Fried Chicken

When Thing 2 was in high school, she came home to get something to eat before she had to be back at school for play practice. She said she was so hungry, and what did we have that she could eat real quick.

I asked her if fried chicken sounded good. She said "YES!", expecting me to give her money to go to Lee's. Instead I pulled out a baggie of chicken from my purse. She laughed so hard. We both laugh when we talk about it!

She didn't know that we'd had a dinner catered at lunch, and there was so much fried chicken left over that we all took a baggie of chicken home.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and the PTA caters lunches for the staff every day. (Thank you!) Yesterday they had fried chicken for lunch. There was so much left over, so they told me I ought to take some home. I found some foil and put a few pieces of chicken in a packet ... knowing I was going to meet Thing 2 at the funeral home to pay our respects to Mason Bogard and his family in about an hour. (Thing 2 went to school with Mason's sister, Taylor.)

Being back at Pierre Funeral Home brought back so many memories of when I was the one standing by my son's casket. Thankfully, Mason wasn't in the same room Davy had been in. My heart was in agony see his mother, the shock and pain so evident in her eyes. I was crying uncontrollably for Joann and her family ... and for myself. Thing 2 can't stand to see me cry, so after talking to Joann and her daughter, we made our exit.

As we were leaving I asked Thing 2 if she was hungry (since she was using her lunch our to come to the funeral home with me). She said a little. I asked her if she was hungry for chicken. She said, "You don't!" I said, "I do!" and pulled the foil wrapped chicken out of my purse. We started laughing.

I cried for a while after I left the funeral home, but being able to share a laugh with my daughter in the midst of our grief felt like a gift.