Adventures with Geannii

   This year I’ve been invited to go with Pamela and her family to the World’s Largest Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Show in Portland, Indiana. Last June, Pamela had invited me along to Tybee Island, Georgia, with her husband John and their adult son Calvin. We’d only met a few times before, always with my husband by my side. That Tybee trip was my first time traveling with them after losing my husband in February 2022. I remember sitting in the backseat of their pickup with Pam, crossing state borders at ninety miles an hour, when she leaned over and said slowly: “You know we are basically strangers.” I hoped it was just a friendly reminder, not a threat. Should I ask her to drop me at the nearest bus station? Instead, I smiled and nodded. By day two of Tybee, Pamela had food poisoning. The bathroom became her best friend. She pointed toward the door and said, If you want food or fun, it won’t be here. Go with John and Calvin. So off I went, awkward and hungry. ...

  The long Covid really messed up my vacation plans this year. My grandsons were supposed to spend the entire summer with me. Instead, I got them for the last week of summer vacation. Better a little time together than none, right? I dragged them—kicking, screaming, and clutching their laptops like they were life support machines. “We’re going to do something FUN!” I announced. Their blank stares said, Yeah right, Mema. e got up early and headed to the aquarium. It was a Tuesday in July, which I thought was perfect. People should be busy working, or vacationing somewhere nice like Branson. Wrong. We pulled into the parking lot and were greeted by about ten school buses. Why? School isn’t even in session! And then I spotted the senior citizen buses. Great—kids wired on sugar and retirees running on coffee, all in the same building. What could possibly go wrong? At least the ticket line was short. Maybe the buses were just parked for decoration. (A girl can dream.) We turned the cor...