Another road trip

We had yesterday off. 

It was supposed to rain, it didn't.  I was horribly depressed.  After my nap, I figured why not take Ron to the new taco place that opened up nearby? 

I'm on a message board, and one of the acronyms is OPSEC.  It stands for operational security.  It also means privacy/secrecy. 

So I will endeavor to explain my journey without blowing my OPSEC.  We live in the middle of a subdivision, half a mile from a very busy road.  The bus runs up and down this road.  We've lived here for about 14 years. 

About half a mile down the busy road, you can find a strip mall.  It has a gas station and some empty store fronts.  One of the stores opened up, a taco place.  Ron and I have been curious to try it. 

A sidewalk runs all the way down our subdivision main street, to the busy street.  It breaks off for about 30 feet and then resumes, a sidewalk running down the busy street.  It looked passable to push Ron in the wheelchair. 

So, I asked, why not go?  Ron agreed and we got out the old, heavy-duty, wheelchair.  This thing has gone on a lot of trips with us.  I began pushing him through the subdivision.  So far, so good. 

We got to the end of the subdivision, where the sidewalk breaks off.  Ron had said he could walk about 30 feet, which it was, approximately, but he had a lot of trouble "walking", if you can call it that. 

We agreed he needs to do more physical therapy, exercise bike, and practice walking with the walker when he is sober.  He said he will do that and he has so far. 

I got him back in the wheelchair and we went down the sidewalk by the busy road.  It wasn't easy going, but not hard, either, I would say.  Ron felt terrible about "making (me) work".  I told him it was no big deal and I needed the exercise. 

The sun was going down.  I wondered how we would find the return trip, in the dark. 

We were OK until I got to the next cross street down from my subdivision.  It has a traffic light, a couple of lanes going each direction, and fairly busy.  We crossed, next to the big plant. 

And the sidewalk went from bad to worse.  It was covered in dirt and dried mud, making passage almost impossible.  I had to literally plow Ron through the dirt and dried mud for a good third of a mile.  Ron began saying we would not go back, we would take a cab, he was very sorry, etc. 

I figured I had earned a nice quesadilla.  I was looking forward to it.  We got to the strip mall, I hung a turn, and up to the door.... and, hey, it's awfully dark. 

They closed at 2.  Well, shit. 

The gas station glowed brightly in the twilight.  Well, we might as well go there.  I went in and bought some junk snacks.  They had a huge "No Loitering" sign posted by the door so I explained we were waiting on a cab, we had tried to go to the taco place, etc. 

The owner said that was fine and rang me up.  I went back out to Ron.  He had been calling all his cab drivers.  He has quite a registry in his phone, I really need to copy them.  Some of them weren't working anymore.  Most of them were unavailable.  Some just didn't answer. 

Well, shit. 

Ron called Yellow Cab and got a "bite" in a few minutes, but the guy seemed flaky and decided he didn't want the trip when Ron told him where we were. 

Well, shit. 

A carload of what looked like skinheads showed up, they were rowdy and looking for trouble.  I watched them very closely ("Keep your head on a swivel"), until they left. 

The cab company put the trip out again and this time Ron got another bite.  The driver called Ron and got our exact location.  We had the exact address for the gas station, gas station name, etc.  It had a huge, brightly lit sign as well.  It was totally dark by now. 

I wondered if my lithium would like a bag of sour cream and onion chips, plus some Reese's pieces.  I'd find out when I got home, if I ever did. 

I told Ron I was giving it until 6:30 and then I would push him home.  Stanley showed up well before then. 

Stanley was driving a minivan (good, easy to put away the wheelchair), was black, and had dreadlocks.  I was delighted to see him.  We loaded the wheelchair. 

Ron explained why we had such a short trip but promised a good tip.  Stanley reminded us this would make a good story to tell sometime, and I thought about you, of course, wherever you are. 

We got home and I went to bed. 

This morning, I was depressed and exhausted.  Ron had kept me up (not meaning to) because he hadn't been able to sleep. 

We had had a discussion about his drinking.  He said, as far as he could see it, it shouldn't matter if someone chose to walk around impaired, as long as they weren't driving or operating machinery.  I didn't argue with him but reminded him society clearly doesn't agree. 

Today we talked some more (his instigation) and he said he is interested in trying an antidepressant, which I think would be really helpful for him.  We'll see if it actually comes to pass. 

At any rate, I was beat.  I took my pills (gotta practice what I preach) and we headed out the door.  Today was snack day. 

I bought a lot of snacks for work and we took them with Chuck, who is apparently fine, and got the truck fixed.  I stocked it all (that took a while) but everything looked really good when I left.  I hate feeling embarrassed about my snack machines. 

We came home.  I had planned to take a short nap but the yard guy came.  I'm glad he did.  He did a great job, as usual.  Just, no nap. 

I took a shower (I hadn't, this morning), and did my God Time (I hadn't, this morning).  Then I bagged up some candy with scripture booklets for a while until our ride came. 

The candy was a big hit with the driver and we went to Denny's.  We had a good dinner.  I had fried eggs, an english muffin (I was craving one), and pancakes.  Ron had a chicken fried steak and had them cut it up for him.  He didn't want to "bother" me. 

I was fine with that but knew it made me look bad, but I don't care.  It is nice not to have to do everything, all the time.  Ron enjoyed his food, too, and didn't make a mess. 

Our driver was late but not overly so.  We were his last trip before he went home, so he was motivated to move quickly! 

We got home pretty quick.  I bagged up some more candy for a while, fed the cats, cleaned their boxes, etc. 

I got on the computer and added some things to my wish list.  I wanted Mom to have a selection for Christmas.  Last year I was depressed and didn't do anything, she managed to figure something out, but I think she would have liked it made a little easier. 

I put some cat scratchers, a new fanny pack for Ron, etc.  I am having a hard time coming up with things for me, which I suppose is a good thing.  I am so well set I don't need anything.  Or at least it feels that way. 

She always used to give me acne soap in my stocking, every year (along with other, more fun, things).  Funny thing, 30 years later I am still using acne soap.  Not the same brand, but same idea. 

Tomorrow Ron stays home while I go to dinner at my aunt's house.  I think he would do better at home.  He will probably get very drunk but at least I will get some fun time with family. 

For now, I plan to stay with Ron and see how things turn out.  I see a lot of movement, for lack of a better word, in his life.  I am very hopeful that he will try an antidepressant and have a good result.  I told him it's going to take a while to see results, but if he sticks with it he may be pleasantly surprised how much better he feels. 

My sniffles have cleared up pretty well taking the Claratin, so whatever I have right now is allergies.  Still have the digestive issue but I will give that time.  I'm not overly worried, I don't have any concerning symptoms, and lithium is known to cause digestive trouble. 

That's it for now.  Happy Thanksgiving!