Trees and Rocks and Doggies

At a rest stop in Utah, two people in a car pull up next to me in the parking lot. They are an old woman and a man about 40. They both have coal black hair, and I think they are mother and son.

The man helps the woman out of the car gingerly. The woman wears a loose dress and clunky shoes with no socks, the man has on a polo shirt, and pants worn thin from many washings, but I believe the pair have dressed up for their outing.

The man takes the old woman by the elbow and the two of them inch toward the picnic area. The woman's arms and hands shake.

I wonder what kind of trip this pair has undertaken. Heading to or returning from a hospital? Going on one last road trip together?

The woman shuffles to a thick-trunked tree and stops. She extends her arms around the trunk, rests her head against the bark, and hugs the tree. Her shoulders begin to shake. The man wraps an arm around her waist and puts his head on the old woman's neck.

I leave, and when I come back from the bathroom, the man has left to visit the men's room. The woman, with trembling hands and great difficulty, is collecting rocks. She holds three medium-sized ones. Painfully, she bends over to get a fourth.

She smiles at me and says of the rocks, “Pretty.” She has a faint foreign accent.

My dogs stand at attention in the cargo area of my hatchback car, waiting to get out. I pour water into a dish for them, and hold it while they drink.

“Nice puppies,” the woman says. “Good doggies.”

“They are,” I agree.

She grins, watching them slurp. “Always be kind to doggies. We must treat them as children, be good to them.”

I don't know if she means this as advice or observation. “Yes,” I agree.

The man returns, nods at me, and places the rocks in the back seat. He helps the old woman inch to the rest room. When they return, he eases her into the car, and they drive away.

Maybe as our journey draws to a close, we get clarity about what we will miss most. A good son. A wise old tree in full foliage. Beautiful rocks. And wagging doggies, lapping at a dish of water.