It was a hectic day of adaptation. Scottie seemed unsteady when it was time to start the day by watering the plants and cleaning a dish, but he seemed reasonably stable during a brief walk. After coordinating everything, I went to pick up my mom and Lauren for her appointments at South Bay Cancer Center. However, Lauren's train was delayed, so I used the time to run back home for coffee. Mark was working on the bathroom tile, and I jokingly greeted him with the '..whaderuuudooinghere?' line from "The Californians.". Lauren's train arrived before my mom's appointments finished, so I picked her up and we made it back in time for the ongoing consultation. The treatments were delayed for a week due to low immunity levels. Afterward, Tommy joined us for Aqui takeout lunch at Mom's home on his way back from LPCH. In the afternoon, Lauren and I went on a spontaneous drive. We ended up at Fremont Older, an open space between Cupertino and Saratoga where I used to hike 27 years ago. We hiked to the peak overlooking the entire valley, which was a struggle, but both rewarding and reminiscent. Later, Jen, Lauren, and I went to Alice's for burgers, where a band was playing, and the place was packed. At one point, I panicked, momentarily, thinking my car was being towed, Only to realize it was parked just behind the tow truck. Such are the joys of owning a white Tesla Model Y in the Bay Area :-). Back home, I left the Y charging at Leigh after a few "Goldilocks" moments trying to find the perfect parking spot. On the walk back with Lauren, I expressed how this whole 'life' experience has been amazing to share with her, and she seemed to relate and agree. At home with Jen, she opened up a lot about her childhood experiences that she's had to work through. It was honest and genuine. I see a lot of support and love for her from Jennifer. Despite all the past struggles and trauma, it seems like we've managed to create a balanced and supportive environment for all of us.
