About That Ladybug...

Thursday I mentioned how I called Hick to check on his new storage shed store, and in the middle of the call, had a ladybug crawling down my windshield, and headbutting the driver's door window, trying to get in.

As you probably do not remember, since I have a tendency to be wordy, and it was a the bottom of a long amount of text...I didn't get a picture because Hick was excitedly telling me about his new business, and how he'd spent the morning setting out more of my mom's household and craft stuff that has been in Hick's future-garage freight containers for the past two years.

When we hung up on each other, Hick said he was planning on going to Hardee's for a $4.00 lunch special, and I was headed in Save A Lot, then on to pick up some scratcher tickets. As I told Hick, I hadn't decided on where I was getting them from yet. I have four options there in Backroads proper: Orb K, the gas station chicken store, Country Mart, and Casey's.

I chose Country Mart and the gas station chicken store. I thought about Casey's, but their parking lot is sometimes crowded around noon, so I decided not to go there.

I was home, and settling down with lunch in my dark basement lair by between 1:00 and 1:30. I had no idea how long Hick was going to stay at his storage shed, only that he would be home for supper by 6:00. I take my cell phone with me to the basement, but all I can do is text. It might or might not ring with a call. It will sometimes show emails after a long delay. It's always telling me something about data roaming because I've left my home network. It's kind of annoying, but Genius says he can fix it when he gets his hands on my (his old) phone, and that he can probably talk me through it when he gets time. Anyhoo...whenever I go back upstairs, I hear a bunch of emails coming in on my phone.

Around 5:30, I started upstairs so I could go get the trash dumpster at the end of the driveway, and have my walk before dark. I heard some emails chiming. When I looked, I saw there was one from Hick at 1:23.

"On my driver window."

Yes. That's on the window of Hick's 2002 Chevy Trailblazer that used to belong to my mom.

While I made supper, I asked Hick for more details. This was after he got back from lunch, and parked the Trailblazer in front of his storage unit, before going in to unpack and arrange more of Mom's belongings on the tables.

Hick also mentioned that I missed some excitement that morning at Casey's. No. He didn't lock his keys in the truck this time. But good thing he did a few days ago! While Hick was inside (probably getting donuts, which he did not mention, but I don't know what else he would need there on a Thursday morning), a car was stolen. Almost.

"The girl in front of me was paying, and the cashier said, 'Isn't that your car driving off?' And the girl ran out there chasing it. She was hollering, 'I'll take you anywhere you want to go! Just stop! Stop! That's my car!' There was another girl driving it, and she stopped. Then took off walking toward the highway. The police caught her down by the overpass."

Huh. I asked Hick if it was the same lady he gave a ride to the treatment center a week or so ago. He said no.

As regular readers might recall, my mom had a horde of ladybugs living in the drop ceiling of her family room, where she spent all of her time. She wouldn't kill them. Said they went back up in the ceiling at night. When they got too thick, she used a Dust Buster to vacuum them up and let them go outside. She wouldn't hear of getting an exterminator. I teased her a lot about this infestation. She just said they didn't bother her, even when one was crawling across my forehead as I lounged on her couch, chatting with her. Even though mom passed away in early February of 2015, I started seeing ladybugs in my house, in my car, and at school. They were all over the place in August of 2016 when we took The Pony away to college. Now they've tapered off. Until this one, I hadn't seen an actual ladybug since May 20th.

I don't know if there's a ladybug message here, or who it's for. Should I stay away from Casey's? Should Hick stop messing with Mom's stuff? Or is he doing a good job of liquidating it for Sis and me?

Yes. I hear the roll of the antiladybugites eyes in their sockets, and feel the slight breeze from the index finger twirling beside their temple.

It's just a coincidence, I'm sure.
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Yes, I know that the "ladybug" is actually a beetle. That's the kind we have around here, though, and we've always called them ladybugs.
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