Mom's Trip

Date: 1/24/2023

Tuesday afternoon. Mom is leaving on vacation. I come home early to help with some older ladies from work, manager types, all standing in the front hallway in their hats and long coats. I am about to warn them that she is poorly, wheel chair bound, unable to move or talk anymore. But here she is bouncing up the stairs with suitcases. So I instead tell them how strong my mother is (was). How when we worked outside she used to say, "That's heavy! Let me get that." They laugh, delighted by the nimble old lady. I take her to buy groceries for the rental cottage on a lake. She picks out a couple bottles of cream soda and a clear, loose bag the size of a bed pillow full of coloured letters. Not sure if they are candy or pills. She offers no explanation, just sets them down on the conveyor belt at the till.