Life is defined by time and seasons. (Lailah Gifty Akita)
Late September. Two septuagenarians in a blend-in-with-the-scene white Toyota, travel a county highway. Vehicles of all kinds, shapes, and colors join or pass. With anonymous individuals inside. Some courteous, others impatient.
Did I bring my phone? the man in the white car asks his wife. “Right here,” she answers. “Good,” he says. “I’ll call after my doctor’s appointment. And pick you up at the same mall entrance.” His voice remains soft. She smiles. She knows her limited sense of direction.
Foliage changes colors in a different time frame than traffic moves. The woman wonders when the skin on her arms developed ridges. Long parallel lines. Miniature mountainsides. Her experiences saved inside them as one season blends into another.
She walks through the mall pathways. Sees signs demanding masks. Noses over the top. Nothing worth buying. Construction penetrates her ears.
While the season waits outside. One more time.
Time, it’s been awhile
…Yup, Time, It’s Been Awhile I chose large print with the hope that these words will stay in my memory longer. I sit by the heart monitor that lets hospital staff know my heart bypass is operating A-okay. However, I feel best when I’m not thinking about it. My mind is young. Young! Since I…
terrypetersen 