Roy
My arachnid passenger
Roy is a small spider that inhabits the passenger side corner of the dashboard in my car. He’s been there for over two months now. I haven’t seen Roy in nearly two weeks, because I haven’t driven my car since my surgery.
I’m going to drive my car again today, and it has me thinking about Roy.
He and I have a special arrangement: he keeps my car free of unwanted bugs, and I give him the real estate to be a custodian, and drive him all over my beloved new-to-me-home state, California.
We have been to West Hollywood, Paso Robles, San Jose, the beach (many times), the forest (a few times), the airport, running errands, the library… you get the picture. I haven’t seen an ant, fly, or insect of any kind.
When I parked my car for surgery, I told Roy I’d be going away for a few weeks, and that I hope he can hold down the fort until we can resume our adventures.
I do have some concern that I won’t find Roy when I go to my car today. If he’s gone, I’ll know it soon enough; he always comes out of the corner to greet me when the car starts. If he’s there, I’ll debrief him on what the coming week holds: our usual excursions (beach, forest, time with my partners), and a special trip to San Francisco for the San Francisco Writer’s Conference.
No words have ever been spoken between us, but I have a deep knowing that we support one another as we try to coexist and (re)build our worlds.