Ten minutes later we were all waiting outside the blood draw clinic. The stranger started talking. He was very interesting. He had a continual smile on his face. First thing he said was, "My girl friend and I live in Sedalia. We have to come up here at least once a month. We decided we might as well turn a 'problem' into an adventure. We stay at Boonville, gamble a little have a nice dinner and enjoy our time together." I told him that sounded like a marvelous philosophy. I said, "You know that used to be our outlook on life but this past 2 months has changed us, especially me. I am so angry that something stupid almost caused Tommy to die. I just can't get past the anger." I patted Tommy on the arm. Tommy didn't say anything but just looked at me--oddly, wondering why I was sharing intimate things with a stranger. Strangers and I do this all the time....since I was a kid...for me it is normal. He knows that.
I told the man, we saw him kiss his girlfriend good bye and he laughed. His exact words were "God I love that woman". I told him I could tell. Tommy is still looking at me--oddly...wondering where in the world this conversation was going. Three strangers exchanging intimate thoughts in a middle of a hallway. Two men waiting to have their blood drawn and one lady just along for the ride.
I gave Tommy a hug and repeated what our new 'friend' had said. "We don't have problems we have adventures---once again." Tommy smiled and said, "We always did....you just got scared and forgot for a little while." The man smiled, saying he was glad to hear we have been together so long and that we love each so much. Neither one of us had said a word about any of that, somehow he just knew. The stranger was called in first, Tommy was next and we all went our separate ways.
Tommy was right. I did get scared and I did forget the theme of our lives. We had a good day together yesterday. Today was also a good day. We took Carol to the airport in Kansas City. We got up early 3 a.m. The night sky was full of falling stars. Beautiful, I counted 10 falling stars. They were here for a second or two and then gone forever. When I worked the 11-7 shift at the hospital, a lot of nights I would go outside on my 2 a.m. break and watch the stars. There is something magic about the night sky.
After we arrived home and had a long nap, we woke up to horrible news, a shooting in Connecticut where so many little children and adults were murdered. This is not the America I grew up in. I see very little of my youth anywhere I look.
It's not the guns, we have always had guns. Drugs? There has always been booze and drugs. I know we have more illegal drugs now than ever before. Liquor is legal and ownership of guns is our Constitutional right.
Then what is wrong with us? When did problems stop being adventures and became reasons to murder people they seldom know or have never met by the scores, just for the Hell of it?? Even if they do know the people they are killing----they don't care. There is something missing in these people. Something that allows them to do the unthinkable.
I have opinions but no answers. Lord only knows what the politicians are planning on doing. Whatever it is will probably not make any sense, cost a fortune and fail. So much for my faith in government.
Now back to my motto for our life, "We don't have problems, we have adventures." In theory that sounds wonderful. On a good day it could even work. However, after today and another deadly rampage... it just doesn't fit the situation. I am back to where I started---very sad, worried and so angry.
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