sequitur

1. The Departure of the Wife as Sister
2. The Journey of the Sister in Spring
3. What Color Is Your Parachute?
4. The Return of the Sister as Wife
5. The Nephew from Hope

1. Zelda drove Gven to the airport on Thursday morning for her flight to Atlanta. Gven's sister Bug has a major birthday this week, so there was no question that big sis would be present. Everything went smoothly, except that Z and G were so involved in conversation that they missed their exit to the cleverly hidden bus station known as Dayton International Airport, so they had to backtrack on I-70, but they still had plenty of time. Then G discovered that she had left her phone charger at home, so she was incomunicado by cell for four whole days. High drama indeed.

2. When Gven arrived, her home town in was bursting with spring flowers. The city is glorious in the spring. The azaleas, dogwoods, and flowers without number were in full bloom, and I can only imagine what a sight that must have been. G got on the train at the airport, and my sister Jo Jo Golly picked her up at her neighborhood MARTA station. Another nice thing about Atlanta is the transit system, and this was a prime example of its value: no one had to drive across town to pick her up at the world's second-busiest airport. It's a good system, the likes of which we will never have in the big small town of Central Swingstate.

Jo Jo is the perfect host, so she and Gven enjoyed a relaxing evening of food and talk. The following day they went out to dinner in the newly gentrified downtown Decatur with Jo Jo's son Ben "Bubba" Badly and his girlfriend, Chrissy, whom I haven't met but reportedly is delightful. Saturday morning G took the train north as far as it goes up Georgia 400, and Bug picked her up at North Springs station, which is en route to Bug's house in Cumming, Georgia. They went out to lunch and then went shopping, which is what girls do when they have quality time together.

3. The whole gang was there for Bug's birthday party: Bug's husband Bon and son Boston - for whom it was prom night, her mother (her name was Mercedes and she called herself Layla, but everyone knew her as Nancy), both her sisters, and a few of Bug's friends. Sunday they all headed to Thomaston, near Macon, on a beautiful, clear spring day to watch her jump out of an airplane. You'd think a grown woman with two grown kids would know better, but that's what she wanted to do.

While the family sat around on blankets like they were at a picnic, several experienced jumpers went up for the opening act and jumped together in formation. Then, after some brief instruction, Bug made her jump in tandem with the cute instructor. She said it's really noisy at first, and when the chute opens it gets very quiet all of a sudden, and the long, slow descent is breathtakingly fun. They all went out to eat and made a day of it, with Bug still grinning from ear to ear.

4. Monday evening, Gven's plane was on time at the little airport, but her husband was late to pick her up. His excuse was that he thought it was only an hour away, but even seeing the exit the first time it was an hour and a half, so she waited outside the baggage claim for 45 minutes. It was a successful whirlwind trip that included lots of people she loves. We talked about her trip the whole ride home, and since most restaurants were closed, we ordered a pizza and ate with Zelda for closure.

5. The next day I got a call at work from Greg Gosh, my other sister's son, who works for the admissions office at Hope College in Michigan. He happened to be in Central Swingstate for a college fair at Capital University, and he had the evening free, so we made plans to get together for a beer.

Gven and Zelda met us at Old Bag of Nails, and we had a great time catching up over a Guinness and some fish and chips. G and his wife C have a baby boy J, so they are in the midst of many exciting new experiences, such as adjusting to the rigors of business travel as parents. I can only imagine how tickled Grandma Anna Banana Golly Gosh and Grandpa Fred Gosh must be.

It was a fun evening and a nice opportunity to bring each other up-to-date on Greg's brother Todd Gosh, who lives in California, and Zelda'a brother Jessi Golly, who lives in New York. Greg is always good company. He is that rare combination: someone who is personable, easy to hang out with, and actually has something to say. I'm looking forward to the next time.