Good Cheer

            Her voice rang out in the quiet of the Good Cheer Thrift Shop on Saturday afternoon:  “Do you want to get married again?  There’s a wedding dress.”

            Yes, there was a retro wedding dress hanging on the wall.  A woman nearby, evidently amused by Mom’s comment and my embarrassment, pointed out another wedding dress on the other side of the room. 

            Earlier, at the gift shop, I unexpectedly ran into Barbara from choir.  We had a nice visit and then, while I browsed, Mom chatted with the shop owner, who recognized us from the week before. 

            Thus, we were just doing a walk-through of the thrift shop.  I longed to linger and look at every single thing (except for wedding dresses, that is), but Mom was wearing out.  That’s okay. I’ll make a return trip alone next week.

            As we left Good Cheer, Mom asked again where we were. 

“Langley,” I said.

 “Oh, yes, Langley, the other end of the island,” she replied.  “I haven’t been here in ages.  Do we ever go to Langley?” 

“Yes, we come see movies at the Clyde Theater.” 

We walked over to my car parked behind the Star Store and headed on out of town.

 Mom exclaimed every couple minutes over the blossoms and how this has been the prettiest spring in her memory because we haven’t had any rain to blow the blossoms off.

 I thought about how a simple drive gives her so much pleasure, only reminded her once that all we’ve had this spring is rain, and realized that someday I will miss her cheery repetitions . . . even the embarrassing ones.