Missing Parts and Missing People

Ever since Mrs. Mamie Lee and Old Man Henry got that brand spanking new Winnebago, they’ve been on the road more than they’ve been at home. You might have seen ‘em. Mr. Henry had this professional artist paint a big map of the United States on the side. Mr. Henry’s map tends to stand out from the crowd. After every trip he paints a big red “X” on the map to represent their travels. This public journal mortifies Mrs. Mamie. She calls the whole thing tacky.

Mr. Henry’s most recent X is splashed over Orlando, Florida. They went down to visit some relatives. Mr. Henry put up a fuss about not wanting to go to Disney World but Mrs. Mamie said, and I quote, “Listen, you old goat. After putting up with you all the way here, I deserve a picture with Mickey. It’s not like I’m gonna blow it up and paste it on the Winnebago like some people I know!” According to Mrs. Mamie they had a good time at the park until the last couple hours. Somehow she and Mr. Henry got separated. The batteries on her walkie-talkie had quit working, too. She was looking for a little storefront that sold batteries when she ran across a security booth and decided to report Mr. Henry missing, just to speed things up.

I’ve always thought Mrs. Mamie has a great sense of humor. While giving the guards Mr. Henry’s description, she mentioned that he’d lost his hair, his eyes were going, his hearing was already gone, and he didn’t have a tooth on the bottom right side of his mouth. “Matter of fact,” Mrs. Mamie said. “I told ‘em that most of him was missing before he was.”

Hugs, Shellie