There just wasn't putting it off any longer. Hell, I'd had the phone number for two weeks. My niece Amy had tracked it down through tax records. Take that, Google and Facebook. But I had waited. Waited until I was in a quiet place, with nobody else around, so I could focus on what to say. What do you say to somebody you don't know but with whom you share the same father? "Hi, I'm your long lost sister, the one your daddy got in trouble with his wife over...." At the … [Read more...]
Tommy and Beverly Were Lovers
August 27, 2011 By
I hate saying goodbye. I left my son Nate and his wife, Melissa, in Los Angeles and drove up the coast a few days ago, my melancholy usurped by nerves. I hadn't really felt this way yet. One would think a gal with a dog, who's not too adept at changing tires or reading GPS, facing a daunting journey of more than 8,000 miles would be a little jumpy from time to time. Well, sure, when the sun goes down and I've still got 162 miles to go until my next stop and my eyes … [Read more...]
Louie, Sean’s Beast of Burden
August 24, 2011 By
The absolute worst nights of this journey have been the ones in which I laid awake in some Motel 6 somewhere, or in the quiet of a friend's home and worried, "what have I done?" I know this is old news, I've talked about it, you've encouraged me, I've appreciated it. I'm on Day 51 of this journey, thanks in large part to my backers and band of cheerleaders. Let me just say this for the record: This trip has changed my life. I have one hell of a book. Let me repeat … [Read more...]
Chapters, No Verse, but…a little melody?
August 10, 2011 By
Today class, we're going to engage in a little chapter review. August 5th marked one month on the road so far and the half-way point on this journey, much in the same way the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, New Mexico, the restaurant where I very indulgently ordered a piece of coconut cream pie yesterday, is the exact geographic middle of Route 66. Ever tardy, I realize that I have been remiss in providing details on the road map ahead and the checkered, pothole-laden … [Read more...]
True Grit
August 2, 2011 By
I called his number, a little nervous. It had been nineteen years since I'd see my former brother-in-law, Pat. I'm thinking,"why in the hell would he want to see me?"; the former sister-in-law, the outlaw, the one who'd asked for the divorce from his little brother. Into every life, a little guilt must fall. But it was in fact my first ex, the high school sweetheart ex, my favorite ex, who encouraged me to call his big brother, Pat, the retired Navy captain. I was only … [Read more...]
We Tried to Make ’em Go to Rehab
July 27, 2011 By
I've needed to talk about this for a long time, my brother Garrett. Even though the death of my brother Don eleven months ago weighs fresh on my heart, I lost another brother back in 2002. I still miss him very much. I'd intended to tell you about Garrett on what would have been his 60th birthday, on June 27th. Wow, 60. That's as hard to imagine as JFK being old, you know? Anyway, June 27th, was supposed to be my last day on the job and I had this great tribute to … [Read more...]
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