MA AND Pa did it again. They went to the city, that is.
They stayed in a fancy hotel with two phones in the room, a coffee maker and an ironing board. Ma wished she’d brought along her overflowing laundry basket.
One night they were asked to go out on the town with Number One daughter. Number Two daughter didn’t want to go, but she joined Ma and Pa for dinner.
After eating, the three rode down together in the elevator. Pa locked the room key safely inside the room. Ma told him they’d worry about it when they got back later so, when they got off the elevator, Pa headed straight for the front desk to rectify the situation.
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Ma and Daughter Number Two went outside. They waited and waited but Pa didn’t come so Daughter went home and Ma went in search of Pa.
Ma decided he was waiting in the car in the parking lot.
He wasn’t. The car was gone.
Ma could have done many things. Stamped her feet. Thrown something. Taken a fit. She did none of the above.
No. She started to laugh. Hysterically.
People in the parking lot looked at her.
She gathered shreds of her dignity around her and retreated to the lobby.
Ma found it hard to look dignified with tears of merriment running down her cheeks.
Pa in the meantime, having retrieved the room key, and thinking Ma had gone with Daughter Number Two, was racing down the freeway to her house.
He got there, threw open the door, and asked the confused girl, “Where is your mother?”
She looked both ways down the sidewalk and replied, “Isn’t she with you?”
They started at each other as the awful truth dawned. Pa raced back to the car. The cell phone rang.
Daughter Number One asked, “Where are you and when will you be here?”
“As soon as I get your mother,” Pa answered. Daughter, knowing her family well, forbore to ask questions.
Pa rushed back to the hotel where he found Ma weak from laughter.
They had a lovely night on the town and the next day returned safely to the Back 40 where the herd of cats was pleased to see them and showed it by jumping onto the hood of the car to stare at them through the windshield.
Whether Ma and Pa will be let out much in this new century is still uncertain at time of writing.
Ma says it won’t matter much. They can find lots of adventure on the Back 40 battling drought and weeds, disease, and politicians who don’t understand farmers’ problems, or who don’t care.
