Past to Present

I called Tinkerbell on the way home for the car.  "So when am I going to see the new kitty?"

"You can come over tonight I guess.  We are still cat proofing the condo."  she did not sound too enthused.

"Did you guys eat?"  She had not.  I made the idea more appealing by offering to take her and the T Rex to dinner.  They never turn down food.

The new kitty is a cute black and grey named Wednesday. Tink bought it for the T Rex but I think she is more in love with it.  The T Rex is in his first year of high school.  The name really does not fit anymore.  He is not into dinosaurs.  He is in the ROTC.  Tink got the kitten because he had to cut his hair as part of his training.  I pulled them away from the kitten long enough to get dinner at Qdobas.

It reminded me of one of our adventures nearly ten years ago:

Posted Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Doctor Appointment

            Saturday Tinkerbell asked if I would take her to a doctor's appointment downtown. She did not know the area and did not want to go alone. I picked her and The T- Rex up at 11:00. The T- Rex was nervous at first. He will be three years old next month and it had been a while since he saw me. I had come prepared though. I pulled some Lego guys out of the armrest storage compartment and handed them to him. Quickly he was quiet and happy while we maneuvered are way to the inter most areas of Detroit.

The heat of the day was already climbing though not yet noon. We passed overgrown playgrounds and empty buildings but you don't see a lot of people. We found the office with time to spare. It was a surprisingly well kept building on the outskirts of the downtown medical district.

"Can you take him to McDonalds or something while I'm here?"

"Are you kidding. It is the middle of Detroit. There are no McDonalds," I said.

"He can't stay in the car the whole time."

"I'll figure something out."

Tinkerbell got out and I continued deeper into the city. I do not come downtown very often but today I had a good idea of where I was and where we could go. I pulled into an empty parking lot. An Asian man wearing a blue turban came out of the valet booth and asked how long I was going to be. I said an hour. His English was poor and I had a hard time understanding him as we bickered over the price.

He glanced in my wallet as I shuffled through my money. "Give me $10 and I will give you $4 when you return.

"How about I just give you $6 now."

I helped The T Rex get out. He gathered up the Lego guys in one hand and held mine with the other. We left my shiny new red Charger alone and looking out of place and headed out into the city. We were near the courthouse. Tall buildings surrounded us. I kept The T Rex interested by pointing out the various buildings. I was afraid he would be scared without his mom but we were on an adventure and he was fine.

We talked as we walked along. "Mommy at the doctors?"

"Yes your mommy is at the doctors. Have you been to the doctors?"

"Umm hmm."

"Did he listen to your heart?"

"He fixed my finger."

"He fixed your finger? That's right the doctor is going to fix mommy's finger too."

We were headed for Coney Island, a famous little dive dinner on the corner of Lafayette and Griswald. As we approached the restaurant we saw a black man sprawled out on his stomach on the sidewalk. His head was resting on a folded jacket. Pigeons pecked at scraps on the cement around him. He was wearing only one shoe. On the other foot was a stark white sock. I found myself wonder how the bums sock could be so clean if he was walking around the city in it.

"He's dead, " The T Rex said matter-of-factly.

"No, he's is just sleeping." I hoped. "Lets walk by quietly so we don't wake him."

We entered the restaurant and sat at the counter. The servers and two men at the counter were all middle eastern and kept up a steady conversation in their native tongue while we ordered hot dogs and french fries. The T Rex was more interested in playing with his toys then eating. Each time I would encourage him to eat he would tell me , "I'm fine." He was no trouble though and seemed to be enjoying his adventure.

Tinkerbell called to check in. "What are you doing? Where you at? Is he okay?" I assured her we were fine and asked what food she would want us to bring back for her.

Toward the end of our meal The T Rex figured out that the orange stool he was sitting on could spin. He would spin the stool fast and the stool would vibrate. He would laugh and giggle as I imitated the sound and tried copying me with his own lips.

Time went by quickly. We ordered chili cheese fries to go for his mom. The T Rex carried them back to the car.  He reminded me to be quiet as we walked past the sleeping homeless man. It reminded me of when my kids were young. Three years old is such a magical age. Everything is an adventure and conversations are delightful because you never know what they will say.

We drove back to the doctor's office and Tinkerbell walked out a few moments later. As we pulled back out onto the road The T Rex asked, "did he fix your finger mom?"

Tinkerbell looked at me confused for a moment, she went for a female exam. I quickly explained that was what doctors do and she played along, showing her index finger to her son and flexing it. "See all better."

Together they devoured the chili fries on the way home. I was a little sad when I dropped them off but it was fun. It reminded me briefly of when we all lived together.