Discovering Time

Anita

This is another one of those camping trips that everyone says I should have gone on, even though the mere presence of a bee sends me into hysterics. My family has been taking them every other year - starting with my Uncle Dean wanting to get out in nature by tagging his family and my mother along. Perhaps it was the fact that my mother got so close to her younger brother before he died, which spurred her into a month-long visit to Montana. Nevertheless, my sister's kids, my sister, and I have decided to see my mother this year as she shows us her favorite places, and forces me out into the wilderness. 

I never really saw what my mother sees in the West. No offense, but it's kind of boring. I would much rather be sipping wine, eating a big bowl of pasta, and staring at whatever sexy Italian/Spanish man that was staring back at me. I mean, my family could choose anywhere in the world. My mother could be riding her horse out in the highlands of Scotland, accompanied by her red-haired, Thor-like lover. Instead, she chose the middle-of-nowhere USA - Montana. 

There are other places I could have gone - China, maybe Korea moreso than China, and especially Spain! There is more than one actor on those Netflix shows that are so cringe-worthy beautiful just by looking at them. I had traveled to Miami before this trip, intent on becoming an Au Pair in Spain, but I had been so busy that I didn't look up the requirements and will have to go again for a return trip if I even get a job that is! Maybe if I did go to Spain, then my lonely 25 year old assed self could get impregnated by some handsome Spanish man, and I wouldn't have to be bored because I would be dedicating myself to becoming a tireless mother - much like my own mom. 

Let's face it - Atlanta is kind of boring and stressful. It took 5 years for me to graduate college due to my advisors changing every year. I also had to declare my major from the get-go, which led me to changing my major 5 times! It's hard enough to know all the classes you're supposed to take, to write 5 essays per semester, let alone deal with a big enough student loan debt as it is. 

I have a bad paying job at a daycare to get by. My bosses and the other teachers there claimed I had a problem with classroom management. I had to work my ass off to gain their favor again. I was beginning to bond with my director even. That's why it became a surprise to me, however, when one of the boys couldn't stop crying during naptime. The director brought him into the bathroom, closed the door, and I heard slaps. 

Needless to say, I am at a crossroads. I don't know whether to stay at my job, or report my job even though there's no evidence for them to find anything. So I agreed to come here, because I really don't know what else to do. 

My flight was delayed due to thunderstorms, but eventually we arrived by nighttime to the town of Bute, Montana. I spent the first night in her RV. Then my sister (who was staying at the hotel) followed us in her car and we all communed down here in Bannack Park at the little campground. There's a lovely little stream by the river that is swarming with crickets. I take a picture of it for Instagram. Maybe there's some good that can come out of this trip. 

We ventured to Bannack's ghost town - where we see all the old buildings from the school house to the prison. We also saw a heavy-set transgender woman playing the piano in one of the houses who bragged about meeting Hillary Clinton. 

They are heading back to camp as a thunderstorm descends on the scene. I stay behind because there are other people waiting it out in the houses. Besides, I want to spend time taking a few more pictures, and I'm not scared something is going to jump out and get me. When I absolutely have to, I take shelter in the church, as I hear the heavy hail hit the ceiling and lightning beginning to strike - lighting up the sky, cracking through the roof, and striking my forehead.