Saturday Story - July, 25, 2020

Saturday Story - July 25, 2020

I’m enjoying writing fiction - so today I have another story.

*****  Written by ‘Sarah’

It was Thursday, October 29, 2020, and I was going to stick my head out and go to a social bridge group. 

I moved to Georgetown at the end of February 2020, into an apartment.  It took me a few weeks to adjust my things to living in Texas, to living in Georgetown before I thought I could take some baby-steps out of my apartment.  

I had started to go to the Georgetown Recreation Center on North Austin Avenue and I asked Robert, who seemed to be the coordinator for senior activities if there was a low-level bridge group.

He told me “Yes, I think you’d like the Thursday Social Bridge group.  Actually, they started here and they moved to the Stone Haven Senior Center last summer.” He stopped and smiled “They say they play bridge but I think they just like to be together and bridge is the unifying force.”

He gave me the information and the phone number for Pat, who managed the facility.  

After my workout, I drove past StoneHaven.  It seemed to be in a community of older senior apartment houses.  I put it in my brain that I would check it out sometime down the line.

*****

First, just a little about me.  My name is Sarah and I’ve had an interesting life - but more on that later.  I had moved to Georgetown after some research on the internet.  I’m originally from the  Chicago, Illinois area, and the past five years have been hell for me - and I really don’t want to go into the details - at least not now.  Georgetown was my escape plan.  I needed to get away from the Chicago area (more specifically Aurora - a northwestern suburb).  I told only three people where I was going.  While I have my retirement income from social security and my job retirement, I’m not rich and I needed to be careful in my plans.  

Online, I found an apartment complex for $950 - one-bedroom as I didn’t anticipate any visitors, interacted with the leasing agent, who sent pictures and information about the community, and without visiting Georgetown, I said “yes” and took off to Texas.  I had rented a U-Haul truck and hired some guys to load the truck for me.   I drove the truck and had my car attached at the rear.  I checked out of my Aurora apartment about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 5th - driving the U-Haul as far as Little Rock Arkansas that evening.  I had avoided St. Louis and Memphis, and Little Rock was about as big as I wanted driving the truck.  I wasn’t sure how fast we would get the truck loaded and how long it might take me.  On my phone, I found a Motel 6 on the west side of Little Rock and collapsed into bed at about 8:30 p.m.  

I had left a few things in Aurora and I had arranged for Waycross Ministries in Aurora to pick up whatever was sellable (for their thrift shop) and to clean up the apartment for me.  I gave them a donation of $1000 for this.  

The next day was a bit shorter, and I arrived in Georgetown at about 4 p.m.  I called my leasing agent about noon and she was there to meet me with the key, and there were three men to unload my truck.  By 7:00 that evening I was alone in my apartment and starting my new life.  

The next week was a blur of setting up bank accounts, getting internet access, setting up my utilities, and finding my way around Georgetown.  It was kind of a blind stab, but I was impressed with the community.  I got out on one of the hiking trails on Saturday - in just a light sweatshirt and my jeans.  (I was laughing to myself that I’d be wearing a parka in Aurora as that day, the high temperature in Chicago was 16 degrees.

My renting agent told me about the Georgetown Rec Center and I soon found myself there.  And, amazing enough, I qualified for a special senior rate through my Medicare insurance.  

But, about the time, I had convinced myself to play bridge, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and pretty much all things stopped.  

*****

The next seven months were ones of loneliness.  Here I was, in a new town, in a new life - and I was in the middle of a pandemic!!  I learned to cope.  I limited my television to three hours a day, I read maybe two hours a day.  I walked a couple of hours a day and exercised in my apartment maybe an hour a day (to a YouTube exercise channel).  And, I was on the internet, I wrote notes to myself and even wrote two books.  I also prayed and sought God as I understood Him or should it be Her?  My theology said “God is so Big” - infinite and I am so small and so finite!!!  

During the cooler months during quarantine, I was able to walk outside.  I walked on the various San Gabriel trails.  For sixty-nine years old, I got around pretty well.  One day, I packed a lunch and had my CamelBak water.  I started at the San Gabriel Park and walked all the way to the Georgetown Dam and back. This was before most people wore masks, and almost everybody that was on the trails nodded and said “hi”.  

 It was a good walk and helped clear my mind!!!  I had a lot of garbage to get over!!  I left behind an ex-spouse and lots of hateful words.  It was good to start a new life in a new community, although my timing was off to arrive just before an isolating pandemic.

Finally, things loosen up some and I got back to the Recreation Center.  Although a ‘newbie’ I tried Pickleball, that wasn’t my thing.  I did the exercise loop.  I watched some of the aerobics groups.  Maybe when I had a friend to go with me, I could try that.

That when Robert at the Rec Center told me about the social bridge group.  I had played bridge in college, but it had been years - but if I had a fun group it might be okay.  He told me the group was at Stonehaven senior center and gave me the contact number for Pat.  I called Pat who said they weren’t playing bridge or doing anything because of the pandemic and gave me the number for Nancy Biggs.  I called Nancy, who sounded so pleasant on the phone and she took my name, number, and email and said she would contact me when they started up again.   And, to my surprise, I started to get a weekly “Bridge Brat” note from “Karen”.  (I laughed - “Karen” - wasn’t that the woman who always complained and had to talk to the manager?)

So, here it was - Thursday, October 29, 2020, and I was the newbie at the Bridge Brats group.  I think I kind of knew some of the folks as Karen had been doing little profiles about them in her weekly blog.  

I was there a few minutes early as people arrived.  A very friendly lady with reddish hair welcomed me.  I guessed that was Nancy. The people were friendly and because it was two days before Halloween some were in costume.  I did have a mask - but it was a COVID mask, not a Halloween mask.  Karen had mentioned having a Halloween party - but I wasn’t sure if I could or should dress up.  It was also the first time the Bridge Brats got together since March because of the pandemic.  

There were just a few stares at me as the newcomer in the group.  Nancy and Karen did their best to introduce me, but then I was on my own.  The costumes were fairly simple - although some were more exciting.  One couple were dressed like Bonnie and Clyde.  A tall single lady was Amelia Earhart - with aviator glasses.  And, the goodie table had cookies, coffeecake, even cheese and deer salami (it seems like one of the guys named Mike liked to hunt).  

For my first game, I sat at a table with Henry, Emily, Karen, and myself.  I tried to underestimate my hands and so didn’t bid much.  If Karen bid and I had support I raised her in her suit (and when we won the auction, I was dummy).  There were four tables and if you and your partner were high at a table, you rotated to the next one, and if not, you switched chairs and got a new partner.  Karen and I won after four hands and we moved to different tables with different partners.  

It was a fun morning.  (And, actually, after bridge, three people invited me to join them for lunch!!!)

It would take a few more mornings before I felt totally comfortable as the only black transgender woman in the group, but I was excited to make new friends. And, I had an immediate friend in Karen as a transgender woman!!!

Hugs - and maybe more next week.

Sarah

******

Well, here is my story for the week.  

Karen