The Three of Us

My eyes catch the brilliant blue coat and the crutches.  The man in the blue coat is steadying the woman on crutches.  I wonder why a woman on crutches is in the icy snow.  “There it is.”  I hear Hannah say.  I’m lost in my own thoughts about the hazards of crutches and icy snow.  “It’s pretty unassuming.”  Hannah says as she pulls into a parking lot.  I exit my own thoughts  and crane my neck around and look up.  “Ohhh.  That’s it!”  “Want to get out and take a closer look?”  “Of course!  We’ve come this far.  I need to get up close and personal with Burlington’s claim to fame.”

We exit the car and bundle ourselves up.  Well, I bundle myself, Hannah being a part time Vermonter doesn’t think much of the cold, these days.  We cross the parking lot and traipse over the icy snow and I find myself standing on a concrete slab that holds the World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet.  I touch it.  I examine the stickers that visitors have slapped on.  Then, I lean back and look way up.  There, against a brilliant blue sky, I see the top.  The tippy top of the top most file cabinet.  “Want me to take your picture?”  “Of course!”  Hannah steps back and snags a pic of me and the tower of metal.  She scoots on the icy snow and stands beside me.  “Look down, Mom.”  I follow her command and she snags another pic.  This one of the three of us –  Little Ole Me, my daughter, Burlington’s Best Tour Guide, and The World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet.