Forgotten Picture In Abilene

I had forgotten. Forgotten that the picture had been taken.
The picture was on my daughter's living room wall in her
beautiful home in Abilene.
It was a head shot picture of her mom Darlene and I shortly
after we met in California and just before we left on our first
adventure to Beloit, Wisconsin. That was back in 1969.
A touch faded but a picture of two young ones, in love who
were starting their lives anew.
She wore a Navy Blue Blouse buttoned all the way up and I
had a short sleeved Blue sweater on.
Her with her hair neatly short and me with my crew cut with
long sides. I have not seen a man with hair like that in 25 years.
The picture came way before either of us wore glasses or had
our trusty dentures yet it was impossible for me to remember
the way I must have felt then.
I tried to remember, but it just seemed like I had always been
the way I am today. Glasses, dentures and various things missing.
Looking into the kitchen I watched my daughter and her mom Darlene
fixing the Thanksgiving dinner and they were only in the beginning,
it was the day before. Darlene had picked up the tiny dog Poquita and was holding
it near the side of her face jabbering away at her daughter.

Today she was only an old friend as I studied her.
Her red hair had almost completely returned from those months
of breast cancer treatment but her cheeks still looked a little
hollow and her hands never stopped shaking.
She had been in remission for a few months now.
My hair had never returned and today I wore a tan Golfing hat.
Sometimes I put on the hairpiece I bought while I was in the middle
of my Chemotherapy, which ended in 1989.
Not as often as I once did, didn’t seem to make as much difference anymore.
Who really cared and whom was I going to impress?
I was a lucky man. Lucky I survived but just as lucky for today.
This Thanksgiving is the first Thanksgiving that we are all back
together again in nearly 20 years.
Darlene and I went our own ways in 1986.
Never being in the same room again for a Thanksgiving.
So never believe that a memory can’t become something real for awhile.
I sit here now telling you about my Thanksgiving and realize
that at certain times a blessing comes along and gives you a little
of the past back for a moment.
It did for me that day.
So I went over to that wall and took a snapshot of that old
picture, took it back home and I’ll keep it around just to hang
on to another memory.
I see clearly that this is another one of the reasons to never
give up, you just never know when a day like my
Thanksgiving might come along.

© Bobby December 2003

Yesterday, December 6th, I stopped by to tell
Darlene I was leaving Texas for California.
Darlene told me that the Doctor had found two new
spots in her chest
If anyone that reads this would pray for a nice lady
in Texas named Darlene tonight,
I would sure appreciate it.

Bobby

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