Hey Gang,
Instead of writing a play by play of the Texas trip I think I will just pick random people and events as they come to me. Today I will start with the stranger we had stay in our motel room.
The Dark Stranger
Even though I was running extremely low on sleep, my habits of going to bed late kept me wide awake. While Jimmy snored and Walt unwound watching TV I went for a long walk. I was on a quest to find a late night milk shake or float that I failed to find earlier. We stayed at the Super 8 which is on the edge of town, one of the last structures before leaving Somerville. The whole main street of this mini city is about 2 1/2 miles long, maybe. I just about walked the whole strip. My first stop was Mama’s Kitchen.
I entered and asked if they had floats. The waitress said no. I said well do you have Sprite? Yes. Do you have ice cream? Yes. Do you think you can add a couple of lumps of ice cream to my Sprite? She replied sit down I will take care of you. A few minutes later she comes back to tell me they were out of ice cream. Either they were or my recipe was a bit hard to follow. So off I went to continue my search.
I walked to a convenience store on the opposite end of town, about the only thing left open. I spied the soda fountain and said to myself if I can't find a float I will build my own. So I grabbed the 32 ouncer and walked around looking for a small container of ice cream. I found an ice cream cup and asked how much. The clerk said they are on sale 2 for a dollar. Bought both and plopped them in my Sprite with the help of the worker who lent me scissors to pry the ice cream out of the cup. He said OH I see what you are doing. What a deal, a float for a $1.99.
The temp had cooled down to 88, just an occasional car passing by, no sounds except crickets - a dog barking, very peaceful, I was enjoying life.
I got to the corner of 8th and Rt 36 where the Somerville Museum is located. It was here the dark stranger crossed my path. Actually, it pounced out of the shrubs and immediately attached itself to my leg. I was startled and almost dropped my float. It was a black cat! I stepped back not knowing if the thing was rabid. It wouldn't leave me alone so I scooped out a little ice cream. The cat starting eating and I took off. I got about 15 feet when it caught up with me. It was doing a figure 8 around my legs making sure I didn't get away.
Again I dropped some ice cream. And again the cat stopped to lick it up only to hurry and catch up with me. HMMMM! I tried having a talk with it, OK listen you need to go. It didn't work. Then I started feeling sorry, the poor critter was so skinny. So then I said alright I have a pork chop back at the motel follow me and it did.
We got to the motel and came up with a game plan, through the back door but we still have to sort of sneak past the front desk as we were staying on the first floor.
It was just like in the movies. I opened the door, OK ready lets go. We ran through the hall, at the entrance for the front desk I waved hold it, I went through first, the lady looked at me but never looked down as the cat passed. I fumbled with the card to open the door. Nervously I got it open, shooed the cat in, shut the door. Brilliant, it worked. Now how to explain this to Walt.....
So what did Walt say? Nothing other than OH a cat! I grabbed my leftovers I was saving and sat down to feed our guest. It kept pulling the pork chop out of my hand as I was breaking it up into smaller pieces. The poor little thing was starved. It wasn't that old of a cat, maybe under a year old. It jumped from bed to bed and made itself at home, very well mannered. How sad someone abandoned it.
In the morning the rest of the pork chop bone was gnawed to nothing, didn't know cats chew on bones, didn't know they knew how to get into styrofoam containers either. And the good news was no poop was found so we were safe.
When Jimmy woke he sat straight up and said there's a cat!! Walt was teasing him and said what cat? Right there! Walt asked me do you see a cat I don't.
We didn't know what to do with it so I told Jimmy hurry and let it out the back door before the cleaning lady gets here. If the cat is still there when we leave I will take it.
Fortunately we parked next to a couple who was just leaving the motel. They were adjusting the boat they were towing. The cat jumped in the boat and was rolling around playing. Walt went up to the couple and explained it was a stray and said if you want it take it. The cat wasn't there when we left so I assume the couple took it. I was almost hoping it was.
Another stranger came and went and another lasting memory. Oh well thats life on the road
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