The Long, Not Winding, Road

It must have been 1981 when Eric and Barry suggested we visit Gainesville. We were students at the U, and they had some friends who went to the big state school -- and I think the schools' baseball teams were playing each other at the stadium next to the newly built O'Connell Center. So we went -- destined to spend a few nights on the floor of some girls' off campus apartment. As we drove and drove and drove, I kept joking that the place was "entirely too far" from the only important city in Florida, Miami, where we lived. We eventually arrived and ate at Skeeters -- famous for their Archer Special, which featured a plate sized biscuit. I played video games with an old high school friend, Sheila, and we went to a country bar and line danced. It was a pleasant visit, but I never imagined that I'd be returning to the little city -- A LOT. I spent two weeks there with my old boss Frank, trying a futile case against UF and Shands, the hospital. We ate at every decent restaurant, and stayed at the Hilton, now the Paramount. I really had plenty enough of the place then. Well, both Ds were accepted -- no mean feat these days, and so I started a series of NINE years of visits to UF. I leave today for what I think may be my last in awhile -- D2 graduating with her MS. I plan to fetch D1 in the rental Dodge SUV (Wifey's SUV is still in the body shop following an assault from a too old driver on Dixie Highway) and drive up that very straight Florida Turnpike. By now, I know all the rest stops by heart -- most of which have been nicely renovated. A few offer a rare treat for me -- Nathan's Hot Dogs! I plan to sample this childhood staple, with mustard and the crinkle fries, even through the glare of nutritionist D1. Poor Wifey -- her bad back rearing its ugly head means she won't be driving with us -- she has an American Eagle flight. The best part of the Gville trips is uninterrupted time with my Ds -- we really get to talk, about life, and love, and careers, and, well, you name it. Ds made a CD of music for our jouneys, and D1 told me she did the same -- heavy on my old stuff from the 70s and 80s... I reflect on the past years' worth of trips. D1's freshman first semester -- she had a flare up of her chronic condition, and Dr. Barry found her an excellent doc -- one who remains a friend today. I flew up, and made a deal with the Big Man -- as would most of us dealing with a sick child. If HE made this ok, I would give big to charity. Well, HE came through -- D1 was thankfully fine -- and we had a big year at the law firm, so both UF and UM Med Schools got large gifts that year. And I drove home early on the Pike --rather than wait all day for a flight -- and was overcome by starvation after not being able to eat from worry for the past few days. I pulled into the rest stop at Okahumpka and chowed on fried chicken -- at 9:30 am! D2 had a rough start to college, too -- 4 years later, in 2010. She was so sad about breaking up with a HS boyfriend -- again I flew up. Her resilience kicked in -- we sat and talked under a big oak tree next to her dorn building before I drove away. We both cried -- mostly of the love we had for each other -- my love for the Ds is the greatest I have ever known. But mostly there are happy memories: sorority weekends, D2's induction into Phi Beta Kappa -- D1's sterling dance performance -- in my honor she choreographed a dance to the Boss's "Thunder Road." As her sorority sisters cheered her wildly, I clapped and hid my tears of joy... Dinners, first only at Dragonlfy and Mark's Prime -- now at Embers. Two graduations -- and now, amazingly, a third. Poor Wifey had to miss a lot, but she made it to a lot of things, too. And assuming AA is on time, she'll be there with us inthe Swamp as D2 fetches her make believe diploma -- they give out the real ones later -- and we toast getting out of the sending daughters to college and grad school business for awhile. So who knows? Maybe Fate will bring me to Gville again. But for now, I embark on a trip up the Turnpike -- nine years worth of memories. There have been far worse places to go.