Reality Is Not What Dreams Are Made Of

 This trip was so wonderful. It was nothing like her mom had told her it would be. The seats were even more comfortable than the living room chairs were at home. She was in Heaven. Besides that the young woman sitting in the seat beside her was so nice. The time just flew by even though it seemed to Grace that the bus did stop several times for little bitty towns; even smaller than her hometown. Soon the driver announced that the bus would be pulling into the next large terminal. "Okay, this is where I get off and have to get on another bus." She held her handbag tightly to her chest and watched as the driver took her luggage out of the compartment. Then she lost sight of it. "I'm sure he put it where it belongs. I'll be just fine. Don't be a worry wart like your mama," she thought to herself.  She walked into the terminal and looked around. The seats were like church pews and it sure didn't smell very nice. She couldn't believe her eyes when she noticed an older man wearing just an old underwear shirt smoking a cigar! Wasn't that illegal nowadays?

 She found herself an empty spot on one of the uncomfortable seats and waited for over two hours before the man at the ticket window announced that the bus for Master City, Texas would be boarding for the next five minutes. She stood up and walked out into the parking garage and looked for her bus. The fumes of the running busses choked her until she could hardly breathe. Thankfully the destination of the buses was on the front. She had her ticket in her hand and showed the driver before she found a seat. The bus was almost full and the seats were nothing like the first bus she rode in. These were like school bus seats and some guys were laying down in the seats with their feet on the seat across the aisle! They sneered at her and pretended like they wouldn't let her go down the aisle to find a seat. She heard them say mean things about her as she walked away. She thankfully found a seat next to a window. The woman came and sat down next to her. She was dirty and smelled really bad. She was nothing like the friendly woman on the last bus. As the bus took off her stomach reminded her that she had had nothing to eat that day. She had the little brown bag in her purse and thought, "Oh thank you, Mom, but I can't eat in front of this woman. Maybe she will get off at the next stop." The bus continued down the road with several stops before the woman next to her got off. Thankfully Grace got into her bag and got her orange out and started peeling it. Soon she could hear people at the front of the bus saying things like, "I smell an orange. Boy that smells good. Who has an orange? Wanta share with us?" Grace felt so many eyes on her. She was so embarrassed. She quietly put the orange in the brown paper sack and rolled it up tight hoping the delicious smell of the orange would disappear, but for several miles she heard people say things like 'some folks just don't know how to act out in public. she couldn't shared with some of us at least.' Once again she felt her ears burn with embarrassment. 

The sun was starting to go down when Grace found herself just a few miles from Master City. She had been instructed to text the owner of the ranch when she was a few minutes away so that someone could pick her up. It had been a really long day and she couldn't wait to get to her new home away from home. She sent the text and relaxed totally for the first time since she had left home.

When people started getting off the bus they shoved their overhead luggage into the aisle so that she had to wait until she was almost the last person off the bus. When she went to get her suitcases the driver was nowhere to be found. "He must be inside." She walked into the terminal and looked around for her luggage. She couldn't see them so she went to the ticket agent and showed the lady her ticket. "I can't see my luggage anywhere. Can you please point me to where it might be?" The lady said, "Did you ask the driver? You are always supposed to stay with your luggage so that you know where it is. I am going to have to see if he is still is in the terminal. He may have already gone on to the next stop." Grace felt like she might be sick. Everything she had except her purse was in those two pieces of luggage." While she waited she thought, "I'm sure hoping he just put them somewhere and that he is still here and that I don't have to wear these same clothes for two weeks and maybe I just want to go home!"

The ticket agent said, "I'm sorry, but the driver is on his way to San Antonio. I'll have to put a tracer on your luggage. Give me your address and phone number where we can reach you and will contact you to pick it up."

Grace could feel a tear roll down her cheek, but she heard a friendly voice, "Hey, there. You don't happen to be Grace do you? If you are, I'm here to pick you up for a free two week stay at the Double D Dude Ranch. You look like the picture I have of a Grace from Missouri. What seems to be the trouble young lady? My name is Josh; are you okay?"

In answer to his question her stomach growled so loud he laughed. "Whoa! Man you must be starving. Do you want to get something to eat before we go to the ranch?"

Grace said, "They have lost my luggage. The only clothes I have are the ones I'm wearing. I am starving, but I can't eat without knowing where my luggage is. Do you think you could help me?" Josh said, "Sure thing. Just find a seat and give me your ticket and I'll see what they have found out. Then we will get you something to eat."

After a few minutes Josh said, "Well, they found out that your luggage went a bit out of the way." 

"Where did it go?"

"It went to another ranch, but the ranch is in Oklahoma, Grace. It's going to take a couple of days for it to get here. I'm sure Allie, she's the owner of the ranch, will have something for you to wear until your luggage arrives. Come on let's go across the street and order you some food. I'll text Allie and let her know we will be a little late. Come on! It's okay, just part of life's little stumbling blocks. Someday you will look back and laugh about this day." Grace thought I will never in a million years laugh about this day; not even in two million years."

Back at the Double D things were hopping. Little Addie was a firecracker and so full of energy and so cute! She was keeping everyone busy; so busy that things weren't getting done that really needed to be done. Allie frowned when she saw the text from Josh saying they would be late and that Grace's luggage had been sent to Oklahoma. "What's next around here?" She looked out in the kitchen and couldn't believe her eyes. Addie was waxing the kitchen floor with a banana! She went tearing out to retrieve the banana and her shoes hit the slick floor and down she went! And there she was when Addie started yelling "Eat, doggie, eat banana!" Allie could feel a warm puppy tongue licking her cheek and felt it's drool running down her neck. She tried to stand up and was failing miserably. As her second attempt failed miserably she heard giggles coming from the porch. Three little faces were staring at her. She heard them say, "You are a funny lady. Why are you laying down on the floor? Why did you take the banana away from that little girl? Are you feeding that dog a banana?"

Josh and Grace come up behind the children and Josh said, "Oh oh, looks like things haven't improved while I was gone. Grace, this is Allie. She's the one down there on the floor. Allie this is Grace, as of now our new Child Development Director. Now don't yell! Your ranch is probably the first one with that added bonus for their guests. We can add that to our website!"