"It says it's here, but it's not."
Downtown
Alyssa thought it would be great to go out and explore what we could in Columbus for the short time we were there. So around 9PM or so, we went out in search of any hookah bar in the city. She found one, close to the waterfront, in historic downtown Columbus.
I changed shirt (I found out earlier that all my scratching had caused me to bleed on my back), and out we went, dressed for the night.
Driving east, we drove to the waterfront, down Broadway Blvd. Here, the streets are divided into one-way drives by large islands with turn loops at each end of them.
We missed drove down the block, and ended up passing the hookah place twice. On the third try, we finally made, and parked a little ways down from it.
Walking down the lit sidewalk, all we saw were closed shops, some abandoned buildings, and near the intersection of 13th Avenue and Broadway, a small concert venue and a Vietnamese pho restaurant.
We walked past our destination before we realized that it was no longer there.
A little down about it, we sat in front of a weird-looking sculpture while we tried looking for more options. Alyssa mentioned an old friend of hers and that he was at a party place. They texted back and forth before he gave her the address. We walked back to the Beetle and went off.
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| Corner of Broadway and 13th Sts in Columbus. |
It turned out to be a preschool, located next to the local public transit bus depot.
I was a little glad it was a bust, because I'm a little too shy for parties.
Before returning to her parent's house, we stopped at a CVS/pharmacy to buy some cigarettes. I got a pack of Marlboro NXTs (which I had bought earlier in Texas) and she bought something else.
In the car, with the windows rolled down, I opened my pack first. Alyssa asked for one of mine, and I gleefully obliged.
I would later regret doing that.
Lana del Rey's "Board Games"
Back at her house, we looked for something to do.
No one was really awake, but I was still aiming to go. Walking into their secondary family room, we chose a board game, but at the moment I can't remember what it was. The point of the game was to make it to the centre of the board and you had to complete challenges in order to advance.
In the spirit of it all, Alyssa smelled my shoe. I danced like a New York showgirl (thank God no one saw that), and pretended that I was someone who was being attacked by an animal. I almost tipped the sofa over, between you and me.
Late into our game playing, Tyler came in and joined us for a round before we topped everything off with UNO.
At last, we went to bed.
I had been told that I would be sleeping in the family room, but instead, I was given an air mattress and slept on it in the art room, with Alyssa occupying the bed.
No One's Around
I woke up around 8.30 to a smaller air mattress. Some air had escaped, but not a lot.
I twisted and turned until I figured I could no longer go back to sleep. I got up, and found that one of the dogs had been let into the room. He was chewing a shoe of mine.
Standing up, I found the bed to be empty. Alyssa's phone was still on its charger, so I figured that she couldn't have left anywhere. Exiting the room, the place was completely empty. No one was around-- but I mean, why go anywhere and leave a stranger at your house?
Disregarding the fact that I could have taken something, I freshened up and washed my hair in the bathroom. Afterwards, I put my shoes on and went outside, taking my Zune, a small bowl of M&Ms, and my cigarettes with me.
Underneath the small peristyle, next to the shed was a small table. I sat my stuff down, and excitedly saw a iPod dock outside. Borrowing a 3.5mm audio cord, I connected my Zune to the iPod dock and jammed out to my music (something that I would have to endure without later), while smoking and eating M&Ms.
I was out there for a good 45 minutes, having a relatively good time by myself. At the same time, I also discovered that Alyssa had left the room for her mom's room. She was sleeping with the television on, showing a real-estate program.
Back outside, I enjoyed myself for a nice while before Gloria's mother came outside unexpectedly.
I quickly snuffed out my cigarette and tried to hide the smell. We talked for a bit but she figured out I was smoking, and proceeded to tell me how bad they are.
I know it's a terrible habit, but I mean, it's a relaxing thing when you're alone and have nothing to do.
Minutes later, Gloria herself came out in a sun visor, holding one of the dogs. Figuring my smoking hour was over, I headed inside.
Most everyone was awake, including Alyssa.
We ate omelets prepared by Gloria for breakfast. I gotta say they were good.
Time to Go!
As noon was approaching (Eastern time), we decided to go if we were gonna make it back to Texas in time. I packed my Hugo Boss bag and made sure I had everything up. Before leaving, I went in their backyard and picked up the biggest pinecone I could find. A nice souvenir from the trip.
While packing up the Beetle, Alyssa got a few things from her mother. We effectively raided the pantry with Gloria's help, with crackers, Cheez-its, Rice Krispie treats, and a few Kool-Aid drinks.
After getting everything set, it was time to go.
We were outside in the garage when Gloria began to cry and hug Alyssa. I stood there awkwardly as they said their goodbyes, Micah doing the same, holding one of the dogs.
After doing their thing, a white car pulled into the drive. Out came a man and a woman, both good looking.
The woman, whom I later learned was Alyssa's step-sister Heather, told Gloria that a friend's garage sale had been rather successful. The man, who I learned was her step-brother JR (think basement room), added to the discussion.
Gloria hurriedly introduced us, and I shook both their hands.
Hrrrrng.
After Alyssa and Gloria hugged one more time, I decided that I just couldn't wave goodbye. I mean, how rude would I have been. I went up to her and she hugged me, and whispered to me with tears running down her cheeks, "You have one job on this trip: take care of my baby. I'm counting on you."
I was choking up myself with all these emotions, and I said back, "You have nothing to worry about. I'll do my best."
We seperated and I joined Alyssa in the Beetle. Making sure everything was in place, away we went, slowly backing up and driving towards Randy's workplace, which coincidentally is where he got the car.
"Alyssa, I have to be honest with you" I said as we left the driveway, "I would totally love to take your step-sibling, splay them on a kitchen table, cover 'em in mustard, and lick it ALL OFFF."
She gave me the worst look ever. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Before we left Georgia, we visited Randy at his workplace, a car dealership on the northern side of Columbus. I'm not exactly sure what he did to the car, but he did what he had to, and after saying our goodbyes to him as well, we left, slowly making our way back to Texas.
Of course, not before I got us lost. Sorry about that.
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Coming up in Georgia, Part VI, our trip back home. Hoo-wee, that's some good Alabama chicken.
