Afterall

Mom and I know of a BBQ restaurant that serves great pull pork sandwiches and when we pulled up and parked, I notice a lady standing out front. She greeted me with “Kansas City is going to have better weather than Tucson.” We made pleasant conversation as we walked together to the counter and that is when I found out that she was the owner, along with her husband.

Then she surprised me. She asked me if my last name was…… I looked at her and said “Yes, how did you know?” She explained that anytime someone from Missouri comes in she always asked that. Then she asked, “Do you have a brother?”

I have learned to treat people asking questions about my family with suspicion and I knew I showed that because she patted my shoulder and asked again.

I told her I had a brother. She smiled and said “His name is Ray.” Maybe it is because I am still grieving for Gene or maybe it is because of reasons I can’t talk about but I started crying. Fortunately not sobbing, just tears. She told me that in 1964 she was in a school in Tucson and that her best friend was my brother. She told me how they got in trouble and how they met the “board of education.” She told me that when school was over and they were put on a plane to Missouri together they would get lost and the airlines would contact the school. She smiled and said “when summer was over…. We would meet “the board of education again.” They were playmates, got in trouble, and she remembers him as a kid with a great sense of humor.

She asked for his address. I told her that he passed away over 10 years ago. That is when I saw tears and I asked her to meet my mom. I gave her a hug goodbye and for a second I felt like I was a hugging my brother.

The world indeed is a small place.