the long good-bye

Tropical storm (or possibly hurricane) Henri is making its way up the east coast toward Cape Cod.

Saturday is a changeover day.

My mother is worried.

The bridge could close.

There could be long long lines at gas stations.

Who knows, they could even run out of gas.

All this is could happen on the very same Saturday that Alexander and Megan are planning to leave.

"Tell them they have to leave early," my mother tells me.

I oblige.

Then a bit later she adds, "They should be on the road by 6am. Otherwise they could be backed up for hours trying to get ova the bridge."

I relay the concern.

Alexander and Megan are now armed with all the knowledge they need.

How they use that knowledge is up to them.

That's hard for my mom to accept but she tries.

I hear my mom on the phone Saturday morning talking to a friend. "Left? They're not even up yet."

Around nine, Megan comes downstairs. 

All packed. Baskets emptied. Bed stripped. And even a beautiful thank-you note written to my mom.

A bit after that Alexander comes down. Still not fully packed.

They grab a quick breakfast.

They don't seem in a big hurry.

And eventually, they are ready to hit the road.

11am.

One last pic before they leave.

And guess what?

They make it over the Bourne Bridge just fine. 

They have plenty of gas.

And Henri turns into a non-event.