It's funny, the things that make you smile. I mentioned last night that I'd had a frustrating day. Here's what happened. My son and I were heading back to his apartment near Orlando to take care of a few things there -- and maybe have a dip in the pool, weather permitting. (The weather cooperated; the temperature was around 90, but there were other confounding factors.) We had scheduled boarding for the dogs so we could accomplish more, so we headed out to drop them off. My usual place was full, so we had to take them to a place that was somewhat out of the way -- our first slow-down factor. On the way, I had to go by my bank. By the time I realized that the drive-through was taking forever, I was kind of locked in. We sat in line for twenty minutes before it was our turn. It turned out a new system was being installed, so it probably wouldn't have been any faster if I had gone in.
We dropped off the dogs without incident and got on the road. We found a nice place to stop for lunch, also a bit out of the way but it was interesting -- on the river with very cool nautical decor -- and the food was tasty and reasonably priced. As we neared my son's apartment, we made a quick stop to pick up cleaning supplies we might need, along with paper products he had run out of. And here's where it gets horrible: when we went into his apartment, we discovered a major flea infestation. It was so bad! Less than a minute after I went in the door, my legs were covered up to my knees with fleas. I don't freak out easily, but I did then. I ran to an outdoor bench and shook them off of me and out of my shoes. I don't even know why they were there. My son said there weren't fleas when he left, and he and his brother stayed overnight just a few weeks ago on their way to Tampa. No fleas then either. He's been staying with me for nearly six weeks, so the pets haven't been there either. I still get the willies thinking about it!
So he sprayed the house and we left. I said I could not stay there with the pesticide fumes or the fleas, and I didn't want to drive back home, so we thought we could find a hotel nearby. If you've ever been to Orlando, you know there are plenty of hotels. Many offer discounts for families of students attending the nearby universities, including the one my son attends. However, the week between Christmas and New Year's is not the time to be spontaneous in planning an overnight trip to Orlando. In addition to all the folks visiting the theme parks with family, there is also an upcoming Bowl game in town. We tried for three hours to find a room, driving around and calling every place we found online. Everything was sold out. Finally we found a Day's Inn and a Hilton with rooms. Interestingly, because the Hilton offered an AARP discount, that was cheaper than the Day's Inn -- but still not cheap. And somehow we ended up on a floor with perks, including a full breakfast just outside our room. I was not happy about having to spend the money, but I told my son I was going to treat it like an unexpected gift of luxury. This morning we went back to his place and cleaned up a little. Mainly I just wanted to come back home.
We ran up to Publix for some Borax to sprinkle on the floors before we left, and as I waited in my car and my son ran in, I heard very loud bluegrass music. I looked around and saw a man who was about eighty years old, sitting in his car rocking out to the music. The next track was a polka, and he was equally enthusiastic about that one. I turned down my music and listened to his, happy to see that this elderly gentleman was getting so much joy from the music. It totally changed my mood from one of irritation into one of semi-elation. My son came back to the car and we smiled at each other. He had noticed the man too. It was a sweet shared moment.
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