Making of a Guest of Honor (Part II)

One really important aspect of being a guest of honor at a science fiction con has nothing to do with the Con itself. It’s making sure the world turns. Luckily, most Cons happen over the weekend and so for most of us the worst that happens is you might lose a Friday of work or be really tired on Monday. Even so, whether you are an author, artist, or guest you still need to make sure that everything is pre-set… especially if you’re going to an out of town Con.

My Con, Geek Mob 2017, took place in Roanoke (There’s something pretty awesome about an SF Con being set in a place named for America’s lost colony. It’s like doing an event in Atlantis.) It’s about a four hour drive from home and so in addition to making sure that my work life won’t go off the rails I need to make sure everything else will be fine too. For me, that means heading over to my parents’ place to do a load of laundry, cook a multi-meal dish, etc. Luckily, both my parents are still in good shape. They can move around and they’re sharper than most people decades younger. That means even if I shirked, everything would be okay. Still, it’s good to have peace of mind.

So, on the morning of the drive I set off not to Roanoke, but to the house I grew up in. Dad’s awake already. He’s playing video games. Mom’s hunkered down on a sofa watching the news. She quizzes me on my itinerary and if I know how to get everywhere I need to go. I assure her the GPS knows even if I don’t, then set to work on my chores. She helps. Neither of us rate an allowance.

After that, Dad and I plan to hit the gym. A nice ninety minute jog for me and thirty minutes, plus weights and stretching for him. There’s plenty of time for this. My plan is to leave for Virginia by 1 pm to try to avoid both morning and evening rush hours.

Delays strike.

First, at 9:50, Dad says he wants to play one more game because he hasn’t had a good score all morning. Go for it, I tell him, after all my schedule is my own. If I leave a little later or need to cut down on gym time that’s okay.
He finally gets a score he can live with and gets dressed at 10. As we’re prepare to leave, he asks, “Where are my keys?”

We look in pockets, between couch cushions, behind dressers, under beds, in his car. We search everywhere. After half an hour of hunting Mom starts assembling a spare set. He did a really good job. Finally, we discover the keys where the gremlins left them—
In a grocery bag filled with cleaning stuff that my parents never unpacked.

Forty-five minutes lost, I look at the clock and decide there’s still time. No need to change the plan. Into the car and off to the gym we go.

But as we drive around the corner, we find downed electrical poles strewn across the street. It’s so fresh the utility workers haven’t even put out the cones yet. I U-turn and take an alternate route. Construction finds us. In front of us, city workers dug a rectangular grave on one side of the street. They’re letting traffic through, but only one side. By the time, they let our side go there’s such a back-up that only one car can get through before the red light. After three light cycles and fifteen feet, I force another U-turn and try again.

We reach the gym ninety minutes late. I must say that my run went well. I ran fast and hard though I cut thirty minutes off my goal because I felt time pressing.

On the way home, more absurd traffic gets in the way. Every cloud in the sky wears fate’s mischievous smile. Finally, we get there and I pick up Mom so we can eat a nice lunch out before my trip.

The Friday before the Con is National Sandwich Day and that means Subway is offering a buy one get one free deal. This is pretty perfect. I buy a foot for my parents and a foot for me with the plan that I eat six inches for lunch and save the rest for dinner.

After lunch, I do a dummy check, kiss my parents, and hit the road. Not too bad, I think, I’m only two hours behind schedule.

It’s a nice day, 70 degrees, bright sun, and clean sky. I load the first four CD’s of Terry Pratchett’s Dodger into my car, and hit the Beltway. I ride with the windows down and I feel stress melting. Pratchett makes me laugh more than a few times. A colleague suggested he was the right author for a road trip. I make a mental note to thank him.

Around Rockville, I pick up a hitchhiker, a ladybug who flies into my car and settles itself on the window sill. I smile at it. Thirty miles later, it’s enjoying the open breeze as much as I am, and seems content to listen to the book on tape. An hour later, it’s still with me. I think this is something pretty cool as it could fly off anytime it wanted. I wriggle my phone out of my pocket and try to take a picture of it. This is a pretty hard thing to do (not to mention a stupid thing to do) while driving alone on a highway.



I aim by feel, but don’t have well developed selfie skills. If I did maybe I’d have gotten a better shot. In the end, the ladybug drives with me from Rockville, Maryland to the Shenandoah Mountains. I don’t know exactly when she leaves. If she said “Thanks for the lift” I miss it, but it is nice to have the company.

Next up, the Con!

(To be continued and concluded)