I'll Follow You Anywhere, Except Bismarck

   For all of you who read the last column that I wrote, the man that was robbing pharmacies has been caught.
  A few weeks ago I got a card in the mail. It was a pharmacy announcing open positions at various places. One of those places was Bismarck, North Dakota. I looked longingly at the card. It had been a hard week. I was feeling tired, crowded and stressed. North Dakota would be a nice place to live.
  I used to live in North Dakota. That's where I went to school and except for one short period, I was happy there. Even though I haven't lived there in 20 years I still sometimes miss it. I miss the open spaces. I miss the people. Most of all I miss the wind.
  Don't get me wrong. I love St. Paul. C and I live a good life here. Once in awhile though, I think longingly of the wind and wish I was back there again.
  One of the first vacations I took was to drive out west. I had a route planned. I drove to Fargo, then across the state to visit a friend. I doubled back and went to Bismarck before driving into South Dakota to attend a wedding.
  I liked staying in Bismarck. I remember walking around looking at the buildings. They were beautiful. The area that I walked in was clean and the skies were a clear blue. It wasn't crowded, there was no bustle. It was peaceful.
  I looked at that card and though back to those days. It would be really nice to live there. I remembered that there were lots of parks and historical places to visit. There was the Missouri River. I like living in places where a river is nearby. There's just something very timeless about rivers.
   Then reality set in. As much as I wanted to get out of town, moving to Bismarck was not really an option. C and I are settled here. I wouldn't want to leave my store or my customers. I wouldn't feel right moving away from my stepchildren and grandchildren. With a little regret, I tossed the card into the recycling basket.
  The thought of going to Bismarck still hung on though. Typical me, everyone has their "happy place", a place that they go to either in person or in their mind when things get stressful. Most people would think of a warm beach (especially this time of year) or the mountains. I think of Bismarck. I wondered what C would think if I told him I wanted to move to Bismarck.
  That night I mentioned the card I got. I told him that I was considering looking into the job in Bismarck. He looked at me thoughtfully for a minutes. I could tell he was pondering what to say. Finally he looked up and said, "Sophie, I love you very much. Wherever you are is where home is for me." At this point my ears perked up. I knew it was impractical to move, but I wondered if I should give it serious consideration. C continued, "I'll follow you anywhere....except Bismarck."
   I smiled. I knew that packing C, Colby and Scamp in a car and taking off to North Dakota wasn't going to happen. I really didn't mind. It was fun to think about though.