The call came early in the morning, Bonma was very ill and in the hospital. She needed surgery right away and it was too early to tell if she would survive. A trip to Florida was inevitable. Dad arranged time off from work, mom called my school and explained why I would be absent. Our dog Midnight was taken to the vet's office to be boarded. Suitcases were packed, snacks and soda were purchased at Wiggin's Grocery Store, and off we went.
I seem to remember it being sometime in March, prior to Easter. The ride was long and tedious. There were no interstates then. I think we took Route 41 all the way to Florida. I'll have to check, I could be wrong. Dad liked to get as many miles in as he could before dark so we drove and we drove and we drove. I remember mom and I wanting to stop to use the rest rooms, but we kept on driving until dad was ready to stop.
Our first stop on the trip was a little place in Wilson, SC. It wasn't so much a motel as a group of small cabins. We checked in and then went to look for a place to eat. There was a place across the street so we went there. I ordered my usual (cheese sandwich). I only ate half of it and saved the rest for later. Mom and dad got into an argument about something and mom refused to order anything to eat. Later I gave her my half of the cheese sandwich.
Early the next morning, we were on the road again. When we crossed the state line into Florida, the first thing we did was stop for fresh orange juice. I don't think anything ever tasted as good as that orange juice. Cold and fresh, a gift from the gods.
Eventually we arrived in Tampa and made our way to Bonma's house on Sitka Street, in Sulfur Springs. Sulfer Springs is located about six miles north of downtown Tampa.
The house was closed up and we had to knock on the front door and all the windows to get Charlie and Bonpa's attention. Eventually they opened the door and looked surprised to see us. Didn't they know we were coming? We had just driven almost 1200 miles and were tired and hungry. After a tense conversation we left to go check into The Suflur Springs Hotel, just down the street from where the folks lived.
The Sulfer Springs Hotel was built at the turn of the century and had changed very little by 1956. The hotel covered an entire block with an arcade of shops beneath the hotel. The lobby was filled with old stuffed furniture and very dusty fake palm trees. The rooms weren't that much better. There was no air conditioning of course, the beds were hard and lumpy and the bathroom was a little scary. Outside the hotel there was a swimming area and of course the famous "Sulfer Springs", which were supposed to have healing qualities.
After unpacking we walked across the street to a little cafe to get something to eat. The cafe was about as old as the hotel, it was hot and dusty and it didn't look promising. Having only eaten cheese sandwiches for the past two days I decided on a chocolate milkshake. Once again I made a good choice as I seem to remember my folks complaining about the food they ordered.
Dad paid the check and we stepped outside where we got hit with a blast of heat. It was like walking into a furnace, and this was in March or April. God, what must it be like in the summer? We decided to walk up the street to Bonema's house and see what the news was regarding her condition.
The walk only took about five minutes but we were all hot and sweaty and exhausted by the time we got there. I prayed my grandparent's had air conditioning! My prayers were answered but my joy was short lived. They only turned it on in the summer (it was a small window unit that only cooled one room). Mom and dad sat down to talk to Bonpa and Charlie and I went outside and sat under a palm tree. So this is Florida.
