Road Trip
by S Martha Montevallo ©2002
Recently I've had the privilege of taking road trips with women. Last summer it was Lorena Edlen, whom many of you know. We went from her home in Nerw Mexico to Houston to visit her son, to my aunt's in Waterproof, Louisiana, to Jackson, Mississippi to her brother's, and on to Oxford, Mississippi to see her sister. I forget how many days we were shut up in the car together, several, talking and laughing all the way. For a congenial traveling companion, Lorena is hard to beat. Although we had an itinerary of sorts, it wasn't like a public transportation schedule that attempts to be on time. We had the temperament and inclination to do as we pleased, and we did.
As we left Uvalde, Texas we saw a sign for a mohair factory and mohair socks. Mohair socks?!?!? Half a mile down the road I made a U turn. How long were we there? Who knows? Who cares? Everything in the back room was half price. Lorena bought a sweater and a shawl. I ordered a vest to pick up on the return trip. We did not buy socks.
In the recent and distant past I have traveled with men. Sons, a son-in-law, a beau. Nor have I forgotten what it was like to travel with my husband. Do you think any one of them would have stopped to visit the mohair place? It wasn't planned. It wasn't on the schedule. How long will it take? What do you want to get there? Do you need it? Can't you get it at home? How late will it make us? As he presses on the accelerator to increase the distance from the interesting -- unplanned -- stop. And if we had stopped and not bought the item that had caught our attention in the first place??? Heaven forfend! I thought you wanted socks. Why didn't you buy socks? What was wrong with the socks?
In May my daughter and I went to California for the Ramona Pageant I'd wanted to see for 50 years. After spending the night in Yuma we found a thrift store right by the motel. Not on the schedule. We got a couple of old books and I looked for a cast iron Dutch oven. Proceeding west we saw a new outlet mall as we neared San Diego. We couldn't pass that up! However, we did pass up the opportunity to visit the casino among the delights of the outlet mall. At Escondido, in search of Dudley's bread, we were delighted to find not only another thrift store, but a yard sale. My daughter is a wonderful traveling companion: Flexible, fun, agreeable, accommodating, and talkative.
Before we left for California I got information about the Yuma Valley Railway that runs on Saturdays and Sundays from Yuma south along the border 17 miles. We changed our plans to include that adventure. It mean leaving Hemet early, going down the SW coast of the Salton Sea, not the more scenic NE coast, and hurrying somewhat. It also meant getting home later than we had originally planned. No big deal.
Once I went with two male Mensans to Tucson for a little outing and dinner with some of the members of the Tucson chapter. Not much was said on the drive to Tucson. Questions and answers about where to turn, the location of the restaurant, just facts, only facts. On the way beck I decided to let matters take their course and not initiate any talk. NOT ONE WORD was said on the return trip. A woman I know takes a book to read in the car. I thought she was rude. It's not that. Her husband won't/can't converse while driving.
What is it that makes men different from women? All I say is vive la difference as long as I can take my road trips with women.
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