The service went well and we had some really good family time over North Carolina barbecue and pies. This was the first time my brothers and I have all been together with Dad since Mom's death two years ago, which might suggest that only disaster can bring us all together, but that's not true: we were all together for a party at my brother's house five years ago and for my daughter's wedding nine years ago. Still, it's hard to see each other often when we're scattered all over the country and involved in so many interesting careers and adventures, which is why we've scheduled a family party in Florida in August to celebrate a milestone birthday. It will be good to get out from under the shadow of tragedy.
Driving home felt disastrous at first, thanks to the usual traffic jam on I-40 outside Raleigh, but as we escaped the traffic and zipped up into the hills, the drive smoothed out and I started hearing the call of home: exams to grade, boxes to pack, a check from my car insurance company waiting in the mailbox--and oh, yes, we stopped in Charleston, West Virginia, along the way and bought a car.
It wasn't exactly an impulse purchase. I've been looking at cars online for a week, test-driving a few and finding many of the type I wanted (a used Camry with low mileage), but every single suitable car available locally was either black, white, or gray. Nothing against those colors but I wanted something a little more distinctive--and besides, I think I'm finally old enough to drive a red car. I think I'll call her Ruby.
Now I'm back on campus with tired eyes and an overwhelming desire to sleep for about a week, but this big pile of final exams isn't going to grade itself, so I'll soon get back to putting my words to work. I doubt that my word-hoard will fail me today since I'll mostly be calling on the letters A through F.
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