time warp

I came downstairs around 7:20 yesterday morning, anticipating a leisurely breakfast, shower and shave, before I was to meet a client at 10:30.

However, I soon heard an anguished cry from Ben, who burst out of his room announcing that he had overslept, and was supposed to be at his summer job (Pizzacato Pizza) at 8. Since he still doesn't have his driver's license, he's been taking the bus - a tortuous 2 hour commute to the utterly-inconvenient location in an upscale community high in the West Hills.

Rather than remind him of the fact that he was still rummaging around the house at 1:30 am (I was up due to back problems), I looked at my watch, mentally traced the cumbersome route to the store, and said, 'OK'.

We quickly fed the animals, grabbed the necessary work things (him and me), and sped off, and a cumbersome route it was. Amazingly enough, I got him there at 7:54. I think he was appreciative, but it's hard to say.

So, there I was, at 8 am, high in the West Hills, unshaven and hungry, with 2 1/2 hours to kill, and no specific need to drive all the way home.

I joined the slow-moving commuter parade down Cornell Road into NW Portland, and headed for breakfast at the Stepping Stones cafe. As I drank my coffee and enjoyed my Eggs Benedict (bless you, Benedict, whoever you are), I flashed on a time-warp, and shared it with the counterman.

One morning long ago (12/12/86, to be exact), I also had breakfast at the Stepping Stones, after which, while walking back to the nearby Good Samaritan Hospital, Karen leaned against a car and said "we better hurry". Ben was born a few hours later.

How time flies.

After that, I made it to my client (they loved the software change I made for them), went to the chiropractor to see if something could be done about my intensely-painful pulled back muscle (still hurts today), and continued on home to a full afternoon of other duties, too numerous to mention.

For a few minutes, though, I flashed on the passage of 21 years, thru the prism of breakfast at an old, funky NW Portland landmark. Hollandaise are here again!