Roadtrips and Reunions

Another weekend in Southern Vermont. It started out as a good one. So, after walking home on Saturday morning, feeling like I was doing a walk of shame (although it clearly wasn't)-dragging along in the heat in a red even dress, black flip flops dangling from my fingers-I spur of the moment decided I was going to drive down to Southern Vermont a day early. Within a half-hour, I'd showered, dressed, and packed a bag for the weekend. It was a rather nice drive down through, although it was unbearably hot, even in my cotton sundress, and I only hit major traffic issues in small towns. Such as sitting for half an hour in a Mobil station parking lot in Shelburne, waiting to just be able to even pull into the road. That was ridiculous. All I wanted was a fucking cup of coffee. Eventually, a twenty-something guy in a Saab let me pull out in front of him. So, I headed home.

With the windows down, and my stereo blaring a mix of rock, metal, and country music that Dave had been nice enough to burn for me, it was rather peaceful. It gave me time to think and attempt to make logic of anything that had happened in the last 48 hours or less.
Why was I looking forwards to going home, when even after a day, I'm tired of the place?
I really miss my family, cannot wait to see them.
Maybe this time my friends will actually make an attempt to see me.
Why am I still wasting my time with this?
Why do I always choose the things that are the worst for me?
I'm so tired of men I want nothing to do with making passes at me every time I go anywhere. Don't they understand I'm not a piece of meat or a juicy piece of fruit waiting for their pick?

Finally, after 3 hours, I was finally home. And exhausted. Popped in to see Andrea, and as soon I got out of the car, this kid I'd never seen before gawked at me as I walked up the stairs. I don't know if it was because of the dress I was wearing or the fact that I was a female, but I wanted to deck him. Had a nice chat with Andrea, decided we were going to hang out for the first time in forever, and then I retreated home for a nap. Only to be woken up by my sister an hour later. A nice steak and salad dinner with just the four of us felt really, really good. It'd been a long time since we felt like a family. Of course, mom knew I was going to go see my friends later, although there were only two I wanted to be around: Andrea and Rich. I was wicked excited that I was going to be able to see my Favorite on Sunday. I went to get Rich with much of my mom's encouragement. It's sort of ironic how she adores my best friend, but never adores anyone I'm dating. She's already pulled the "you two should date" thing, even though I've expressed a thousand times that we are only, and ever only will be, best friends. It was good to see him. Just the two of us. It hadn't been like that in awhile. We were just content to do nothing, sit there in silence. Eventually, he passed out in the chair in my living room, and I suffered from insomnia as usual. I don't understand why, but I was restless. Maybe it was because I had too much going through my mind.

Finally at 12:30, Andrea texts me, and we met up for a long, much-needed, walk. We wandered around Poultney in the dark for an hour, just like we used to years ago. When we were seventeen and our lives were simple. Well, more simple than they are now, anyways. We talked about everything that was going on in our lives. It'd been months since we'd really discussed anything. We're both caught up in our own lives, I guess. It was nice to be able to spend time with the person who had been part of my life, everyday, for so long, but had been absent from it during the months past. I think the easiest thing to do would've been to forget the emotions and just swing away our problems like we used to.

At 1:30 in the morning my phone rings, and it's my Favorite, telling me he's finally home from Ohio. I couldn't wait to see him. Andrea and I wandered around the streets, looking for him in a came of tag. I finally saw a body wandering down the street, and I instantly knew it was him. I handed my phone and keys to Andrea and instantly took off running. I would've tackled him if we were on concrete. We'd only been around each other for mere seconds, but instantly things fell into place. Just like they used to be before he ever left. For the first time in weeks, I felt happy and content all at once. We wandered back to my house and decided we were going to take a road trip to Rutland for food. At three in the morning. Just like old times.

It was nice, being surrounded by my three best friends. Even though we road in silence some of the time, it was just the fact that we were around each other. Rich escaped a bad memory, Andrea escaped a fight, and Favorite was just glad to be back with his Favorite. It was almost like paradise, the silence. Just for a few hours, we were everything we wished we could be.