Feeling Good

Day 2 - Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Nick worked at the hotel just up the block from where we were staying. He had to be at work at 3, which really didn’t give us much time together, considering we went to bed around 6, and woke up at 1:30. Nick had to go pick up his work clothes from his house, so he left, which allowed me to sleep an extra hour.
He came back to the hotel room for a cigarette before heading off to work. I sat in the hotel room, waiting for his call for me to come over. During this time, I thought how much it sucked that I was in the same area as Nick, and still, I could not see him or be with him. Then, I got a text message that read: “Damn…I miss u!”
About an hour later, I went over to his job and finally got to see his work place. This was also where he spent most of his time on the phone with me, so I was thrilled to see all the different areas, from the laundry room, to the kitchen, and the lobby, which I had imagined so differently in my head.
Nick had told his boss that he wasn’t feeling good, so instead of working his double shift until 7 in the morning, he would be getting off at 11.
We ordered pizza, and ate while watching TV. Every now and then, we would exchange glances, and he would smile at me – beautifully. I would realize later that my favorite smile of his would be his laughing smile – when I’d tickle him – which I would do plenty of times just to see that smile.
Twenty minutes before his boss was coming to relieve him, he told me to take his car and come back and pick him up. I didn’t have a license, but he said it didn’t matter.
I drove to the store to buy us cigarettes, where I got carded. I was shocked as shit – getting carded at the age of 31.
The clerk took my i.d.
“California, eh?” he said.
“Yep”, I replied.
“Not to be nosy or nothin’, but what brings you all the way out to Alabama from California?”
“Oh…just visiting a friend.”
Why I said "friend”, I have no idea. I guess I’m not used to saying “fiancé” in small talk, and I wouldn’t say “boyfriend” because, well, I don’t call him that, considering we kind of skipped that part. Saying “friend” just avoided any more questions, since I’m not really one for small talk.
I left the store, and as soon as I got in the car, my phone rang. It was my cousin, Danielle, who was calling to inquire about how everything was going.
A month before, Danielle voiced her opinion on our sudden engagement, and it wasn’t a positive one. Not only did she think it was crazy, as everyone else did, but she also felt that I was moving way too fast – especially just having come out of a long term relationship. She had also expressed that she wasn’t surprised my last relationship ended, since she knew, when meeting him, that we weren’t right for each other. But, she did do research, herself, on Nick, and explored his page, and saw that it was clear that we had feelings for each other.
I couldn’t explain to her the strong emotions we did have, though, because she, like everyone else, could never understand the in-depth conversations Nick and I shared that brought us to the point of realizing we were perfect for each other.
In the conversation Danielle and I had on this night, however, her tune had changed.
Danielle then: “How could you ask someone to marry you whom you never even met?”
Danielle now: “It’s good that you had the distance so you both can appreciate the time you have together.”
I had to cut the conversation short, as I had to go back to the hotel to pick up Nick. I sat in the parking lot neighboring the hotel, flipping through the radio stations. Fifteen minutes later, he came to the car, and sat on the passenger’s side. I was glad he was letting me drive, considering I didn’t do it often, and really enjoyed driving when I could.
I drove to Taco Bell where we ordered two extra large Sweet Tea’s – a popular beverage custom in the South. We headed back to the hotel room, watched TV, smoked cigarettes, had sex, and smoked more cigarettes before finally falling asleep at 6:30.