Goin' Out To Cally – Part 10, Divine Misdirection

In the time before cell phones, wireless broadband, instant messaging, text messaging and email, communication between two cars was naturally problematic. When traveling together their needed to be an almost symbiotic relationship between drivers in order for the experience to be completely effective. I remember, when taking trips with fellow church youth group members, we would travel in multiple cars and seamlessly move between lanes and traffic without any issues, as if the three cars were indeed one.

Our path toward the interstate in Mississippi was the opposite of seamless and symbiotic and having to rely on someone to guide us through unknown streets for almost an hour was wearing on all of our nerves. We were anxiously looking for a moment when we could speed up next to Aunt Patsy and ask her to pull over, so we could regain our bearings and understand how much longer this path would take, when Aunt Patsy abruptly pulled into an empty church parking lot.

We followed her and watched as she exited her car and, with a little hop to her step, approached ours. Tim rolled down the window and peered his head out.

"Are we lost?" Tim asked.

"No!" Aunt Patsy responded as if he were being excessively silly. "This is my church!"

Confused, Tim could only mutter "Uh-huh."

She pulled open his door, "I wanted to show you my church before you left!"

Did I hear that right? We've been on an unguided tour through the deeper recesses of Mississippian suburbia for an hour so we could see her church?

As my brain tried to wrap itself around that logic, the only thing I could possibly conclude was that this church must be something special, grand, opulent or unexpected in some way. As Sunday and I pried ourselves out of the back seats I found myself staring at a standard looking Protestant church, with a small parking lot, a small steeple and nothing... well, interesting. The magic or mystery or driving force behind our journey must have been inside this plain looking building. As irritated as I was, a part of me was curious to see just what made this journey worth it.

Tim, Beth, Sunday and I followed Aunt Patsy up to the church doors and with a quick motion Aunt Patsy grasped the handles and pulled. Nothing happened. She pulled again. Nothing happened.

She turned, still smiling and quickly dismissed the event, stating "Oh, well, it's locked."

As Aunt Patsy moved passed us and toward her car, we were struck motionless, desperately trying to fathom with confused expressions as to what had just unfolded before us. One by one we slowly turned and moved back toward the Acura, as if stuck in some demented Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode. Aunt Patsy, now sitting in her car, rolled down her window and motioned for Beth to approach her. As the rest of us re-entered the tight confines of the blue Acura, we watched as Beth received verbal instructions on directions to the interstate, replete with a lot of pointing and arm motions by our beloved guide.

Beth returned to the car and entered. We were all frustrated. We were all mad. And this made us all preemptively tired. Knowing that venting any of our displeasure would only exacerbate the issue, the four travelers remained steadfastly quiet. Tim put the car in first gear and started toward the parking lot exit. Silently, Beth pointed Tim in the right direction and we watched as Aunt Patsy gleefully waved her good-byes. As the car sped down the street, Sunday and I watched as our first host, the unforgettable Aunt Patsy, disappeared into the distance.

Now a solid four hours behind schedule, we eventually hopped on the interstate and started the long drive to Dallas, Texas.

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Goin' Out To Cally - Part 10, (Text, Audio) Divine Misdirection
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 09, (Text, Audio) Getting Nowhere Fast
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 08, (Text, Audio) The Cock Crows Nine
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 07, (Text, Audio) Is Jackass A Sign?
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 06, (Text, Audio) Leftovers
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 05, (Text, Audio) The Kiss Of Friendship
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 04, (Text, Audio) Scholastic Intimacy
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 03, (Text, Audio) Space Invaders
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 02, (Text, Audio) The Fourth Wheel
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 01, (Text, Audio) The Seed Planted