Feeling indecisive about what to pack and what to leave at home, I stood at the foot of my bed inspecting piles of clothing that I’d placed on the bedspread. On Saturday, three days from now, my daughter Tammie and I were leaving on our long-anticipated trip to Rome. Excitement and nervousness coursed through my body. It seemed surreal that the time to leave was now so quickly approaching.  

Our flight to Europe would take off from Minneapolis airport. Since my daughter had come to Wisconsin a few days ago to attend her cousin’s wedding, the plan was for me to go back with Tammie to her home in Saint Paul. After the trip was over, Niki, my other daughter, would drive to the Twin Cities to take me back to Central Wisconsin.

I could hear Tammie getting ready for bed. She called out, “Are you packing? We’ll be leaving right after I finish work tomorrow afternoon.”

Pulling a suitcase closer to me, I answered, “I’m trying to pack.” A moment later when Tammie walked into my bedroom, I explained, “I’m not getting anywhere with packing because I’m trying to imagine what I’ll all need for the next two weeks. That’s how long I’ll be gone from home, between going to Rome and my staying at your place a few days before the trip and a few days after.”

Nodding, Tammie suggested, “Pack two suitcases. One for everything you will need while in Rome and the other one for what you will need while visiting me.”

Lifting my empty carry-on suitcase onto the bed, I pointed out, “You forgot to mention this bag. The things I put in here will be needed both at your house and while we’re in Rome. I need to find a way to make sure I won’t forget anything at your house.”

Eying my large suitcase next to the bed, Tammie agreed, “This’s why I wanted to go back to my home a couple days before the trip. That allows me to pack for just our vacation. I guess all you can do is pack the large suitcase with things you don’t intend to use before we get to Rome. As for the carry-on bag, make a list of what needs to be in it, and you can check everything off before we leave for the airport.”

I admitted, “I’m worrying too much.”

“I hope you can relax at my house while I’m working from home.” Tammie said. Then, smiling impishly, she suggested, “Be sure to put some blue jeans in your duffle bag for visiting my home. You might want to get rid of weeds in my yard. Doesn’t that sound relaxing?”

The minute Tammie finished her workday the following afternoon, we packed her computer and put it into her car. All the rest of our luggage was in there and ready to go. Three hours later we arrived at her house.

The blue jeans I packed in the duffle bag came in handy. While my daughter worked on Thursday and Friday, I cut down invasive grapevines in her yard and did other chores. On Friday afternoon Tammie soberly confessed, “I haven’t been feeling very well the last few days. My throat hurts and I’ve been having headaches. I think I should be tested for covid.”

My mouth dropped open in surprise, and I sputtered, “Oh no! I didn’t realize you were feeling sick. The trip! Oh my gosh! What other symptoms do you have?”

Rubbing her throat, Tammie listed, “I have a lot of drainage going down the back of my throat and I feel tired.”

Lightly touching my lips to one of her temples, I assessed, “You aren’t running a fever. Your sinuses often bother you. The drainage and headaches could be from that.”

Tammie agreed, “It might just be that, but what if it isn’t? What if I infected someone who is immune compromised? I think taking a covid test would be the responsible thing to do.”

Despite being horrified by the possibility of an unhappy last-minute change of plans, I had to agree with her. “You’re right. If you have covid, eight hours spent confined with over a hundred other people in an airplane could be disastrous.” I silently watched as my daughter followed the instructions on a covid home test kit.

Five months have passed since that stressful week in September. After furiously vacuuming my daughter’s house to pass time until it was time to read the test results, I leaned in close to examine the covid test strip. With relief I announced, “The test is negative!”

Our vacation in Italy almost didn’t happen! Fortunately, Tammie did not have covid and her symptoms soon disappeared. We flew to Europe the following day. Everything I packed was just what I needed, and the vacation turned out to be one of the most wonderful, enjoyable, and memorable ones we had ever taken.