Dinner with My Sisters
On Friday, April 2, my sister Beth who lives in Dallas and rarely posts to Facebook, mentioned that Sarah, one of my other six sisters, would be in Dallas. Yvette and I haven’t been able to see our families in several months and so the thought of being able to see two of my sisters at once was exciting.
I am the oldest of the eight children followed by Beth while Sarah is the third youngest.
Unfortunately, Sarah lives in Seattle and was only going to be in Dallas for a few days for business and would be flying out on Friday. This meant that we would only get to see each other in the evening.
So I took a half day off on Thursday, April 8, and drove from Austin to Dallas. The traffic through Fort Worth wasn’t too bad and in just a few hours I was parked at the Grapevine Mills Mall where we were scheduled to meet. I texted my sisters to let them know I was there and then pulled out my laptop to catch up on the work I was missing.
I hadn’t gotten through but a handful of emails when Sarah called that she was right around the corner.
Sarah and I walked all the way around the mall; it is laid out as a giant square, and talked the whole time. Later, I would find out at dinner that Beth, Sarah and I have the same issue; we are not telephone talkers unless it is special occasion. But Sarah and I talked and talked.
I was a little disappointed with mall from what I remember it had been like. It was obvious that the mall was struggling and there were a lot of “no name” stores and even a glow in the dark mini golf course.
After making a complete circuit through the mall and not finding anything, Sarah and I decided to find someplace nearby to sit and wait for Beth. After driving around the loop the circled the mall, we stumbled upon Love and War in Texas. We sat down, me with a beer and her with some tea, and talked some more.
Beth joined us as soon as she got off work and then we decided to catch dinner at the restaurant since we were already there. Beth and Sarah had planned to catch dinner and movie before they found out I was coming. I had the “Presidio, TX Poblano” with sides of their sautéed spinach and grilled vegetables. I highly recommend the meal.
Throughout dinner, we talked even more, sharing stories and recollections of past events where we got into trouble with our parents. Unfortunately, I had a long drive back so we called it an evening.
I drove from Forth Worth and made it as far as Waco, where I spent the night at a Motel 6. Early the next morning, I was back on the road and in Austin at my desk by 7:15 AM.
While it was a long trip, it was great to see my sisters and I had a great time. I hope that that I will get to see my other four sisters, little brother and my mom in the near future. Missing you all!
