Chapter XX: Back to VA.

(Note: This is going on too long. I'll wrap up the "mom" story line in the next 3 posts--including this one.)

Mike returned to the southwest Virginia area almost ten years after that fateful trip with his sister and brother-in-law. One of his employer’s publishing operations used a fulfillment center in Kingsport, TN and someone had to oversee an inventory of the books there. Mike volunteered. His wife (Kathy) had family in that area. This would give them a chance to visit—and show off their amazing 16 month-old daughter. The little angel could talk in complete sentences (so much like her daddy), but hadn’t started walking yet. Mike knew that trait was from the other side of the family.

He wondered if the trip south would stir up old memories. It didn’t seem to, but that may have been because he was staying on the Interstate highway. They didn’t have time to take the back roads that his brother-in-law had followed.

They arrived at Kathy’s cousin’s house with no problem—his wife and daughter were going to stay there until Mike’s project was completed on Friday. Mike was staying at the same hotel with staff from the publishing operation. The hotel must have been in a bad part of town because the cousin’s husband offered to loan Mike a handgun during his stay. Mike considered the offer, but politely declined.

The work went well and by noon on Friday the inventory was done. Mike and Kathy started cooking dinner that afternoon as a thank you to her cousin for letting them stay. Kathy worked with Mike’s mom and decided to call her to see how things were going at the office. From what Mike could hear, his mother was complaining about her health. Again! It had been years since she really had any health problems, but she never stopped complaining—and trying to top whatever anyone else was going through. The first time their daughter got really sick, Kathy called her for advice. After hearing the symptoms, her first response was, "That's nothing—I almost died last night." Mike had gotten used to just letting his mom vent, but had run out of any real compassion. He was suffering from sympathy burnout. He had a good relationship with his mother, but not a normal mother-son relationship. It was more like a friendship.

Kathy stirred him from his thoughts by offering him the phone, “Do you want to talk to your mom? She has a headache today.” Mike said no, he didn’t want to hear the complaining. He said he would talk to her after the trip.

That evening more of Kathy’s relatives came over and they had a nice time sharing stories. Mike’s daughter entertained everyone with her amazing ability to talk and her willingness to share her Cheerios with everyone—except one person, the cousin who was a minister. Mike made a mental note to keep track of him if they ever got together again. He thought his daughter had good instincts. Months earlier, Cal and a sleazy brother-in-law tried to get the girl to smile at them. The harder they tried, the more she scowled at them. Mike was so proud!

He didn’t get much sleep Friday night. His “little angel” spent that night doing flip-flops next to him, alternating between using him for a headrest and a foot stool. The next day the little family headed for Big Stone Gap and the home of his wife’s grandfather. The man lived in a “holler”. You couldn’t see his driveway, because there was such a steep drop-off from the road. Mike stopped at the entrance. He looked down and saw nothing. With a promise from Kathy that he wasn’t driving them off a cliff, Mike took the plunge and headed into the holler. After a short and scary drop, the car was on the driveway and they made their way to the grandfather’s house.

After the initial introductions, one of Kathy’s cousins mentioned they had a message that Mike’s mom was in the hospital. That had to be a mistake. Kathy’s mom had been ill for years—and had far outlived her doctor’s expectations. The message must have been garbled. They tried to reach someone in Mike’s family, but no one answered. That wasn’t unusual for a busy Saturday afternoon.

They visited for a while and then made their way to an aunt’s house. While Kathy and the aunt fixed dinner, Mike called home again. He finally got through to a brother-in-law—who was obviously unsure of what to say. The BIL said he needed to call his wife at the hospital for an update. When he called back, he said only three words “Come home, now!”