Mo's Manic Monday - Seven
Posted: Monday, July 09, 2007 by Travis Cody in
Welcome to another Manic Monday with Mo. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at It's A Blog Eat Blog World. Today's theme is Seven.
When I was about 10, my parents divorced and my younger sister and I were raised by our single mom. We lived about an hour and a half from my grandmother, and so we made lots of weekend trips over to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit. They were like little vacations for us. We would laugh and sing in the car during almost the entire drive.
I remember the first time we tried to take a short cut through Hayward to get to the San Mateo Bridge. We ended up getting lost! Trust me, if there is a way to lose a large body of water like a bay and a huge bridge...we found it!! These were our little adventures.
Anyway, that shortcut turned out to be the best thing because we passed right by a 7-Eleven convenience store. Sometimes Mom would give in to our begging and stop for Slurpees. But sometimes she didn't stop, and we'd be forced to wait until we got to Gram's. 
My sister and I were Slurpee-holics in those days.
My Gram was the best. She was a fireplug of a redhead and she was so much fun when I was a kid. She'd take us to the Walgreen's in Tan Foran Mall. And then we'd have adventures in parking. She'd drive and drive around the parking lot until "her" spot opened up right near the Sears entrance. My sister and I would play scout, keeping an eye on the entrance and watching for people heading to their cars. And then, just like that, Gram's spot would open up and she'd swing the big caddy in like a pro.
Honestly! Can you imagine a woman all of 4'9" wrangling a huge 1970's model Cadillac around a parking lot?
After our triumph in the parking lot, we'd walk in through Sears. This was my first experience with any large shopping mall. Gram would always take us to the toy store and the pet store. Sometimes she'd need to stop at a shoe store, and she always picked the one next to the book store so we could brouse while she got her shoes. 
Then Gram would head over to the Walgreens where she'd pick up her necessaries, as she called them. Once in awhile we'd get new coloring books and the small boxes of new Crayola crayons. Of course we'd lust after the big box of 64 with the built-in sharpener. 
After all this shopping came the real treat. We'd scoot next door to the cafe for grilled cheese sammiches and hot fudge sundaes!
But the best...the ultimate...the grandest thing about going to Gram's? She lived around the corner from 7-Eleven!! Can you imagine? It was heaven for a couple of Slurpee-holics like me and my sister. After a day of racing big wheels or skates down the big hill, or building legos and tinker toys in the backyard, or drawing and coloring on the big dining room table, what could be better than Gram handing us a dollar and sending us around the corner for Slurpees?
My grandmother has been gone for nearly 20 years. But my grandfather still lives in that same house. And right around the corner is that same 7-Eleven. In fact, last year when I went down for my cousin's wedding, my sister and I introduced my niece to the joy of walking around the corner for a Slurpee.
Travis, darling! What a wonderful post. I love the memories. It made me remember my own childhood memories of going to the drugstore with my sister to spend our allowances on candy, or waiting for the Mr. Softee truck to stop in front of our house.
Marvelous, marvelous post.