I suppose I could title the next section as My Quest to Replace Mary Jo. Travis and I enjoyed a great summer. He walked to a very close strip mall and saw a musical instrument store. He started guitar lessons. He’s quite talented and didn’t need instruction very long. Several years later, his band “Way Yes” had center stage on a Saturday night at a huge downtown Columbus festival, Comfest. I'm learning about the cellular industry. The Sprint store, I worked, was the largest in the state. At first, I was lost, I hadn't even owned a cell phone. Remember, I'm a manager. The reps would come to me with an issue, "Bob, what do you think I should do?" "What do you think you should do?" "Oh, OK, go do that." I would sit in the office, hoping no one would ask me anything. I was later sent to corporate training. I retired from Verizon ten years later and could troubleshoot almost any problem.
Fall came and Travis was a freshman at Lincoln Gahanna High School. He had been pulled from a class of seventeen students and into one in the hundreds. I'll always remember his first day getting on the school bus. He had his lunch box and looked so small and nervous. Four years later, he graduated Valedictorian. I am very proud of our children. Tara called me in the spring saying, "Daddy, if you don't come and get me, I'm going to kill myself." Tracy was rarely at their apartment and when she was, she was immersed in study, she’s extremely focused. Ohio State was overwhelming for Tara, and she missed her mother and friends. She was working in a store that had copying machines. Parents would come in with graduation pictures and this made her incredibly sad. I started sleeping in the basement and gave her my room. She’s much like her mother, when upset she is very quiet. Tara would stay in her room for days, I gave her space. Travis and I were there for her, she came around.
Come July, I gave her a surprise. Mary Jo had purchased a car from a dealership who had been an advertising client. They gave her a great value on the price, but the interest was killer. When I took possession, I flipped the balance to a one year, interest free credit card. After a year I flipped to a new one year, interest free card. Paid off. I purchased a new vehicle. I waxed and detailed Mary Jo's car. I asked Tara to come outside and close her eyes. I handed her the keys. "Honey, the car is yours." She was ecstatic and wanted to drive me to campus to meet her new boyfriend. We were on the interstate and all the engine lights came on. She exited, and we pulled into a gas station next to the pumps. The engine caught fire, and with help, we put the fire out. The common sense had forgotten to check the oil. The car was scrapped. "Thanks for the car, Dad."
Travis graduated his freshman year, that summer Dave invited us to go on vacation with him and Karen to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. My daughters couldn’t go due to classes. The prior two years, three other couples from the Carolinas and Georgia would also vacation, this was a tradition. Dave had met Karen several years after Robin passed. She worked at a fairly large grocery business that was family owned. She’s very attractive and Dave just happened to hear her phone conversation. “Well, the fake engagement ring worked again, a customer was starting to get annoying, so I showed the ring, and he backed off.” Dave had been shopping there for years, Karen knew about Robin’s death. Dave and her had communicated well over the years, and she enjoyed his sense of humor. Due to her engagement ring, he would never think of asking her to dinner. That changed, he did, Karen accepted, and they’d been dating for several years.
If asking Americans the place to vacation in Mexico, the majority will say Cancun. Mexicans will say Puerto Vallarta. This was as close to paradise, I’d ever seen. Being it’s tropical, it’d be sunny all day and rain at night, beautiful weather. The ocean was the warmest I’d ever swum in, and there was no undertow. The resort was spotless, beautiful rooms, outdoor life-size chess set, volleyball, and badminton courts. This was the first time I ever went parasailing, I was one hundred yards up and amazed with how quiet, just the soft wind, not even hearing the speedboats' engine. The view was absolutely beautiful, seeing for miles and miles. This was also the first time I was on a jet ski. They had a great exercise facility and I did my weights and cardio every morning. Travis and I would walk miles along the ocean, I thoroughly enjoyed these times with my son. I still thought of Mary Jo often, she would have loved this resort. I prayed every night, asking for peace. I knew she was with us, as she had loved her family so very much. Every evening the festivities were at the outside club on the ocean front. The straw thatched roof had license plates from every state in America and region in Mexico, and flags from all over the world. All the alcohol and cuisine were free as the resort was all-inclusive. On a Thursday afternoon, Dave and I decided to start drinking early. Mom and dad wanted me to learn about alcohol at home, I was sixteen and curious. Much safer. Travis said, “Dad, I’d like to have a drink.”” Sure, but take it slow.” Two hours later, he’s falling down drunk, thank God he was in sand. The next day, we didn’t see him until 4:30, he didn’t indulge again. Gratefully, what occurred next was on a Friday, not Monday, or my vacation would have been ruined. I’m lifting weights and completely tore my lower back. The pain was immense, I tried walking it out to no avail. I’m lying on my back at 1:00 and everybody showed up. Sue was head nurse at a hospital in Atlanta. She advised lying on my stomach with ice on my back. This somewhat helped, but the Tequila helped more. I drank all day. The next morning, I crawled out of bed with one of the worst hangovers I’d ever had. It took over twenty minutes to limp down, I hailed a taxi and went to the closest doctor's office. He said,“ My friend, you be in much pain, yes?” I was somewhat amazed to see, in the refrigerator, sandwiches with blood work. He prescribed the Mexican equivalent of Percocet 30s. I hobbled up the stairs to our room and instead of taking one, I took three. Early afternoon, I limped down to the beach, feeling a little better. My friends started drinking Tequila and naturally so did I against the advice Sue offered. I was struggling to the bathroom and a vacationer said, “Wow, you’re in a lot of pain.” “I ripped my lower back.”” You want a Darvon?”” Sure” At 4:00, I’m sitting in the recliner looking at the shimmering lights coming off the ocean and everyone was in slow motion. I’m in an alcohol, narcotic haze and enjoying every moment. The pictures attest to the fact I was having a joyful experience. Dave and Karen had decided to get married on Tuesday. The wedding was on Sunday in a chapel right on the oceanfront. This was one of the best vacations I’d ever been on. We almost missed our connecting flight, I had a crucifix on my keychain with a tiny knife inside. The officer broke the blade, common sense kicked in, and I said, “God’s going to be mad at you.” Not too bright a statement in Catholic Mexico. I was retained, but we made the flight with seconds to spare.
That summer we had a severe thunderstorm, in the middle of the night I heard, THUMP. The wind had blown a tree over, and thankfully it hit the chimney stack and not the new roof I’d just replaced. The next morning, my neighbor is standing with me and said,” Bob, you need to hire a cherry picker to lift the tree off.” Great idea. The next night I heard another thump and this time the wind had blown the tree onto the roof. I canceled the lift truck, and I’m scratching my head looking at the tree. Bill came over again and his advice was to rent a chain saw and offered to help. The last thing he said was, “Don’t cut the tree at the base.” I naturally ignored this. The tree snapped down and pinned the saw, bending the blade. Luckily, I’d taken out insurance. Bill helped me cut up the tree and gave all the wood for his fireplace.
The next spring, we had over a week of solid rain. I’d heard water running but thought Travis was taking a shower. I kept hearing water, but due to my ingrained stupidity didn’t pay it any attention. The next morning I went around back and the yard was a lake. The previous fall, I’d forgotten to shut the outside spigot off, the pipes had frozen and after thawing had cracked the plumbing. I needed to attend smart classes.
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