I've come to realize that you only get so much good news before some bad news comes up and smacks you in the face.
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Last night was pretty hot and humid so I decided to leave the window open along with using the fan. I don't usually since my bedroom window opens onto the front of the building and I'm on the first floor - and it was a Friday - and there's a bar across the street - but it turned out to be very quiet and I slept really well. That's the good news. The bad news was that I was up at 6:00 on a Saturday and couldn't get back to sleep.
You gotta make the best of things, so I finally got around to throwing out some cereal and snacks that I'd bought over the past year but never finished. Without even trying them, I figured they were all stale as hell. I also decided to swap out the water bottles I'd been refilling and carrying with me for a while now. I read somewhere that these tend to degrade over time so, you know, better to be safe then sorry.
That done, I had a few things I wanted to get done today so I headed up to Wegman's. I drink seltzer at home and, as I was running low, I needed to restock. (I'd already checked Shoprite and Pathmark but they had nothing on sale.) I took Main Street. Up ahead I saw this guy on my left.
It was still early and there was no one else around.
Point, press, Flash.
I pulled into the Wegman's lot. Bad news - their seltzer was not on sale. Good news - their sparkling water was. I picked up a 12-pack of Tangerine/Lime and drove back home. I put a couple of cans in the refrigerator and went back out.
I headed towards Dunkin' Donuts. I took Rahway and turned left onto Freeman. As I approached the train track underpass I saw this woman.
Deja Vu. This was almost exactly like my first Event all those years ago except I was not on foot this time. And I was driving right past her.
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I had breakfast, picked up the paper, and headed to the Menlo Park Mall. (I call this my Saturday routine.) I got the chair to the right of the charger station, put my iced tea down, and opened the paper. I didn't win the Mega Millions. While I was reading the funnies, I was startled by a tap on the back.
"Hey, Grandpa, how're you doin'?"
"Shit! You scared the crap outa me, Doyle!"
"Oh .. sorry .... didn't realize you're so skittish."
We shook hands and he pulled over one of the other nearby chairs.
"It's not that .. it's just .. I wasn't expecting it. You took me by surprise. You haven't been around for a while, you know."
"Yeah ... well ... stuff's been happening. What with the problems with the TSA, the increase in our terrorist watch, and now the hacking of the federal computers, we've been jumping from place to place for months."
My turn to apologize.
"Sorry. I guess I should've been paying more attention to that stuff but I've been preoccupied lately."
"The granddaughter, right? How's she doin'?. I'm guessing you got pictures."
I showed him the ones I had stored in my phone while I told him about it.
"She's a real cutie, alright. She's starting to sleep better at night so she's awake more during the day, more alert. I got to babysit for her last Wednesday for a few hours and it was great."
"Sounds like you're enjoying it. I bet you're looking forward to Father's Day."
I paused and took a deep breathe.
"The babysitting on Wednesday was the good news. The bad news is that, on Thursday, she was at her Pediatrician's and he gave her a shot - a "live virus" shot."
"What's bad about that? You're not one of those anti-vaccers are you?"
"No. No. I'm not. But the week before, my daughter asked me to get the TDAP shot for Whooping Cough. To protect the baby, you know? So, I checked with my cardiologist. They OK'd the shot for me but told me that if the baby gets a "live virus" vaccine I can't go near her for a month. I can't even go into her house."
Doyle paused and sat back. Then he leaned forward.
"WOW. That sucks. But I don't understand. What does that mean, Denny? Why?"
"They tell me that after the shot she starts to shed the virus and that, since my immune system is compromised, I'm very susceptible."
We were both quiet for a few minutes. I broke it.
"Listen, Doyle, forget about it. We'll deal with it - it's just that it's happening now. Anyway, how's the .. ah .. search for Gordon?"
He looked relieved that I changed the subject. "Good news and bad news there, Denny. The good news is that he hasn't been active in months. Which is really good because we've cut back pretty hard on the staffing. The bad news is that he's found a new way to taunt us. He's been unmasking his tracker signal for 5 or 10 minutes every couple of days or so, and he's been bouncing up and down the Mid-Atlantic area."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, one day we'll get a signal that puts him in Newark, Delaware then - 2 or 3 days later - a blip in Reading, Pennsylvania. Then outside D. C.. Then up near Blauvelt, New York...."
"Wait! You said Blauvelt, New York? .. When was that?"
He told me.
"We buried my aunt that day, up in Blauvelt."
Another pause as he took that in. He stood up.
"Seems he might still be interested in you after all, Denny. I have to get back to the office with this."
I stood, too. We shook hands. He put his other hand on my shoulder.
"Hang in there, Grandpa." He smiled.
"You too, Doyle." I smiled, too.
He walked away. I looked at my iced tea. The ice had melted. I looked at the paper but didn't feel like doing the crossword just now. There was still one more thing that I wanted to get done so I picked my stuff up and went back to the car.
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I read a lot, and I pick up a lot of books at library sales to feed my habit. Once in a while, I get a bug about a particular book that I've read already so I go right to my "stacks" - the shelves in my living room. Well, I got the itch to reread 2 different books and was frustrated when I couldn't find them at home. (It took me 2 days to go through everything.) My last errand today was to check out the used book stores that I frequent. I headed toward Metuchen. I parked on Library Street and saw this woman heading towards me.
It was pretty quiet back here, but I had something to do. I got out and walked up Main Street to the book store. I started here because he only charges $1.50 for paperbacks.
Bad news. He was on vacation. He would be open tomorrow for the Street Fair. I've been to that Fair. The parking is horrendous and I don't like crowds. I can't come on Monday because I have a doctor's appointment in New Brunswick. That means that I couldn't get back here till Tuesday. Anyone whose ever obsessed about anything knows that I can't wait that long.
I went back to my car and headed to Colonia. The used book store up there charges a percentage of the cover price but I was willing to pay. I had the radio on and the windows open. It was a nice ride on a pretty day. I could see this guy heading towards me.
I was focused on something else.
I pulled into the Foodtown parking lot and walked over to the book store. When I went in, the woman greeted me and asked if she could help. Normally, I beg off but this time I told her what I was looking for. She went right to where they were and pulled them out for me. Since these were older books and older, paperback editions, I wound up paying $1.25 each. I saved money. Good news.
I headed home and came up behind this guy on his bicycle.
He was sort of weaving back and forth and was slowing me down. I looked around as I got closer. We were the only ones around.
Point, press, Flash.
I stopped at Subways for something to eat and went home. I ate my lunch with a Tangerine/Lime sparkling water.
It's not easy but I'm started to accept the fact the you have to deal with whatever news you're given, good or bad.
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