Taking A Walk

by Dwayne Phillips

Hills and turns. Up and down, back and forth. Such a road is great for driving a sports car, but terrible for walking – especially with a bicycle (see how I had to walk with a bicycle for three weeks ). It isn’t so much physically exhausting as it is mentally and emotionally.

I was drained at 3 PM on a Friday afternoon after a day of hills and turns. I passed through Cottondale, Alabama on my way to the motel for the evening. I stopped at a local place called The Southland Restuarant. It looked like a good place to drink a cup of afternoon coffee and eat a desert.

It was the perfect place to drink a cup of afternoon coffee and eat a desert.

I don’t remember exactly what the desert was. I guess that is because I never understood what the waitress said it was. It had coconut in it; I knew that for sure.
I sat there for maybe an hour sipping my cup of afternoon coffee plus a refill, contemplating another desert (I resisted), and plotting in my journal via my iPhone maps.

I remember that I was searching for a motel somewhere between Tuscaloosa and Livingston. Internet searches had shown me nothing. My iPhone search found a Comfort Inn near Eutaw. I cannot explain how thrilling it was to find a Comfort Inn near Eutaw. That motel would save me 70 miles of driving.

That thrill is one of the things that made taking a walk so much fun. Little things like finding a motel, sipping coffee, and eating a desert that had coconut in it and who knows what else on an afternoon when you didn’t think you could think about anything.

This is supposed to be an entry about a great meal. Well, I didn’t eat a meal at The Southland Restaurant as it was too early in the afternoon and I was too hot and tired to eat a meal. This looked like a restuarant that would serve a great meal. Everyone was wearing a University of Alabama football jersey. Cottondale isn’t far from the University of Alabama, so that made sense. The kitchen smelled good, the waitresses looked like they would serve good food, the menu looked good, there was a manager walking about talking to customers. These are all signs of a great meal. Besides, how could a place called The Southland with a capital “T” in “The” not serve great meals?

I was to walk through Cottondale the next day. I looked forward to eating a meal at The Southland. Rats, they were closed on Saturday and Sunday. I never had the chance to eat there. Maybe one day. I hope so and I may even learn what else was in that desert in addition to coconut.