Dad the Busman

I've made eight round trips to Providence and back within the past 24 hours. I know the drive very well, every lane change I need to make, as well as the exits I need to bail out on when the traffic backs up. There are always anomalies, but my lane changes are not random at this point and unlike most of the time when they are, they make a real difference as we fine tune the commute. For example, I know that it takes from 40 to 42 minutes without hang-ups. And I know that the traffic flow is different when we are a mere five minutes late or early. So far, it has been A.O.K. But, eight trips leaves me little time for much else. Fortunately, this will change on or before December when we move to town for the winter. I am looking ahead to that time, and hope that the old diesel will keep on keeping on, like the reliable car that it has always been. I have been thinking, too, that the daily proximity of daughter and father in the car is leading to a closer bond than we realize. We go through many moods together, not always our "best selves" to be sure, but our real selves, just as certainly, and more important