Spring Break Part II (Part I is below.)

When I went to bed last night I realized that there is no alarm clock in this house--at least not one that works properly. In fact, the house looks like Paul still lives here. It's as if he has gone out for an afternoon stroll and will be back at any moment. I found the Wallace and Gromit clock in Paul's bedroom but the batteries were "flat" as Paul would say. This was quickly posing a problem as I had to be up at 7:30 to go to breakfast at Gillie's with Dottie. When I went to bed I told myself to wake up at 7:30 and I did just that. Amazing, eh? Again we had incredible luck parking downtown. We found a spot on the corner of College Avenue and Draper Road, walked the few steps across the street, and entered Gillie's. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. I could smell the potatoes frying as soon as I walked in. Rich aromas of strong coffee, eggs simmering in the pan, and freshly squeezed orange juice tickled my nose and my appetite. We found a spot and as we sat down a young woman came to take our drink orders. "Coffee, water with lemon, and a large glass of orange juice," I requested. Dottie ordered and when the young woman brought our drinks I asked about Noah, Jan Gillie's older son, a delightful boy I taught in fifth grade. She said that Noah wasn't there but that Nick was in the kitchen. Jan Gillie once described Nick to me as a cross between Satan and Beelzebub--that was when Nick was in kindergarten. Now Nick is 19 and he looks normal to me. I saw no cloven hoofs or horns. I next asked about Renee, Jan's wife. The young woman said that Renee would be in soon, and sure enough, when Renee came in, she immediately came over to talk to me. "Jan wants to retire now that he's 58," she explained, but I don't see how he can. I'm training the boys to run the restaurant with me in case Jan does stop working. We have a bunch of old Volvos he wants to restore ... I made the boys start out as dishwashers and Noah now cooks. He's 23 and after a year and a half in San Francisco, he's ready to help with the restaurant. He works all three shifts now--breakfast, lunch and dinner and is a cook. He's learning how to do the books. He's not here now because he had something else to take care of." As Renee continued to talk about one of my favorite students, I realized I was more relaxed that I have been in years. So, I savored every mouthful of Chappie's Choice, the same breakfast I have eaten at Gillie's for 25 years. When Jan opened the restaurant in 1973, all he served was ice cream. When he expanded to a full restaurant, he developed a menu that to this day is largely unchanged. THANK GOODNESS!!

I arrived back home and Skyped Paul. Harry was there puttering about the house and he told Paul to ask me if he and Steven Winter could come over for a visit. I immediately thought of Ann Roberts and how she and Harry adore each other. I know she'll be excited when I tell her. I'm not sure if Harry wants to come visit me in North Carolina, but if he wants to see me I guess that's where he will come. I've been trying to think of places to take him and so far all I've come up with are New Bern, Beaufort, and Atlantic Beach. I'll have to cogitate on this.

My next appointment was at 12:10 at Shaker's with the Sisterhood. Yes, we were all back together again--Brenda Wojo, Brenda Brand, Judy Barylske, Bette Kreye and ME! Wow! What a wonderful time we had. Brenda Brand told me that Virginia Tech will soon be hiring someone to teach elementary social studies and that I should consider the job. I explained that I can't work for Tech and also that I need to finish two more years in North Carolina. Brenda wanted to know why I can't work for Tech. When I explained about my retirement, she said that Tech has the TIAA Cref option. This could be good news. I'll have to check with VSRS to make sure that my Virginia retirement income would not be affected. After all, I'd hate to have to pay back five years of retirement! Brenda said she felt certain I would be hired. This is certainly something to think about.

I must end this for now because Connie Joyce and Barbara Stepp are coming over to see me before I leave with Judy to go to Marth Ann Stalling's house for the book group meeting. Yes, I've been invited back to "Reading Between the Wines".

Stay tuned ... more later.