One of my longest friendships has been with this girl named Alyssa, and her on-and-off again boyfriend of four years, Reynaldo.
I met them both during my freshman year in high school, where a little less weird version of me egged on of them on to get with the other. I believe it was Rey to her, but so much time has passed, I can't quite recall. As their relationship blossomed, so did my friendship with them. Things got much closer during my junior year, when I had classes with both of them.
I've been there through the ups-and-downs, the break-ups, the others, and the smoking. Oh God, the smoking. *puffs on Camel menthol*
I've had more and more contact with Alyssa after becoming aware that my friends Mike and Cynthia also knew Alyssa. We got together a few times, including once in February when we all went to a hookah lounge together. M&C dropped it because of Lent, but Alyssa and I continued on, going on Valentine's Day of all days.
TL;DR My friendship has grown closer, and we've hung out a lot. It's great to have a friend that will listen, and will capitulate to you as well.
Finding Out
In early June, Alyssa mentioned to me that she was going to be receiving a new car as a present from her mom and stepfather, whom live in Georgia. Of course, this was fringed with a familial visit to Texas from the Georgia clan to Corpus Christi. This is where things got hairy.
Methods of Travel
Plan One was to have Alyssa ride back with her family to Georgia, receive the car, and leave the next day to make the eight-hundred mile drive alone. This plan was abandoned because worries arose due to the length of the drive and the fact that she'd do it alone.
Plan Two was then conjured up as its replacement. She would go back to Georgia with her family, and receive the car. The change in plan was that her step-sister was to drive half-way (probably to Mississippi), followed by her mom. Then at a pre-designated spot, let Alyssa drive the rest of the way to Texas. I'm not sure why this plan was disregarded. It might have something to do with the driving the distance three times (TX -> GA -> MS -> GA) and the financial aspect of it.
Plan Three was similar to One and Two, albeit with a different ending. Someone would accompany Alyssa with her family back to Georgia, and then ride back with her, making sure she'd stay alert for the entire eight-hundred mile trip.
Phone Call (at 11)
Around 11.30 AM Wednesday (June 12), I got a phone call with Alyssa asking me if I'd like to go with her. Of course, when she told me, I completely gayed-out, literally burst into fucking song right there on the telephone. After learning I was on speakerphone, I calmed the frick down. I accepted the challenge, because let's face it, who the hell turns down a trip of Georgia? NOT ME THAT'S WHO.
Alyssa and I got together later that evening at our hookah haunt, along with a friend of ours.
"Zero-hour"
I packed Thursday night, making sure to take my camera, EduardoZune (my awesome Zune), and a change of clothes to freshen up into when we arrived.
I had packed at 10.30 the night before, and at the same time, repaired a laptop. I stayed up later than I should have, but left the laptop scanning with an AVG rescue disk before I finally hit and quit it around 12.30 that morning.
I awoke around 4 AM to find the television on and to a "SCAN SUCCESSFUL" message on the laptop. Instead of going back to bed like I should have, I decided to just stay up. I walked around, finally ending up at my Analog Media Centre conveniently located in my garage. Around 6.55, after listening to my records and NPR, I thought I heard a door closing outside. Not wanting to miss Alyssa or to piss her off, I decided to check.
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| My Analog Media Centre, capable of playing phonograph records (16/33/45/78), compact cassettes, and eight-track tapes. This photo is from late May |
As I opened the door, Alyssa was walking up. I wasn't prepared for this and was startled by her standing on my porch by the early morning light. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a dark t-shirt.
"You ready Eddie?"
"Yeah. You just scared me, hold on."
"Well hurry up. We gotta go."
"OK, let me grab my things."
At this point, she went back to the car while I hurried around, grabbing my Zune off the charging cable, got my bag, sunglasses, and camera. After gathering all my things, I said goodbye to my brothers and told them that if they needed anything, I'd have my cell phone on me.
I walked out of the house, wearing my sunglasses, and wearing a grey Nike shirt and basketball shorts.
"9 AM"
The car they drove up in was nothing I was expecting. In my mind, I was expecting them to arrive in a small sedan, and that we'd be cramped for space. Instead, they arrived in a large Honda something. It shined in the morning sun. I saw myself in the window before they unlocked the rear passenger's door. As I pulled it open, I saw something reminiscent of Alyssa's room.
It was messy, but everything was cleared for one more person. I chucked my bag in the back, levied on top of a small contingent of clothes still on their hangers. I placed my sunglasses on the seat, buckled in, and awaited our first move.
Alyssa was sitting upfront with her mom, while I was placed in the back with her sister Micah. Micah, also like Alyssa, is pale. She has curly brown hair, and freckles on her cheeks. She's quite the looker, as she reminds me heavily of Alyssa, although smaller in size and stature. Alyssa's mom, though is opposite of her daughters.
Their mom, Gloria is a tall woman, taller than me. I'm only about 5'6", and she's at least 5'11. She is very dark-skinned, Alyssa describing her as "Mexican", a second-generation Latino. Her hair was very much like her daughters, wavy, tied back. She wore large sunglasses, and had an air about her that could only be described as "gregarious". Very talkative person.
We sat in the driveway for about thirty seconds getting settled in. Out of the driveway and onto a major east-west thoroughfare, I introduced myself a little.
Turning from Thoroughfare East-West onto Thoroughfare North-South (southbound), Gloria complained about her charger cable not working. I mentioned that I had an extra one, so we hauled-ass back to my house. At this point, I called her "Mrs. [Allen]", and I could hear a grimace in the air as I said it.
"Eddie, don't call her that. That's what they call her in school" said Alyssa.
"You can call me 'Gloria'" she said.
On the drive back to my house, a call came in from her husband in Georgia, RRRRaaaannndy.* They began talking, and it seemed like love was in the air.
On the drive back to my house, a call came in from her husband in Georgia, RRRRaaaannndy.* They began talking, and it seemed like love was in the air.
"You should be saying you miss me and that you love me."
"I love you."
I learned a lesson: always tell your partner that you love them, especially if it's the day before your anniversary. Even more so if you're eight hundred miles away.
We arrived back to my house and I retrieved the extra USB cable, along with the camera. I had forgotten in the hubbub.
I went back to the car, and off we went again.
As we drove down Thoroughfare N-S, I was told by Alyssa that her family on the other side of the Mississippi was one that liked to "joke" around, usually showed by being called names to show their "affection" for you. (She had warned me before, but it's never bad to be warned about people ahead of time.)
"I'm just going to mention that now I'll throw the first punch if things get nasty. If you say they're as bad as you say, then I'll try to keep my cool. Just want to warn you now in case things get out of control."
I might have been exaggerating there, but as an adult, I've learned that you can't take any flack from anyone. And I'm certainly not going to take names from rich white kids. I ain't living in Plano, OK?
There was some more small talk as we drove onto Interstate 20, driving east from Fort Worth. Although I've lived in the county for decades, I've never driven the whole southern portion of I-20. Let me tell you, it goes from urban to rural in a split. One side will be filled with commercialism and houses, and the other, ranch land and two-lane roads.
After forty-five minutes of driving, we finally left Dallas County and quietly ventured into East Texas, into the heart of sexy-named towns and hick-country. We were leaving liberal Dallas and heading into Republican Texas.
If you listen closely, you can hear the "yee-haws". Uuuummmmmppppphhhhh.
Georgia, Pt. II will cover East Texas up to Mississippi.
