach. They were surprising him and he didn't know they were coming. She wanted to do his wedding photos for him, and he was thrilled once he heard her voice on the phone when he called me on my cell. I can't believe they made this trip Mom, he told me, how very awesome is that? It was wonderful for us to have them with us. And his other Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie and cousin Crystal were on their way the next day.  So that day we relaxed and I must tell you I needed it. They ate seafood by the beach (I had chicken) and shopped and laid there. It was about three weeks before they expected the oil to make it to the beach, and that made me sad, thinking about this beautiful beach being tarnished with oil.  Blue skies all week. What a wonderful trip it was becoming.  We got home, met Gifty's family and took them to their hotel.  The next day was the rehearsal dinner and we had lots to do, well me and Gifty anyway. The rest of them were going to the beach again! What did they think this was, a vacation? :) I really didn't mind. I wanted some alone time with Gifty and I wanted to ease her mind if I could, and I was really looking forward to spending this day with my new daughter. I was feeling good, until I got a phone call the next day. It almost ruined the whole trip.