Quilts, Tacos & Tattoos

Alone and Broke

I woke up the next morning to a very quiet Friday. I was finally walking around in my walking boot without using my crutches. Aunt Julia had gone home and Mom was at work. She told me I could stay home. I slowly got out of bed and started my routine of trying to get showered and dressed. Walking to the kitchen for some cereal, I saw a note from Mom.

Have a great day, Sweetie.

Please take it easy today and call Mrs. Walker if you need anything.

Love, Mom

P.S. Tyler called for you last night.

My mind went racing. "That's it! Tyler left a message." I needed more details, so I called the store.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi, Sweetie. You are up early. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. I feel fine. How is it going up there?"

"Good. I can't talk now. We are getting ready for inventory tomorrow and the monthly order."

"Oh, right. I will let you go. Oh yeah...by the way, did Tyler say anything in his message?"

"Nope. He just said he wanted to check on you."

"Did he say if he was going to call back?"

"No, Honey. Really, I have to go." I hung up the phone, sat on the sofa with my cheerios and turned on the TV.

After I finished my bowl of cereal, I switched through the channels. Nothing was on, so I went out the door and got into my car. I was not sure where to go. I was told I could drive, but I hadn't driven yet with my boot. It was too early for stores to be open, so I headed down to see my grandparents' house. Surely they were awake. I parked in the driveway and noticed their cars were gone. Then I remembered it was Friday. Nana always got her hair done on Friday and Pa goes out with the other husbands for breakfast at the Bluebonnet Cafe. It was a tradition for all of them.

I walked into the house and opened the fridge. I was not hungry, but it was a habit to look for food at their house. I walked through the yonder room and went down to the wading pool.

It was a nice, summer day. The heat would come later, but for a little while, it was mild. I sat down, took off my boot and put my feet in the water. For part of my physical therapy I was so supposed to swirl my foot around in the water and write my ABCs with my ankle. The water felt nice to soak my foot in as I watched the wading pool come to life.

I was daydreaming about when I could walk again without the boot and wondering if I would be able to dance again in high heels and if I would be able to go to prom. I was lost in the land of prom and thinking about what kind of dress I would wear when I was interrupted.

Not knowing what it was that snapped me out of my daydream, I looked right and left and nothing seemed out of the usual. I looked over my left shoulder toward the lake and focused on a small movement on the railroad tie next to me. A tarantula was making its way toward me, moving slowly, but heading my way just the same.

I looked around for something to throw at it to make it switch directions. I found a small pebble and quickly threw it. I missed, and it ran closer to me. Knowing I could not get up and get out of its way fast enough, I immediately looked for something bigger to throw. Someone was coming, but I was so focused on the spider and finding a weapon, I didn't look up. Suddenly, a large stick came down with a jolt to the railroad tie and squashed the tarantula. I jerked and looked up. Tyler was standing there with the sun behind him. I squinted and raised my hand above my eyes. "What are you doing here?"