I was just north of Atmore, Alabama headed north on interstate 65, destination, Sault Ste Marie, MI. A city in the Upper Peninsula who's main industry was the lock and dam system for the upper Great Lakes. I was headed there to move my sister, she and her husband had moved there over thirty years ago, he was part of the maintenance crew and had retired four years ago, unfortunately, like so many others, he died within a year of his retirement. At the time of Rays death my wife was on her death bed, there wasn't any way to make Rays funeral, I sent flowers in our name, but it wasn't the same as being there. When my wife died 4 months later sis was still too distraught to attend my wife's funeral.
Their two children lived halfway across the country, halfway around the world if you listened to Cam, one living in Arizona the other in northern Louisiana. They hated living in the cold and snow, the isolation, the lack of good employment unless you could land a position working on the locks. They bolted as soon as they graduated high school, met and married someone in college and vowed never to live in the UP again. When they learned of their mother moving south to live with me, they were quite excited, both kids would be closer than they had been.
My wife was of Norwegian descent, when we took our twin boys to Norway to meet cousins and other relatives in their freshman year of college little did we know we'd lose them. As fate would have it they met a set of twin Norwegian girls, moved there after college and married those sisters. We would see them every few years, I had grandchildren I'd never seen or held until the boys returned with their families for their mother's funeral. The last time I'd seen my sons or grandchildren was when I went there to spread her ashes in the mountains she loved so much.
Camryn and I had been talking about this move since Christmas, she was already tired of winter, I suggested she come down for a month or more. She loved the idea but was having a knee replaced the second week of January, we talked weekly after her surgery, now that her PT was complete, she was ready to do more than visit, she was ready to move.
I was surprised how busy traffic was for 6am Thursday morning. I was pulling a 6 x 12 foot tandem axle enclosed trailer which slowed me some, but the Tundra was clickin along at 65, still getting 14 miles per gallon. Cars and trucks were whizzing by me as though I were standing still, not that I cared, it was going to be a three day trip whether I went 65 or 70, the difference in gas mileage was significant though, I kept the cruise at 65 and listened to my oldies stations. When they'd fade out, I could usually pick up a classic rock station until I found another oldies station.
Since it was only me to consider I drove until I needed to pee, fueling at the same time if need be. I had snacks along with a cooler full of water and Dr. Pepper, a few sandwiches and two apples. All I had to do was lean back, keep my eyes on the road and let the long miles fade as I went. I drove until Toledo the first day, pushing harder than I should have, resulting in an aching tired body that didn't wake until 8:30 next morning. Following breakfast, fueling and a check of the trailer I pulled back onto I-75 headed north. I felt the long drive of the previous day and stopped more often than normal. I got as far as Grayling before stopping for the night, I called Cam, had a decent supper, showered and hit the sack.
When I called Camryn in the morning, she told me I was a half day away give or take an hour depending on traffic. I enquired how much she had to move, she said she'd had a large yard sale over the past weekend and had gotten rid of most things she no longer wanted, the few remaining items were being picked up by St. Francis Thrift Store that afternoon. She sent me a pic of what was stacked in the garage, there would be plenty of room in the trailer, if there was enough room left over maybe I'd drive across the UP and stop at a saw mill in Mellen, WI for some lumber. I build custom furniture using all northern hardwoods, none of which are available in the deep south.
It had been years since I'd been to her place, and let's face it, most women's directions suck. Thank God for Google maps and the lady down the street who showed me how to use it before I left. As I pulled onto her street, I saw her at the end of the driveway waving, a smile as big as all the earth, jumping up and down as much as a 65 year old woman with a new knee can or wants to. I hadn't seen her since our pa died almost six years prior, she looked more stunning now than she did at his memorial service. Most of her adult life she'd worn her hair short, but now it was long, well over her shoulders as she used to wear it in high school.
I liked the fact that she let it be a natural silver grey, instead of coloring it, my late wife colored hers. Though I preferred it natural, it wasn't worth spending time fussing about. We'd been together 46 years, in that time you figure out what is and isn't important, if you're smart you learn not to major on the minors. Camryn was still what others called petite, as far as she was concerned, she was just small. At 5'6" and about 120 she still had it all together. I doubted her breasts were any longer "perky", a much over used word these days, but they still stood out instead of hanging down, I liked how they jiggled and swung slightly as she bounced around. She had never been one to wear a bra if she could get away without one, I guess she figured she didn't need one to load boxes.
I chose to back into her driveway before getting out, she guided me with precision as she had done for years when we were still at home emptying loads of firewood for the furnace. Sliding off the seat my body groaned, but as soon as she rounded the front and headed toward me with arms open wide, I felt a sudden burst of energy. Jumping up she wrapped her arms around my neck, squeezing me as she had oh so many decades ago, her feet a few inches off the ground as I held her around the waist. Setting her on her feet I was going to let go until she stopped me.
"Nope, not yet. Hold me another minute or so, I haven't seen you in so long."
I whispered the neighbor lady was watching intently with a scowl on her face. She pushed back, patting me on the chest and shot a dirty look in the neighbor's direction.
"Screw her, she's a nosy old bat, can't stand her. Now she'll have some juicy gossip to spread. Who knows Toad, maybe I'll be pregnant by morning, you know how fast things happen in the gossip crowd. Shit, I shoulda kissed you, she'd have peed her pants."
I looked at her with a big grin, "Toad. You're the only one who still calls me that. I think you're the one who gave me that name, but I don't remember why."
"I certainly do. You put a toad down the back of my panties when I was seven, when I told mom she looked at you and said you were a toad. I liked that name, still do."
"Yeah well, so did everyone else Cam, all the way through high school people still called me toad. The only ones who used Brandon were the teachers and mother. Hope you're proud of yourself."
