Heading to Lost Wages...I mean Las Vegas

Lost Wages …. Las Vegas … actually I say this in jest. I like Las Vegas well enough. I'm not fond of the downtown area or even the Strip, although it's a fascinating place for people watching and observing all things over-the-top and bizarre. The rest of the city and the suburbs though are just kind of normal. Neighborhoods, schools, supermarkets, fire stations … your typical city. David and I are not gamblers … at least in the slot machine, roulette wheel, pokey sense of gambling. We gamble a bit with the wind, weather and waves from time to time, but not cash.  

The best part of Las Vegas this trip? I'm meeting David there. Yes, once again things are a bit off the plan. David's mum was in the hospital and is now in Rehab. She feels it's time for a bit more help and has asked her kids to find an assisted living facility close by. We're up to the challenge. We did the very same exercise last year around this time for Bea with good results.

Anyhow, a Southwest Air flight with one stop and a plane change in Nashville, Tennessee (Home of the Grand Ole Opry … don't forget) and 8-hours travel time and I'll be in Vegas reunited with David once again. Sigh! We've got to stop meeting like this.

A little trivia: Las Vegas translates as “the meadows”. A Mexican scout who was part of a trading party headed to Los Angeles in 1829 coined the name. He was able to water and rest there while heading west along the Old Spanish Trail from Mexico. In the 19th century, small parts of the Las Vegas Valley contained natural artesian wells that supported extensive green areas, an oasis you might say in the middle of the desert. In actuality, we'll be living near the Clark County Wetlands Park, part of the Las Vegas Wash, the very same “meadows” Rafael Rivera might have viewed back in the early 19th century.

Too Many Daves

Before Marcie was due to return to Nine of Cups, I decided to fly back to the U.S. as well, to help my younger sister, Mary, deal with our mom's recent medical issues. Becky, at 96, was just in the hospital coping with a large and very persistent kidney stone. She is now in a transitional care unit getting her strength back, but it is quite likely she will need long term assistance once she is released from the facility. My sibs and I are looking at the options and I wanted to be there to help. I checked online and found a reasonable fare on a flight with Cathay Pacific that connected through Hong Kong. Not only would I get to fly on a new (to me) airline, but I've never been to Hong Kong. Even though I wouldn't be able to leave the airport, it would still be a bit of an adventure.

As I was checking in, the gate person told me that my name was interesting, because she had checked in another David Lynn about 20 minutes earlier. That is a coincidence. In my entire life, other than my younger son, I have never met another David Lynn. I know of the British golfer and a couple of professors named David Lynn, but I've never met them. There is also a guy with the same middle name as mine, David Edward Lynn, in Ohio, whom I've also not had the opportunity to meet. As far as I know, I'm not related to any of them, especially the one in Ohio.

The plane was almost two hours late and my LAX connection was going to be tight. As we were taxiing in, the flight attendant announced that there was a board posted at the gate with the name of everyone that had missed their connections. If our name was on the board, we should proceed to customer service to get re-booked.

When I got to the gate, I checked the board, and sure enough, there was my name. No... wait – that must be the other David Lynn, because that David is going to Xiaman, wherever that is. There's my name - David Edward Lynn – but they've mistakenly listed me as going to Seoul. Nope -wrong again. Apparently, not only were there three David Lynns aboard, but two of them have the same middle name. And those are just the ones that missed their connections. There might be another half dozen David Lynns aboard that made their connections. Either a very amazing coincidence or I missed the email announcing the international convention of David Lynn's that must have been just held in Perth. It's a good thing the plane didn't go down – a large percentage of the world's David Lynns, and as far as I know, 2/3 of all the David Edward Lynns, would have been wiped out.

I kept an eye out at the customer service desk for anyone with a David Lynn name badge on, but no luck. So, if any of the other David Lynns that were on that flight are reading this, please make sure I'm added to the mailing list for the next get-together.

Goodbye, Mom

You were probably asking yourself why I was heading back to America again. I mean, it's not a trivial trip and I just got back to David and Nine of Cups in January. My sister, Lin, called a few days ago. Our 87-year-old mom who had been doing quite well had had a mild heart attack and was in the hospital. After a few days, they transferred her to Rehab, but her breathing was very labored.

When Lin called last February, I flew home when the doctors all advised that mom wouldn't make it. She surprised us all when she rallied and recouped. She's a tough girl … feisty and strong … she's always bounced back before. But this time it was not to be.

I arrived in Boston in the evening … 34 hours after leaving Perth. Lin picked me up at the airport curb and whisked me away to the nursing home to see Bea. She was barely conscious … so very tired, but she held our hands. She seemed to know we were both there with her. We talked to her, sang her a song and said goodbye.

We got the call early in the morning. She had just passed. I thought we could delay the inevitable, but of course, we couldn't. She did wait for me to say goodbye … her last gift to me and I love her for it.