Going Home

The chilly winds of Canada are sawing hard on the back of Bubbie's neck. Even with a scarf pulled up around his nape and head his skin under his layered shirts shuttered and began to horripilate; shaking off the goose flesh he knew it was time to go home. Chicago has been good to him and he knew better than to complain of the cold. He no more liked it when northern folks come to visit and complain about the heat. Home is home to folks and Uncle Bubba supposes that one ain't no better than the other, it's just what you're used to. For him it's the South. Excited to see his Sweet Pea and get his arms wrapped tight around her. For years he could hardly go a few hours without her, but in the crazy year of ups and downs he's had to bear up to loneliness. A man, broken down from the miles from home yet strong enough to overpower the selfishness to pack it in, to quit. There's Sweet Pea, a family, friends and charities that rely on him to make money, and right know, that's the bottom line. Sometimes when he weakens and his heart goes faint, his mind wanders back to the days of no regrets. He and Sweet Pea had little and needed little. An hour of gazing into her eyes flew by in seconds and he'd swim through hell or high water to rush back to her from wherever afar. But they wanted more, nice things, and they wanted their kids to have nice things too. So they slaved to make their dreams realities, at least as real and as close to their dreams as they could get. Their reliance on each other developed integrity and ethics and loyalty. They learn discipline and what worked and what didn't. And now in a crappy economy, with jobs scarce and the future of America uncertain, Uncle Bubba and Sweet Pea keep chugging along. They weather the storms together which only strengthens their bond. They stay focused and committed to one another, having the intelligence to know that the residual of their love and their joint success will fall on those around them; no need to look for it.

Now it's just a cab ride to the airport and Bubbie will be going home. In Bubbie's view, everything is no more than nuisance to him; the cold, the traffic, the people, the hectic tension of the airport; all this keeping him from his Sweet Pea.