TheBanyanTree: How a Mother's Mind Works

[LaRose Karr]

Yesterday Rhea was on her way to Lincoln, NE and a turkey flew into her windshield and broke it. Our ins. agent tried to get her some help, but I guess glass repair people like the weekend off. Here were some replies, "can't get to it till Monday." "Our suppliers don't work on Saturdays." "No one keeps that windshield in stock."

So, we thought possibly she'd be stuck in podunk Nebraska or we'd have to go get her.

She called a friend's mom in North Platte Nebraska and got the name of a business in a little rural town. They said they could order the windshield and it would be in at midnight. If she'd meet them in Madrid Nebraska at 5:30 a.m. they'd fix it.

Well, she was about 60 miles from that town so drove halfway to Ogallalah and spent the night in a motel for $30. You might remember Ogallalah from the old mini series, "Lonesome Dove." Clara lived in Ogallalah and she was the only reason Gus went on the cattle drive.

Anyway, I wake at 7:30 p.m. this morning. No call from Rhea! She was supposed to call so I could give the business our debit card number.

For about 15-20 minutes this is how my mother's mind worked. 

Let's see... a windshield arriving at midnight. Isn't that suspicious? And what business opens at 5:30 a.m.? This must be a ring of kidnappers. Someone has abducted her and sold her into white slavery!!

I then began tracing how I could get the number of this business. I could call Rhea's friend. No wait I don't know her last name. I'll have to call the college, get the friend's last name, then call her mom for the number.

About the time I was thinking I'd never see her again. She called. She's on the road she says. "Mom, they were the nicest old couple. They have a windshield repair business and if they'd had a windshield in stock, they would have come to me yesterday. My car has had the windshield replaced before and the last people didn't do such a good job of installing, so they fixed all the stuff the other people didn't do. I had a rust hole and they even fixed it. They weren't set up for debit or credit cards so they just let me go, I gave them yours and dad's name and address. We can mail them a check."

"Rhea, how much did you pay down?"

"Nothing. Should I have paid something down? They didn't ask for anything."

Well, by now I am feeling totally sheepish but so grateful my worst imaginations were not real. 

We can still depend upon the kindness of strangers.

LaRose Karr