They had settled into their little traveling box with plans to sleep on the journey. (Yes, we know pigs don’t hibernate, but they were so keyed up and excited I told them it might be best if they rested up and conserved energy for the big tournament. I really didn’t want four pigs bouncing off the walls in the car as I drove.)
Our plans were to drive 1/2 way to Atlanta on Thursday, stop and sleep in a hotel and then drive the rest of the way today and be joyously met by the rest of our pig-rolling gang. All the pigs were coming!
On Wednesday I felt like I was coming down with a cold. When I woke up on Thursday, I felt the same. Even though I was not coughing or blowing my nose, the possibility of that developing on the road was giving me pause. If it was not for my upcoming knee replacement surgery on the 7th, I might have been tempted to climb in the car and cross my fingers. But knowing that if I came back with a full blown cold I could end up having to reschedule the surgery, I reluctantly told the rest of the pig gang that I was going to stay home and rest (which I did.)
I forgot that my pigs were still snuggled down in my suitcase until that evening when I started putting the things I’d packed back into my closet. They blinked up at me and the bright overhead light and started to ask how much farther to Atlanta, when they looked around and realized they were still in my bedroom. Little tears started to form in the corners of their eyes; I told them I was as disappointed as they were and it was OK to cry.
As it turns out, by the end of today (Friday) Hurricane Helene had squashed the travel plans of all the rest of the pigs. The North Carolina pigs were not going to drive through flooded Western NC, the Toronto pigs were not going to try to fly into Atlanta, which was also flooded in parts of the metro area, and the Alabama and British pigs were staying in Prattville, AL where they had been having a nice time this week, despite the rain and wet there too. I hope the American pigs, despite being outnumbered two to one, have won or will win a game or two against the formidable Brits.
The Big International Tournament and Meetup will have to wait for some future day. We’re now looking forward to Thursday, and our usual games of Pigmania and Pass the Pigs, played from our respective homes over video chat—THE BEST PART OF MY WEEK—and I know I speak for my pigs as well.
