Why did the chicken...
2006-06-01

I was still half asleep driving my usual 75/80 on the highway when I saw her, a mother duck standing in the middle of the road. Cars were wizzing by and I wondered in that split second why in the hell would she be there. Then I saw why, there was at least one baby chick and it wasn't going to cross anything ever again. I swerved to miss it and cursed. Life is tough enough, you shouldn't have to start the day with sadness. Sometimes life isn't fair.
That kind of transitions me into what I really wanted to write about. Miss Mush. I truely love this girl and so has pretty much everyone else who has ever met her. I've known Marsha for I guess all of 20 years now. In the begining she was just the chubby receptionist at the company I worked for. Then she lost a buch of weight, turned into a swan and dated one of my sailing crew. She tagged along and never really left.
Marsha is one of those people who looks like she might break if you hugged her too hard, but on the inside is as tough as nails. When we won our National Championship in 93, Mush was on the bow offshore in truely awful weather. She got soaked and took a tremendous pounding, but she never complained. She just did her job and when it was over literally collapsed. Like I said tough.
I lost her as and offical crew member a year or so later. She started dating my one time biggest rival and they were perfect for each other. They both wanted kids badly loved sailing and just fit. You don't steal other boats crew but in this case, I had to let go. There are somethings you don't mess with and this was one of those.
They got married soon after, had two beautiful kids, bought a house in the country. They were married ten years and then Jim got the cancer that took him down. Through out all of it she was beside him, sometimes yelling at the doctors when it was warrented. He didn't want visitors. He looked awful so I was honored to be invited near the end. I was there officially to cheer him up, but I think his momand dad (both close friends) and Mush needed it just as much.
I brought an album filled with old pictures and memories and we went through several fondly remembered stories. I was there at the very end too watching her cry as they carried away the casket. She said she doesn't remember much that day, but she remembers me standing there, not too close but close enough that she knew... I'm glad she remembers.
Now she's raising two kids on her own. The other day she did a tune up on her lawn tractor. The mind picture of that is too funny but yet I never doubted she'd get it done. Last night she came sailing with us and plans to do it on a regular basis and I am truely glad. We talked and laughed and at one point, almost cried. It was good having her back even though I wish the circumstances were a lot different. I think she knows that if she ever needed a shoulder or aything else, that I'm there, but I'm also pretty sure she won't ask. It's the toughness thing you know... But, now I can contribute sailing one night a week, a bit of an island and a trip back to old times so at least in an offhand way I get to help someone who'd never ask for it. I think if Jim was watching, he must have been smiling. If he's watching now, Dude I miss you and I'll do what I can to make her smile. We both know she deserves it.

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