It’s 9:00pm on a humid and hot summer Saturday evening in July. We are all hanging out in various areas of the house doing our own thing. Andrew has taken his computer apart in an attempt to fix the fan… once again. It’s seriously overheating which isn’t surprising given the temperature on the top level of this house. Lexie is flaked out on the TV room couch in front of the baseball game sound asleep which is where she landed immediately after work. Mike and I are catching the breeze out on the deck sharing a bowl of BC cherries. My favorite music is soundtracking our ordinary evening.
Andrew bounces down the stairs.. Who wants to go to Starbucks? So Lexie, Andrew and I slide into our flip flops just as we are and pile into my car. It’s assumed if moms coming we are taking her car. It’s a gorgeous evening so we roll down all the windows and cruise along letting the warm evening wind blow our hair about. It feels so refreshing. We choose the farthest Starbucks, within our area, so we can enjoy the ride. It doesn’t go unnoticed we don’t have to put on jackets or boots or fuss with our presentation. As we are. Carefree summer night. It reminds me of when they were little and we would jump in the car or walk to our neighbourhood Macdonalds for McFlurries and Beanie Babies.
We land into Starbucks 15 minutes before closing and each order our favorite iced tea lemonade. Venti. Light Ice. Then head out talking and laughing and feeling all is right with the world even if just for this one sweet moment in time. We’re making memories. It probably doesn’t register this way with my adult kids but this is the kind of thing that goes down in my journal and memory.
By the time we are driving home the sun is beginning to set. The days are already starting to get shorter. As we turn onto our street it is visibly less crowded and all the young kids have gone in for the evening. We can hear sprinklers watering lawns and when we walk out to our back deck we can hear muffled conversations and laughter coming from other back decks near and distant. My music is still playing in the background. Mellow. Easy listening. Familiar lyrics and tunes setting the mood for evening and the memory.
I sip up one large, sweet refreshing gulp of peach green tea lemonade and savour the icy liquid as it makes its way into my system. I ordered a half sweet tea but this moment is full on sweetness. Small blessings. Sweet memories. Full heart.
The Red Plaid Apron 