The weather clears and I continue to Nicole Schmittendorf’s home. It is Friday the 21st of February early in the morning. Tennessee is a pretty part of the country. Rolling hills with lush valleys. I like the territory. I meet Nicole, we share lunch at Banjo’s Bar-B-Que. Wonderful pulled pork sandwiches with fried onion rings and sweet iced tea. Yow!!! Greatness all at once and good company as well.
I stay at Nicole’s house and rest while she returns to work at the cable company office on Rt. 27 in Spring City. While I am relaxing at the house I hear someone enter at the other end of the house. I’m not sure that is what I hear but over the next few minutes I hear someone moving around and I hear a soft whistling coming from a human mouth. I get off the sofa and go up the stairs that lead to the rest of the house and the movements are obviously made by another person in the house. I call out, “Hellooo!”. I call again. Silence. Then I meet Tim, Nicole’s husband in the kitchen of the house. He is not startled, just curious who is in his house. That is how we meet. Tim looks exactly like his photos I’ve seen on facebook. He is a real solid gentleman and I can tell he is a trusting sort. We spend some time talking and getting to learn about each other. I like him immediately.
The rest of the day is spent observing Nicole and Tim interact with the children. Son Trinity and daughter Shiloh are sweet, bright, and clever kids. Gentle in nature just like their parents and beautiful as well. Snacking and eating dinner all runs together here at home. The kids have strict rules to follow regarding use of video equipment and electronic games. Nicole and Tim try to maintain discipline and order but sometimes the kids win out but not very often. I like their struggle to be a young family. It is honest and wholesome.
During the weekend we go to a birthday dinner for Nicole’s mother at Cracker Barrel in Cleveland, Tennessee. It is a long drive. This part of the state is not very populated and even though there are a few chain eateries here and there the best place is still the Cracker Barrel in Cleveland. We stuff ourselves at the birthday dinner, chat up the families of Nicole and Tim. The kids get to eat whatever they want. Tim and Nicole and I dive into fresh biscuits, dinners, and more sweetened iced tea. Incidentally it is at a Cracker Barrel that I met Nicole. Nice happenings.
The few days I stayed in Tennessee are gentle and family oriented. We spend time together throwing a football, batting a ball with a bat, and pushing kids on swings. I get a chance to rest up from the past leg of the trip. Nicole and I spend quality time together talking about writing, our common thread. I enjoy these lovely and gentle people and I will always be a part of their family. On Sunday afternoon I get a bit antsy and tell Nicole that I want to get underway for Charleston, SC. She understands my personality and needs and we part with great hugs and a few tears. I love Nicole and her family very much. I will be back to Tennessee; a beautiful, gentle place.
I have unpacked and repacked the SAAB to my satisfaction and I leave during the late afternoon. I get on the highway U.S. Rt 27 to I 40 through North Carolina to I 26 clear into Charleston, South Carolina. I don’t know where I am going in Charleston at this point in time but I am going to come up with something along the way.
Playing Fair and Being Kind 