Leaving the City

We got on the bus early that first morning and left before the sun had time to awaken. It took a while to get where we were going. It took all morning, I remember. We were heading out for a morning show and nightly festivities. The bus was quiet for a good while, however.

After emerging in and out of sleep, I looked out the window and took in the morning sun. We rode on for a while, eventually making a stop for an early lunch.

Me and three other guys went to this little Asian Buffet place. Cheap. I remember it was so. Afterward, everyone met back at the bus, and we drove off.

It was early that afternoon when we arrived at the hotel, and our evening time was spent freely.

That was our first day right there. 

The Show

I started my day getting ready, dressing somewhat decent enough before leaving for the Show. It was around nine o’clock when we got checked in at the theater. A nice place. The show wasn’t bad either. Singing. Dancing. Performance after performance. 

We got out of there around one, and with even more time to kill, a buddy and me walked through the two or three parking lots that separated our hotel and the neighboring mall.

A Vague Threat

We were going from shop to shop and to the food court and back through again. The walkway in between the isle of stores had two lanes of traffic. I remember at one point we were moving with the flow of traffic on our side when I noticed ahead of us was a Random walking opposite to us. His face was down, I noticed. . .distracted by his phone. How predictable. . .but yes, he was headed our way. 

Random ended up colliding shoulder-to-shoulder with my friend, whose natural instinct was to keep on going without a single glance back. I stood there, honestly surprised. Random and I looked as my friend strolled along with the flow of human traffic. Random looked at me, knowing I had no part in this, but nevertheless, I apologized for my friend.

. . . I don’t know why I did it. I just did. It’s one of those things people do, I guess. . .

Anyway, I gave a quick apology hoping the man would just leave it alone. (Thinking back, I thought if I didn’t address it, then he would try to start something. Hey, there’s an answer! Hope you like it.) Anyway, Random looked at me, told me to “fuck off,” and went about his day.

. . .Well, thanks a bunch!. . .

It wasn’t in any way fantastic, but there you go. Well, I stood there shocked, and my friend was still moving away.

At the Dance

That night was supposed to be incredible. I remember I had high hopes for the evening. Free meal, dancing, living the good life for a little while. Well. . .not so much. 

The evening was slow. I had butterflies. I was — in love! — and I didn’t know how to dance. I took it upon myself to start with line dancing. The dance started easily and continued the same way facing different directions. However, I soon realized that it wasn’t for me. When that music sped up and I had to do the same dance even faster, and. . . well, I was screwed. These people were relentless. I was shoved and stepped on. There was no room in the crowd for me to leave. Finally, an opening cleared up, and I made my way over to the bar for some damn lemonade.

Once the dancing slowed down, I made my way back and danced with a girl. It was a short dance, but the butterflies subsided. The night wasn’t a complete bust all in all.

Later, when we returned back to our hotel, some of us went to the weight room, and after a while, we went back to our rooms for the night.

Heading Home

Well, nothing more really happened. We got up, had some breakfast downstairs in the lobby, and got back on the bus.

Some were sleeping. Others were busying themselves with their phones or whatever it was they brought for entertainment. 

Me? I laid my head back all the way and watched as Tennessee fell slowly but surely behind.

Well, there you go, reader. That’s it. Underwhelming? Too Melodramatic in some places?  Maybe, but trust me, these things happened. I know. I was there. 

Looking back, I remember very little of those three days I spent in another state, in which different things happened over the course of an entire weekend. Believe me, there’s more, but I’m sticking with what’s here. Thanks for giving it a chance, and remember, you won’t get those few minutes back. Take care, people.