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7/05/2005 09:51:00 AM
Vacation ...All I ever wanted
Three summers ago, on the fourth of July, my apartment building was on fire.
It was just after eleven at night, I was already in bed which was weird 'cause I'm quite the night owl usually. I began to hear some shouting outside. "Did I just hear someone yell fire?", I thought. I got up and opened my front door just in time to see some guy bash open the fire extinguisher housing right under the stairwell of my apartment unit. I ran back into my room, threw on my jeans, grabbed my phone and its charger and ran outside. I remember thinking, "Well I guess this is really all anyone needs, some clothes and a phone.". As I got outside and into the parking lot, I could see the wild flames shooting out of an apartment four doors down from mine on the second floor. A crowd was forming, people were yelling, I called 911 as some drunk woman in a bathing suit tried to take my phone from me to call 911 herself. Fire trucks arrived fairly quickly, but it took a while to put out the flames. A cat that had been in the apartment when it was ignited was apparently the only fatality. It seems that the deranged resident of this apartment had poured gasoline onto his bed and set it ablaze in an attempt to kill his girlfriend. He had escaped into the night but I understand he was later caught. We were all brought to the apartment office to await the ok to return to our homes.
When I got back to my place around 3am, my heart sank. Everything was covered in a thin greasy film and the stench of smoke hung thickly in the chalky air. All my elaborate toy displays, my videogame systems, my bed, my couch, chairs and clothes, everything reeked of noxious fumes. I was overwhelmed. I called Rick for a place to crash and I went to sleep at his place. It just so happens that his girlfriend at the time had been involved in a serious accident and flipped her truck the same night. Not a good day.
Things work themselves out eventually, My mom and dad came out to Vegas to help me clean up and get re-situated. They even helped me clean up my stuff, wiping down all my CD's and other affected trinkets. I boxed up most of my toys and moved in with Darren, where I still dwell happily. The fire kicked my butt, and I sank into depression and started eating like a fool. I undid all the progress I had made with Raul and Travis and let myself go. It took me almost a full year to begin to feel like myself again but I did, and In fact, I'm better for the experience.
The fire did suck, but it also gave me a new perspective. I realized that things are not ultimately that important and the important things can be replaced. I also learned the true meaning of friendship when my pals helped me sort through my apartment in the July heat of Vegas while the smell of smoke gave us all headaches. I learned that I can count on my friends and family when I really need them and I learned that my mom and dad really are the best of parents.
Now, years later, I am still learning. This year the lessons were much easier.
I was invited by Anne to her cousin Scott's wedding in Pennsylvania. We flew into D.C. on Friday night and Anne's dad and her sister Jeanie picked us up. We drove to Anne's mom's house to meet her and Anne's brother Robert. On the way we stopped at a convenience store called Sheetz. This place has everything. The best thing they have is a cream cheese filled pretzel. Before the weekend was over I had consumed three of these twisted pieces of ambrosia. Then it was on to the hotel where we finally crashed out for the night. The wedding was on Saturday afternoon. The event was held outdoors and the weather was beautiful, but a little hot. My God , I do not miss humidity. Anne looked amazing. She bravely wore the most challenging high heeled shoes ever designed. I think they are going to be considered for the 2006 Olympics as an endurance test. We ate and drank and danced then jumped back to the hotel to sleep before returning to the same little country inn for an early Sunday brunch celebrating Anne's cousin David's 40th birthday. The McFeaters clan bought him a cane as a gag gift. So, I got to make the rounds and was introduced to tons of folks, met both grandmothers and lots of cousins uncles and aunts. The landscape and the attitude of the people really brought me back to my old life in Kentucky. Sunday night we had dinner at Anne's mom's place and we got to pet some baby pygmy goats and play some Scrabble and shoot off some fireworks. I loved it. I have not been so relaxed in a long time. I was able to totally forget about the rest of my responsibilities in Vegas for a while. I left my phone turned off in the hotel room the whole trip. Just sitting around the coffee table, sippin sweet tea, while the dogs slept on the floor beside us. Anne's dogs are great. There is Laddie who is sweet and reminded me of my dog Molly. Then there is Bandit who is just a bit south of sane with a wild look in his eye, also sweet but unpredictable. Mr. fuzzy socks, the cat, is a lost cause. When people entered the house, he began to destroy decorative flower arrangements. He believes his company on your lap is a welcome gift. In this he is mistaken. We exchanged words and from then on he was as well behaved as any feline can be.
Yesterday we said our goodbyes which was tough. Then a long drive to the airport, more goodbyes and then heading to our planes. Anne and I had a drink at the California Pizza Kitchen in the Ronald Reagan airport terminal as we chatted about the future. One last kiss then she was swallowed up by the security checkpoint. She was on her way back to Cali, me to Vegas. It sucks.
On the flight home I starred out the window. What a difference a few years can make. As we traveled at 36 thousand feet above the ground I was able to see hundreds of fireworks displays all the way across the country. I thought about all those families gathered together to watch these explosions designed to remind us of the cacophony of battle. These bursts of fire, so destructive, can also force the creation of something beautiful to behold. As long as our family is beside us when the bombs burst, the concussion will not knock us to the floor and together we can watch fear change to wonder while the dark sky is made bright again.
Thank you McFeaters one and all for making me feel so welcome and giving me a Fourth of July I am happy to remember.
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