Daughters and Doughnuts

Last week-end, I had the opportunity for a quick dash to Durham. My sister and I think it had been over a year since we were last together at her home in the Old North State, though I find that quite impossible to believe. But admittedly lives get busy and time flies by, so perhaps it had indeed been that long.

We had a hectic but fun week-end, shopping all my favorite stores, and most especially shopping and swapping my sister's closet. The moment, however, I may remember from my visit, this week-end's "moment in time" as it were, came on Saturday night. Two sisters, two Clemson grads, found time to squeeze in the Clemson/Duke game. It had been one of the reasons for my trip, but a day of shopping had left us with sore feet and serious contemplation of watching the game in our pj's at home. We eventually found a second wind and headed over to the beautiful Duke campus and the intimate stadium the Devils call home. As we made our way toward the sizable seated contingent of Tiger faithful, we passed a stand-alone concession advertising warm homemade mini doughnuts. We could not pass it by. After a quick stop to purchase our doughnuts and coffee and cocoa, we continued on our way.

As we slid into our seats, and opened our bag (all right, more correctly bags) of mini doughnuts, we looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Almost simultaneously, two sisters said, "Mother would have loved these." The moment froze. There we were.... I in Mother's orange coat snared from her closet after she died, my sister and I each wearing rings that had been hers, warm cinnamon and sugar from our doughnuts blowing ever so slightly in the chilly Triangle breezes, much like Mother's popcorn always blew over everyone around her at Death Valley. Here we were in Durham, surrounded by Clemson Alums, looking out on stands of and a field of Tigers that she loved as if she had been one herself...probably because she loved one particular Tiger so much and so long.

Mother treasured her treks to Tobacco Road....to Wake and Duke, to Chapel Hill and Raleigh. She loved the away games and the week-ends they brought. She loved her trips anywhere near Durham and the opportunity they presented to visit her precious Diane. And yes, on last Saturday night, she would have loved the doughnuts.