Not sure where I left off . . .
Okay, New Orleans is wonderful, people are wonderful, and everything is
going okay. Because of her ear infection, Chynna can’t fly, she and
Caitlin take a bus to reach us and they are not at all happy! But they
make it–and they even make Kathy’s and Erin’s great welcome party,
Helen Rosburg’s riverboat party, rehearsal and show on Saturday and all
the good things that are going on. It’s wonderful. I’ve got all my kids
with me–just missing my nephew, niece, and little Graham-ster since
his brother is due soon–and, naturally, I’m happy. But, all things
come to an end. People leave, and on Monday, certain that we’re going
to be fine, I take Chynna to the emergency room so that they can clear
us for her flight to California. Ah, and there the rub. No! No, she
still can’t fly.

We’ve all gone to look for America!

The train. At first, I can’t find a way out. I’m trying NOLA, Houston,
Mobile, anything close. Then we try Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge train
will leave on the right day–to go back to NOLA to head to California.
So . . . we have to call the school and get her set up to be a day
late. Call the apartment complex where she plans to live. And then,
plan for the train!

I’m at a writers’ conference for God’s sake. You wouldn’t begin to
imagine that in my quest to pare down our luggage (tons of it–she is
heading off for a semester!) I leave a book conference WITHOUT A BOOK!
Oh, well, I am off to see America. Here’s the hard part–the train is
fine, people are fine, and our attendant, Lisa, is a true doll. But I
have managed to book a sleeper that is actually just two seats that
stretch out. No shower–and she will have to get off the train and rush
straight to her auditions. Well, luckily they allow me to upgrad again,
and we have a teensy room with a teensy shower that showers you over
the toilet. But, hey, it’s ours. The dining car is fun, and we find the
cafe and viewing car, and it is fascinating to watch the landscape
change. I’m telling Chynna that it’s great, we’ll stop in San Antonio,
El Paso, and Tucson!

Ah, the rub. We do stop at these places I love, but at three AM. I must
say, tho, that I’ve never been to Palm Springs, and even the back of
the Amtrak station was lovely at 3AM.

We played Trivial Pursuit in the lounge car with a lot of neat young
people moving on–many there because they could afford the plane fare,
but not what it would cost them to bring luggage with them.

Amazing. Somehow, on a math question, I manage to win for the sleeper
people. A tiny bottle of red wine, but it’s a treasure, and it’s going
to sit on the shelf of the apartment.

It was long, that’s for sure. I never found a place to buy a book, but,
hey, I worked so that was good. Chynna memorized monologues, and we met
lots of great people.

I have to admit, I loved the time on the train. I got those last few
special days with my daughter before leaving her for months. I met
super people, and I did the see our magnificent country in many guises,
the wet lands and the above ground cemeteries as we left Louisiana, the
flatlands, beautiful trees, then oranges and all kinds of colors in the
west. The rise of the mountains.

Now . . .

If they can just make it stop somewhere during the day for the hours
they need to change cars, etc., I’m on it again.

California, Zombie TV, buying Chynna a bed, and saying goodbye. Goodbye
is always hard. I still cry every time Derek and Zhenia leave. But
that’s the way life goes, and the main thing with kids, I’m learning,
is that they have to be happy themselves–they are not there to make
you happy! But I am happy that they are happy, so . . . .

And now, on to Killercon. Las Vegas, and thank God, Lance, Rich, a
reunion with Bryee and then Shayne and Juan, Connie, Dave, Paul and
Teresa and good friends. They won’t mind when I whine a bit about
missing people. Caitlin is back home, watching Toto, and Jason will
get home from Denver, and pretty soon, I’ll have a new little nephew
and Debbie will come down. Time goes on. Before we know it, there will
be a break in the semester. That’s life. It goes on. Thank God for all
the people we are lucky enough to have with us in our travels!

© 2009, Heather Graham. All rights reserved.