I was definitely right. I'm having the time of my life on this vacation. Hanging out with Marcus every day has been truly amazing. Here's a little recap of what we've done so far:
Friday: Marcus's flight lands at around 9 p.m. I'm a teensy bit late picking him up because people from Bowling Green can't drive--traffic on I-65 between Bowling Green and Franklin was terrible. Eventually I make it there and I finally get to see him after almost two months apart. He looks fabulous (not that I doubted he would) and we talk a lot about his flight on the drive back to BG. Apparently the plane hit some pretty intense turbulence that he just kept reading through. I would have been screaming my head off and praying to Jesus to save my soul, but that's why he's the level-headed one in this twosome. I tell him a few things I have planned for us to do while he's in town (Dinosaur World, Mammoth Cave, going to Hodgenville to eat dinner with my family, etc.) and he just happens to notice a sign for Steak n' Sheak and asks if we can go there. Apparently they don't have Steak n' Shakes in California (or Waffle Houses either) and he loves both restaurants, so we stop at Steak n' Shake before turning in for the night.
Saturday: I wake up super early (as usual) and bake some biscuits for breakfast. We spend the day just hanging around the house, watching movies and talking. At one point I had to go into work to get my schedule, but other than that we just stay in. We do make it a point to go to Waffle House for lunch, where Marcus informs me that he could eat Waffle House twice a day while he's here. (For the record, I have absolutely no problems with that happening. I can get down on some chocolate-chip waffles, y'all.) Our server, Missy, is an absolute riot--she's cracking jokes and reading us fun facts about Waffle House and just being hilarious in general. I then challenged Marcus to eat 25 waffles in 10 minutes to beat the world record; he replies that he doesn't want to go into cardiac arrest over lunch, thank you. We head back to the house and just chill, watching
Fun with Dick and Jane and just enjoying each other's company.
Sunday: This was the BIG day, people. I took Marcus to Hodgenville to meet my family. I got up early to go to bible study, and after making some baked pasta for us to eat later, we head north on I-65 toward my hometown of Hodgenville. I'm convinced my family will love him, but I still maintain a somewhat nervous silence on the drive--I'm hoping my family doesn't cut up too badly and embarrass me. (Not that I think they're embarrassing. I just know how Black people (and Elizabeth, my foster sister) can get in the presence of new people.) But the visit goes wonderfully. We eat my mom's awesome cooking--fried chicken, hashbrown casserole, fried cabbage, sweet corn, deviled eggs, and a double-chocolate cake for dessert--and I'm pleasantly surprised that no one is giving Marcus a hard time. In fact, they get along great. We start watching a marathon of
America's Got Talent and have a good time laughing at some of the crazy things Americans are willing to do to get on television. On the drive back we rock out to John Mayer and talk about everything under the sun. I text my mom to let her know we made it back safely, and she texts back that she really likes Marcus. :) I rent
Gran Torino from the redbox and that's the end of the evening.
Which brings us to the present. Today I'm planning on taking Marcus to Mammoth Cave and hanging out with my best friend/soulmate Katie when she gets back in town. Tomorrow is Dinosaur World and $5 all-you-can-drink at Brew Co. (I also may be getting my tattoo that day!). Wednesday, who knows--I just want to make sure I get to spend as much time as I can with him before he flies out on Thursday. I've had such a good time so far and can't wait to see him again (even though he hasn't left yet). I'll make sure to keep y'all updated on how the rest of the week goes. :) Have a good day!
In My Ears: Drake, 'Best I Ever Had'; Luther Vandross, 'So Amazing'; John Mayer, 'Free Fallin'
