T.

Kingsville. South Texas.
Walked around Wal-Mart at midnight
(Open! 24hrs!) because I really needed something
(after stopping at several other mini-marts
which were either not open or did not stock
desired item).

Surreal! I could shop for fishing lures
or Birthday-Cake-Flavored Soda-Pop
at 3:36am, if I so desired.

P. did nothing to mar his record of never setting foot
in a Wal-Mart. He waited patiently for me in the
air-conditioned rental car.

Wal-Mart goes on for miles, once you're inside.
Everything is glaringly bright and disposable
and marked with Giant! Prices! Disturbing!

***

The only upside of spending the day on planes
and in airports is that it gives me the time
to complete a thought. This hasn't felt possible
these past few weeks; so many details and adjustments
and buttoning-up and nurturing and attempting
to bring some order to the chaos.
Days of intense mothering/only-parenting.

But today, hours of layovers with nothing to do
but stroll, read, nap, eat with plastic utensils, drink coffee,
do crosswords and people-watch. It was oddly
calming, in spite of the in-your-face public aspect
of airports and planes. And stuffy air. Though we did
get to walk out on the tarmac while boarding our plane
for Corpus Christi, and breath in some real air, such
as it was.

The tapwater in this Holiday Inn tastes like hose water.
This is not mountain spring water.
We are spoiled in Seattle.