Edgy Mama

The building around the corner from my home, at the stop light where I often have to wait for the interminable light to change, used to house a travel agency. In front of the building is one of those high signs that you can change the letters on, although you need a special long pole (or a ladder) to do so. When the on-site business was a travel agency, there often were wonderful words on the sign. Like “Imagine the Caribbean. You deserve a break.” Words evocative of sandy beaches and coconut-laced rum drinks. I loved sitting at the stop light, imagining the Caribbean. Knowing that, yes, I did deserve a break.

Now the travel agency has moved. In its place lives an insurance agency. Today the sign reads: “You’re out of town and a tree falls on your house. What do you do?”

Already I’m dealing with traffic and long stop lights on crazy Merrimon Avenue. Now I have to think about a tree falling on my house while I’m out of town?

I want the travel agency back.

Below are notes taken verbatim from my girl’s “clue-finding” notebook. She wrote these this afternoon. Parenthetical remarks are mine.

* Stolen wallet and phone at the place where mom’s interview. (actually, it was where mom was doing volunteer work).

* When mom carried the art upstairs.

* He saw a few people leaving to go to bojagles. (She means Bojangles, home of artery-clogging fried chicken).

* The person that stole the phone turned the phone off.

* the man heard the bell so he ran up stairs.

* two people leaving.

* the people could steal the wallet because maybe they ran out of money and stolen the wallet to buy food at bojagles.

* the person that stolen the wallet and the phone lift no sign of evidence.

* not even footprints.

(And then mom spent three hours on the phone, the land line, cancelling and suspending, reporting and speculating. Luckily, Cam Jansen Jones is on the job).