Onward to Marcellus

    It was with a sense of sadness that I departed Vermont and my long time friend Buffalo Bob. It had been thirteen years since we had last spoken face to face. I doubt that we can allow another thirteen years to pass if we are to be together again on this earth. Not that he couldn't be around. That would put him at ninety and me at seventy six. He's in surprisingly good shape for a man his age, still chopping firewood and mowing his two acres of land. He's got a fairly stress free life so chances are he could outlive me. In any event, I hope that sometime in the next few years the opportunity will arise again for a visit. He's made it plain that it would fall on me to do the traveling, but a road trip sounds good to me, so maybe it will happen again soon. Though I was sorry to be leaving Buffalo, I was quite excited to see my good friend Renee again. The first time I saw her she was sitting in front of me in church. I could see that she was young and attractive, and for whatever reason I feared that she would be the target of some of the less than honorable young men around town. She was alone in a strange town in a new job with no friends, and I felt protective of her. Renee was the school counselor for several years and became a family friend of both Jan and I and our daughter Jen. We invited her for dinner periodically and even hosted her for Thanksgiving two years- once with her sister who was visiting over the holiday. We used to play Gin Rummy after dinner and always had a good time. Several times in the few years she was here in Hoonah, well meaning people tried to pair her up with someone, but Renee was very particular about what she wanted in a husband, so much so that I feared that she would grow to be an old maid. However, this past March she married her husband Mike, a man whom she met at a swing dance event. It was on this trip that I met Mike for the first time, and it was as if we had known each other for years. I liked him immediately. He's a city planner for the city of Syracuse. He's also a World War Two buff, and this past spring he made the trip to Normandy France for what I believe was the seventieth anniversary of the the Normandy invasion. Apparently he's quite good at swing dancing and he certainly chose wisely in his search for a wife. I don't know if he was really looking for one, but considering the engagement period was only a year, I guess he knew a good thing when he saw it.  Though my time with Mike and Renee was brief, I spent an afternoon, the night and a few hours the next day, I have seldom felt more welcome anywhere. They went out of their way to make me feel at home. Unfortunately I had contacted a cold on the trip to Vermont and I had called questioning whether I should even visit. They assured me it would be fine and upon my arrival made cough drops, throat lozenges and a powdered drink filled with Vitamin C available to me. We went to lunch at a lovely restaurant in a town twenty or so miles from their home. I can't remember how to spell it, but it was pronounced, Skinny Atlas. I thought at first they were kidding me, but that was really the name. Nice little town, right on one of the finger lakes. After lunch I was shown around  the area a bit. When we returned to their home we took a walk in the park, which borders their property. It's a big, beautiful park with a trout stream running through it. It would have been nice to watch Mike fish for a bit, but there wasn't time. We talked well into the night, way past Renee's normal bedtime. I remember when she was here that she retired early. The next morning Renee got up early and sent me off with a breakfast of French toast and sausages. Before I left they presented me with two sweatshirts, one for Jan and one for me. They are bright orange- the color of the Syracuse Orange Men. I guess that's the college basketball team. I was assured that it was fine for me to wear my sweatshirt out fishing on the boat. Then if I fall overboard, someone can at least find my bloated body more easily. They also wanted to make sure I had an ample supply of cough drops and Mike yarded out a half dozen cans of lemon lime soda for the road. I guess he wanted to make sure I stopped plenty. While I was sorry to leave, I nonetheless went off with such a good feeling of well being and a feeling of being loved that I couldn't help but be happy.I'm hoping that the next time I see Mike and Renee it will be here in Hoonah, and Jan and I will be able to somewhat repay the kindness I was shown at their home. I drove off for the New York Parkway a very nice road, but one which you will pay for the privilege of driving on. My next stop was to see my Mom in an Ohio assisted living facility.