Day Four. Vacation Related Activities at LAST!

So while my car is being bathed and adjusted, I head back to my hotel to get my maps! Yes, MAPS. I can't use my GPS because it's hard wired into the car and I don't have an extra power cord for it, so it's back to basics.

What's good about this is it forces me to memorize details of where I need to go. I've been having foggy-head for awhile and this is a good reason to WAKE UP ALREADY.

I jotted down the location of my favorite old haunt, AOKAY ANTIQUES. Back in the olden days, when I was newly, firstly married, my husband and I often travelled to these here parts to check out the fantastic antiques. We made friends with a dealer named Steve Mumma. A handsome, smooth talker, who had an eye for great big advertising signs and cool stuff from the 1940's and 50's. We bought many things from him over the years, then, as often happens, we lost touch with Steve. I suppose that getting divorced and moving to Connecticut may have had something to do with losing touch.

I made my way back to Valley Junction, the district where the little antique shops and boutiques are located. It's very cute and easy to navigate and low and behold, in the exact same spot is AOKAY. I suddenly felt a bit shy. I remembered Steve, but he's had thousands of customers in the TWENTY YEARS since I've seen him. What if he didn't even own the shop any more? What if he did?

My questions were answered soon enough. Within moments of entering his shop, I heard his voice. It was Steve, sure enough, the slim, grey-haired man, cleaning a glass case, was the same guy I used to hang out with. I didn't walk up to him. He was busy doing something and shouting out orders to a helper. I looked around the shop. It still had remarkable things, but the prices had jumped through the roof. A woman at the counter greeted me and I returned her hello. I walked through the shop, marveling at all the goodies.

Eventually, I worked up the nerve to say hello. Boy, did I feel awkward!

I looked at Steve and he looked at me funny. I said, you recognize me, don't you? And he nodded, yes. After a few minutes, it all came flooding back and he smiled and warmed right up. He had just been thinking about a joke, my friend, Shelby told him so long ago. Odd that he should think of that, then see me. We caught up a bit on old times. He looked great, just older. In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed for both of us. It was strange, indeed.

I was rather nervous so I kept my chatting to a minimum. Steve invited me to stop back and gave me his card. I gave him mine. It was nice to see him again, yet so strange to feel a tugging sense of all those years that are lost to both of us.

Not sure what the moral of my story is, but at least I had a few minutes of joy before the shit hit the fan...again.