GOING HOME

I always looked forward to the weekend when I lived at home. Especially summer weekends when it was warm and the darkness did not come until almost nine o'clock.

. My caregiver would arrive at four o'clock. It took a few minutes to get ready, but as soon as we were, we'd get in my van and drive to Pietro's, my favorite restaurant., http://www.pietrosdining.com/ My mom and I ate there almost every Saturday night for many years. After she died I couldn't imagine going anywhere else most Saturday nights.

We would ask for our favorite waitress, Julie. Julie only worked at the restaurant on Saturdays. Her husband taught at Meramec too. Julie would always keep me informed of anything new happening there.

One of my favorite dishes to order was Pasta Florentine. If I had room, the dessert would be a slice of Tiramisu. Oh, and my dinner would not be complete with a glass of Pinot  Grigio. A good dinner in a friendly atmosphere. A nice way to spend a Saturday night.

I am now thirteen miles away from the city. Call-A-Ride doesn't come out here on weekends because this area doesn't have regular bus service on weekends. They have to make a route. It costs almost as much as my dinner to go into the city on weekends. Needless to say, I have not done it that often. I hope that Call-A-Ride will provide disabled people weekend service sometime without charging us high fares

I'm sure that there are restaurants out here I could go to. I am also sure that those restaurants serve delicious food. Going to Pietro's is like going home for me. It's not only about the food, but it's also about the memories. We had dinner, with friends, at Pietro's before going to a Cher concert years ago. Our church held luncheons there too.

We went to lunch at Pietro's after my mother's funeral. She always ordered decaf coffee with Kahlua. She would make sure to add, "And don't forget the whipped cream."  That day, in her honor, I ordered decaf coffee with Kahlua. And, I made sure they didn't forget the whipped cream.