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In Her Life: Mom and I Attempt Our First Trip Together, Pt. I (So You Do Need a Passport)
I could tell she was tired. I could hear it in the sound of her footsteps. They were dragging now. Her tired, swollen feet scraping along the narrow cobbled streets of Italy. It had been a long journey for her. Little Rock to Chicago to Madrid to Valencia to Barcelona to Valencia to Venice to Florence to Rome. “Never in my life.” She would repeat throughout our trip. She’d never imagined that she would be here. Never in her life. And even tho she was here. She still couldn’t believe that she was. It was as if she had to remind herself that it was indeed happening.
Most of us are told to always imagine the limitless possibilities of life. About all the things we will experience, achieve, see, and do. All the places we will go. All the things we will taste. Thy will be done. On earth. In our life. Picture it and do it. But for her. She couldn’t even imagine imagining this for herself.
The trip started off well. Mom and dad’s stay in Valencia was near perfect. But then after dad left I thought mom and I had an extra day in Valencia before we set out to Barcelona but I woke up before sunrise telling mom to pack her things because we had a train to catch where we would spend one night and then fly out to Venice. She was surprisingly calm. She packed her things. I apologised…
